Move is not borne out of desperation

By Elvin King

IPSWICH Town chief executive Derek Bowden today dismissed suggestions that today's new season ticket incentive announcement has been borne out of desperation.

“It is not a desperation move. It is one we think is fair and reflects the current situation,” says Bowden.

“Sales are slower than last season, but then around 50 per cent are not normally made until the final week.

“The market has changed since we made our original season ticket price decision in January with our announcement coming in February.

“Since then the message from Premiership and Championship clubs has been to freeze or reduce prices. And we feel we should join the trend - and reward loyalty.

“And if we sell similar numbers of seasons tickets to this campaign, manager Jim Magilton will have a wage budget at the top end of Championship clubs not benefiting from parachute payments.”

Bowden says it would be “'tragic” if Magilton was not given help to bring success back to the Blues.

“We would be left kicking ourselves in the summer if we had not given our manager all the help we can.

“We have listened to our supporters and put into place a new scheme that we are sure will be well received.

“If we had sat tight we would have put ourselves in a position where we would be regretting our actions come the summer.”

Letters are due to drop on the door mats of current Town season ticket holders today and tomorrow, informing them of new incentives to stay loyal to the Blues.

And the deadline date for 'Early

Bird' discount sales has been put back a week.

Norwich have sold their full season ticket allocation for next season, and the Canaries have a waiting list.

The situation is different at Ipswich where the club has now been five years out of the Premiership.

Half the income a club like Ipswich accrues comes through the turnstile as opposed to just 15pc when in the Premiership.