Aberdeen respond to 5% charge

Courtesy of BBC.co.uk/sportscotland

Aberdeen have announced that they will increase prices at Pittodrie by £1 for matches against the Old Firm.

Controversially, Rangers and Celtic are to charge the ten other SPL clubs a 5% administration fee for selling tickets to their own fans for away games.

The Dons will now charge home and away fans in the South Stand £1 more, though Reds fans can then get a £1 discount on a subsequent non-Old Firm match.

Aberdeen will levy a 5% fee for tickets they sell for away Old Firm games.
The move by the Old Firm to recoup their administration costs involved in selling tickets to their fans for away matches has not generally been well received.

Rather than pay the levy, Falkirk themselves sold tickets for both home and away sections for Saturday's SPL opener against Rangers.

And the Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston described the plan as stirring up "a hornet's next".

Now Aberdeen have changed their pricing policy so that both home and away fans in the South Stand will pay £1 more.

SPL rules forbid clubs from charging home and visiting fans different prices when located in the same part of the stadium.

As a way of compensating their own fans for paying extra, Aberdeen say that any fan who pays more for an Old Firm match can claim a £1 discount for a non-Old Firm match as long as they do so within two matches.
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Whilst Aberdeen and Falkirk have both come up with completely different solutions to this problem, I can only applaude them.

At least their stance has shown the Old Firm that they will not simply be run all over.

Falkirk have thumbed their noses at the charges altogether by selling tiskets directly, whereas Aberdeen have said "OK. You can have your 5% but YOUR fans will be the ones paying for it!"

Hopefully now, Dundee United will now re-think their stance on the charge rather than just bending over and letting the "big two" get away with this!