Fan Letters: “Sunderland need to offer an improved ticketing service!”

Dear Roker Report,

As my dad’s family are originally from St Helens, I still follow the Saints RFL team and I’ve just bought three tickets for their match against Warrington in April.

I rang the club and asked for what was available; they told me my best options and they’re sending the tickets out quickly. Simple!

It made me feel a little bit annoyed that a supposedly bigger franchise like Sunderland can’t offer the same service.

Instead, I’m hoping that my season cards have been renewed, but I’ve got no real way of knowing everything is sorted until the first game of next season. It’s all bollocks!

Anon

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Thanks for getting in touch!

I do agree that the ticketing system at Sunderland could certainly be more user-friendly, to put it mildly.

We know that the ticket office is operating with minimal staff and that they’re doing their best, but it’s an area that’s lagging behind and needs to be improved.

Ensuring all fans’ queries or complaints are dealt promptly is just a basic element of running a club to a certain standard, and I do wonder whether they’re simply kicking the can down the road instead of actually tackling the problem.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I’m gutted about Jewi’s injury but do people think he would’ve been given a chance?

Tony Mowbray keeps making excuses for not playing him, and the language barrier seems to be the main one.

Hope he actually gets an opportunity next season.

Levi Hill

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Levi. Thanks for your letter!

I agree that it’s a shame that Bennette has suffered an injury setback, but I’m absolutely certain that we’ll see far more of him next season.

It’s important to remember that he’ll still be settling into life on Wearside and for a young man from Costa Rica, it’ll have been a huge cultural change for him and I think patience is needed. Some players adjust faster than others, so I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about.

Hopefully by the start of 2023/2024, he’ll be ready to go and eager to show everyone exactly what he can do.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I don’t get why people whinge about season ticket prices.

Facebook is full of experts slagging the club off, but I’ve read that our season tickets aren’t much more expensive than South Shields!

Are our fans just professional moaners?

Ian Hughes

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Ian. Thanks for your letter!

This is a very thorny issue but I do think that the club has kept the prices fairly reasonable. There’s no doubt that we’re seeing a far higher standard of football at the Stadium of Light nowadays, and the price rise for next season wasn’t a shock.

As our Roker Report colleague Andrew Smithson highlighted in his recent article, it’s incredibly important that the club continues to keep games as affordable as they can and to ensure that a new generation of fans is engaged with the team.

On the other hand, it would be nice to see the hierarchy lavish some care and attention on the stadium itself, so that it remains as nice a place to take in a game as possible. If improvements were made, I think people would see that as a fair deal.

Times are tough financially at the moment, but generally, going to games is an enjoyable experience these days. It’s a balancing act, but one that the club has just about got right, in my opinion.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

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