A FOOTBALL chairman criticised some of his club's supporters last night following a row over ticket prices.

George Houghton, chairman of Darlington FC, said "sometimes I actually wonder whether Darlington wants a football club" in response to criticism from some of the club's supporters.

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Mr Houghton issued the strongly-worded statement exclusively to The Northern Echo after fans reacted angrily to the club removing free tickets for its youngest supporters.

He said: "I am very disappointed by the reaction of a small number of fans to our new season ticket packages. We have thought long and hard about this, however the feedback only refers to one area."

The club's 2009-10 season ticket package was unveiled on Tuesday.

In a bid to increase crowds at Darlington Arena, the club will freeze prices for two more seasons for the first 1,500 applicants. There is also an offer of a £50 refund if 3,000 tickets are sold.

Mr Houghton abolished the free tickets for under-tens after abuse of the system by a small number of fans. Instead, season ticket prices for under-16s were cut from £90 to £69. Family tickets for two adults and two children are also available at £650.

In response to supporters urging the club to reinstate the free tickets, Mr Houghton has compromised and offered one free under-10 ticket to the first 1,500 applicants.

As part of the statement, he said he was incensed to read that fans thought the club was "greedy".

Mr Houghton said the club could not afford to reduce season ticket prices because it did not enjoy the same lucrative television and sponsorship deals as Premier League and Championship clubs.

He is disappointed that attendances have not improved over the last two seasons despite the club competing at the top of League Two.

The new season ticket package was drawn up after the club asked fans for suggestions.

Mr Houghton added: "I promised that I would listen to the supporters and so Raj Singh, Christine Balford and I sat down and reconsidered the options.

"We need fans' support more than ever but we also need you to understand the massive challenge we face commercially.

"We cannot keep offering discounts and freebies, and yet we need to see more at home games."

A full copy of Mr Houghton's 758-word statement is printed below this article.

Scott Thornberry, who runs the club's unofficial fans website, appreciated the club had compromised on the under-10s tickets.

He added: "George has done great for the club. We are lucky that he has come along.

"In the past we were in administration and looking like we were about to go out of business. Stuart Davies came in and balanced things out. Then George came in and invested heavily in the club. He has brought in Dave Penney and attracted good players.

"He has done all that and not seen crowds improve."

The Quakers have been at the same level of the Football League since 1992 and Mr Thornberry predicted only promotion would help to improve attendances.

Darlington chairman George Houghton's statement in full

"I am very disappointed by the reaction of a small number of fans to our new season ticket packages. We have thought long and hard about this, however the feedback only refers to one area.

"The free Under 10s tickets were being abused by a small minority of people but there were also sound business reasons for making this change. Commercial revenue is crucial to the survival and progress of the football club, which has been subsidised by me and Raj Singh for a considerable amount of money.

"We cannot continue to do this to the levels we have been.

"I am the biggest supporter of DFC and last year I invested millions into this club to ensure you had a club, reasonable seat prices, very cheap beer prices and a good enough team to fight for promotion.

"I have heard 'credit crunch' and 'economic downturn' many times in the feedback we have received - believe me the credit crunch is biting hard at DFC and we are struggling to keep up with rising costs. I have also read some fans think the club is being 'greedy' and I was incensed.

"We need to change for the survival of this club. The many ideas posted on various websites such as season tickets for £150 or kids for a quid are simply not viable in a club this size.

"We don't enjoy the lucrative TV and sponsorship deals of the Premiership and the Championship, we, like our fellow clubs in the lower divisions rely almost solely on our gate numbers.

"In the light of our poor attendances I need to take action to take the club forward even if that means making unpopular decisions. Last season, although we were consistently in the top six, we didn't reach the average attendance for League Two and that is very disappointing.

"Things haven't improved this season despite the team once again being among the front-runners. Because our gates are so low we have tried to think out of the box and come up with other revenue generating ideas.

"We have worked tirelessly with the Council to try and progress our development ideas - it's tough, and painfully slow... sometimes I actually wonder whether Darlington wants a football club?

"I felt that the package put together by me, Raj Singh and Christine Balford was fair. We are very aware that younger fans are the future of the club and consequently reduced the prices for Under 16s.

"It's interesting that no one has commented on this, which potentially benefits a greater number of families and youths with season tickets.

"The Quaker Club represents excellent value for money and we have been willing to take the risk of freezing prices for three seasons, no matter which league we are playing in the hope that the fans will reciprocate and show their commitment to the club.

"However, I also promised that I would listen to the supporters and so Raj Singh, Christine and I sat down and reconsidered the options.

"We need fans' support more than ever but we also need you to understand the massive challenge we face commercially. We cannot keep offering discounts and freebies, and yet we need to see more at home games.

"I'm sorry...we can't offer you a season ticket for £100, free parking and meals - if we adopted practice like that we won't have a club for much longer.

"As I have said we received many suggestions such as stricter monitoring of abuse of the under 10 policy and better stewarding - with respect we have gone through all of these ideas carefully but I have to inform you that they are not viable or sensible use of our already stretched funds - not yet anyway until we get more commitment and support for our club.

"Going back to the Under 10s debate, we have decided that every full paying adult joining the Quaker Club will also be given the opportunity to get a free Under 10s season ticket. I hope that fans will understand that it was not an easy decision to make as we cannot continue to offer loss-making incentives when gates are continually poor.

"We are aware that we will never please everybody but please can we have a positive response, rather than constant complaint and even abuse.

"Raj Singh and I need to know our efforts are not in vain. We need all of you, not just some of you to show your true support now and understand the position we are in."