Darlington fans to boycott West Auckland game as ticket prices are doubled

3:40pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Steven Hugill

West Auckland Town football ground West Auckland Town football ground

A NON-LEAGUE football club has confirmed it will double ticket prices for a match despite hundreds of furious fans planning to boycott the game over the controversial move.

West Auckland Town AFC will hike admission charges from £5 to £10 for their Northern League fixture against Darlington FC on Saturday, November 10.

Angry Darlington fans have set up an online protest, with more than 230 already planning to miss the game.

West Auckland bosses have claimed the added costs are needed to finance extra stewarding for their visitors, who regularly attract more than 1,000 supporters to away matches.

Last night, Denis Pinnegar, chairman of Darlington FC, and Northern League chairman Mike Amos, who met the clubs to try to reach a compromise, said they were extremely disappointed but urged Darlington fans not to boycott the match.

Mr Pinnegar said: “We apologise to our fans for the position they have been put in by circumstances completely outside of our control.

“A large number of supporters have expressed their disdain and have threatened to stay away in protest and the board understand them taking this action.

“There is also talk about fans turning up outside the ground to protest which is something the board would vigorously discourage as it will lead to unnecessary confrontation and the risk of disruption.

“We are appealing to fans to continue to be the great ambassadors for the club that they have been all season.”

Darlington FC are playing in the Northern League this season after being demoted five divisions by the FA, and currently sit top of the table.

Mr Pinnegar said any fans wishing to boycott the game could visit Heritage Park to watch Bishop Auckland versus Dunston UTS on the same day, where Darlington supporters will have buckets available for people to donate the extra £5 to charity.

Mr Amos, chairman of the Northern League chairman for 17 years, said West Auckland's decision was one of the biggest disappointments of his tenure.

He said: “I find West Auckland’s decision hard to justify and it’s not in keeping with the 125-year heritage of the Northern League and its reputation for dignity, honourableness and sportsmanship.

“I can only urge Darlington followers to take it on the chin and show that dignity remains vital in sport.”

Comments(21)

swagger says...
7:30pm Tue 30 Oct 12

This is what the chairman of the Northern League thinks of West Auckland cashing in and ripping off its own and Darlos supporters.Some may argue that Darlington charge more than other clubs, yes they do, but these prices were set at the start of the season after consulting fans of what they would pay to watch Darlo in the Northern League, its no secret that Darlo have ambitions to climb up the leagues as quickly as they can.

Chairmans quote.

The altogether more dismaying news, on a personal level probably the biggest disappointment in my 17 years as league chairman, is West Auckland’s confirmation this evening that the decision to double admission prices for Darlington’s visit on November 10 will stand.

Though there is no maximum admission price under League rules, it seems to me that this is short sighted, misjudged and a public relations disaster.

It’s for those reasons, and because for a very long time I have got on very well with – and admired – the West Auckland people that over the past few days I have held meetings with both clubs.

To no avail. West will charge £10 adult admission, Darlington folk talk of boycott, the more asinine websites go into meltdown and countless years of good will are fundamentally endangered.

(end of quote)

The days when Darlo supporters can be ripped off by greedy chairmen are long gone.If i was West Auckland supporter i be embarrassed by this.
Darlo traverling fans have given a good cash boost to the away clubs they have played so far this season.
So i like many others i will not be attending this match, and i was looking forward to it.
So on the 10th i will go and watch Bishop Auckland.

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MSG says...
8:38pm Tue 30 Oct 12

Two of us are not going to West now!!.

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MSG says...
8:38pm Tue 30 Oct 12

Two of us are not going to West now!!.

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Quakerz says...
9:29pm Tue 30 Oct 12

With West Auckland being a mile or so away from our "home" ground in Bishop, I could have seen up to 1,500 Darlington fans at this crunch match (last two home gates 1,498 & 1,481), but now they'll be lucky to see over 200 of us.

It would be nice if we could say thanks to Bishop by attending their match, maybe double their usual gate to 500 or more. It'd be even better if the Bishop Auckland match attracted a better gate than the West Auckland match.

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Jeremy K says...
1:32pm Wed 31 Oct 12

Darlington fans have been welcomed by the NL clubs we've visited so far this season but, sadly, West don't seem to share the same friendly ethos. I'm very disappointed by their decision to stick with their stance. I wanted to go to this match but won't be part of this. I shall be going to Bishop where I know there will be a welcome for Darlo supporters. They deserve our thanks for the hospitality they have shown us this season. I'm sure Martin Gray and the team will understand why many of us will be staying away from West on the 10th.

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swagger says...
2:16pm Wed 31 Oct 12

What better motivation for the Darlo players to beat West Auckland the greedy club of the Northern League.

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swagger says...
2:28pm Wed 31 Oct 12

This how a community club reacts to West Auckland Board ripping off its own and Darlo supporters.

DFC fans who want to support the club but wish to boycott the game are invited to join the crowd at Heritage Park where Bishop Auckland are hosting Dunston UTS on the 10th of November.

DFC Supporters Club will have buckets inside the ground, should they wish to do so fans will be able to donate the ‘additional’ £5 expected by West Auckland to a charity nominated by the players.

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Voice-of-reality says...
2:44pm Wed 31 Oct 12

It's an extra five pound - by not going to the match those who cannot afford a fiver will almost certainly spend more drinking more. Why are not all the matches £10 it would still only equate to 11p per minute for the 'love of the game' or is 'the beautiful game' really only worth 5.5p per minute.

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swagger says...
3:00pm Wed 31 Oct 12

Voice-of-reality says...
2:44pm Wed 31 Oct 12

It's an extra five pound - by not going to the match those who cannot afford a fiver will almost certainly spend more drinking more. Why are not all the matches £10 it would still only equate to 11p per minute for the 'love of the game' or is 'the beautiful game' really only worth 5.5p per minute.”


Did not understand a word of that!

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I SPY! says...
4:18pm Wed 31 Oct 12

it is principal! Swagger!

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I SPY! says...
4:18pm Wed 31 Oct 12

it is principal! Swagger!

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I SPY! says...
4:19pm Wed 31 Oct 12

You tell the voice of reality! Greedy Men!

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cooper71 says...
8:15pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Just pay up Darlo fans, its not like its breaking the bank!! West Auckland will have extra costs to contend with after all! You need to understand that its a one off situation....... there would normally be maybe 20 - 30 travelling fans, with DFC, there is the possibility of a THOUSAND! Give West Auckland a break!

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superstretch says...
9:25pm Thu 1 Nov 12

cooper71 wrote:
Just pay up Darlo fans, its not like its breaking the bank!! West Auckland will have extra costs to contend with after all! You need to understand that its a one off situation....... there would normally be maybe 20 - 30 travelling fans, with DFC, there is the possibility of a THOUSAND! Give West Auckland a break!
A thousand extra fans. Wow! That must be making WAFCa fortune. It will be a great day for everyone, I'm sure they can't wait to take all that extra money at the turnstiles.

Oh, hang on.....

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Darlo Mother says...
1:02pm Fri 2 Nov 12

cooper71 wrote:
Just pay up Darlo fans, its not like its breaking the bank!! West Auckland will have extra costs to contend with after all! You need to understand that its a one off situation....... there would normally be maybe 20 - 30 travelling fans, with DFC, there is the possibility of a THOUSAND! Give West Auckland a break!
Could open the gates for other teams to follow suit and exploit Darlo fans, who said its a one off? Re the extra costs, the other teams we've already played didn't have to double the prices so why should West Auckland?

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spragger says...
9:02pm Fri 2 Nov 12

Its football, what do you expect ?
A church meeting

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awa80uk says...
8:59am Sat 3 Nov 12

Yes there is extra costs involved if more fans turn up but more fans turning up means more profits to cover the extra costs and still make an absolute killing at a fiver a ticket. Doubling the price is not only going to substantially reduce the Darlo fanbase and therefore West's earning potential, it's tarnishing their recipient excellent reputation. In summary, it's purely bad business practice and utterly unethical!

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68chris says...
11:34am Mon 5 Nov 12

ok so when they play a lesser club with fewer supporters will the price be lower than a fiver ? due to the fact they wont need as many stewards etc. ? i think not

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gvx220 says...
12:05pm Mon 5 Nov 12

68chris wrote:
ok so when they play a lesser club with fewer supporters will the price be lower than a fiver ? due to the fact they wont need as many stewards etc. ? i think not
No.....we will pay what any other Northern League club's supporter will pay when visiting that club!!! What a stupid comment!

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ianh says...
11:56am Tue 6 Nov 12

Not a football fan myself but all the anger and comment re this subject is interesting.

Could someone please advise if Man Und or Newcastle charge the same if they are playing Liverpool or Chelsea as they do if playing (say) Wigan or Reading?

If they do charge the same, regardless of the opposition, then it seems wrong for West to change the games groundrules.
But if they charge differently depending on the "quality" of the opposition then this would reflect the industry std. and make Wests position justifiable.

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UpTheBoro says...
12:03pm Tue 6 Nov 12

ianh wrote:
Not a football fan myself but all the anger and comment re this subject is interesting.

Could someone please advise if Man Und or Newcastle charge the same if they are playing Liverpool or Chelsea as they do if playing (say) Wigan or Reading?

If they do charge the same, regardless of the opposition, then it seems wrong for West to change the games groundrules.
But if they charge differently depending on the "quality" of the opposition then this would reflect the industry std. and make Wests position justifiable.
Fantastic Comment! Stop moaning Darlo Fans. Even if you payed that extra £5 every week, your getting better value for money than when you were in the Conference. More banter, a derby game every week and best of all................ your actually WINNING!

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