Glittering Dale party is pulled after fans’ fury
Angry supporters in backlash over club’s plans for glitzy town hall Champagne gala dinner... at £65 a ticket
ROCHDALE AFC has cancelled a glitzy end-of-season awards ceremony after a backlash from fans over the £65 ticket price.
The club’s gala dinner was due to be held at the town hall and feature a guest appearance from Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling. May’s bash, which was also set to include a meal and Champagne reception, was billed as a chance for Dale fans to celebrate the club’s 110th anniversary and this season’s remarkable FA Cup run.
ROCHDALE AFC has cancelled a glitzy end-of-season awards ceremony following a backlash from fans over the £65 ticket price and the fact children couldn’t attend.
The club’s gala dinner was due to be held at the town hall and feature a guest appearance from Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling.
May’s bash, which was set to include a Champagne reception and a three-course meal, was billed as a chance for Dale fans to celebrate the club’s 110th anniversary and this season’s remarkable FA Cup run, which ended in defeat by Tottenham in a fifth round replay at Wembley, only the second time Rochdale had played at the national stadium.
It would have replaced the League One team’s traditionally more informal end-of-season do, held at the club bar after the last home game of the season and attended by fans, players and staff and their families.
But after details were announced earlier this week dozens of supporters complained in a fans forum thread entitled ‘End of season do - £65!!’.
One fan wrote: “The end of season awards night has been a huge success for years in an affordable and good natured manner. Why change? Who is behind this nonsense?”
Another fan wrote: “My lad loved the awards do last season and now I can’t take him because a) I can’t afford it and b) he’s not even allowed because its restricted to 16 and over.
“A club with family values excluding families? You couldn’t make it up.”
And another supporter wrote: “The end of season do has always been a great night where fans can go up and meet the players and get autographs and have pictures taken with players and chant players names when they go up for the awards.
“£65 for Champagne and prawn sandwiches for an event that has been and should be free to all the fans. A massive V sign to the working class Dale supporter.”
But some fans did back the change, with one writing: “A gala dinner with a celebrity speaker in our amazing town hall for £65 doesn’t seem that ridiculous to me. I never knew how strongly people felt about an awards evening.”
In a statement, club bosses said they were ‘very disappointed with the negativity shown towards the event’, adding it had been cancelled ‘with immediate effect’.
It said: “The decision to hold such an event was taken to allow us to operate in a professional manner, in line with other EFL clubs, and to continue our progression off the pitch,” the club added.
“With immediate effect, the event has been cancelled. Those who have already purchased tickets will be contacted in due course regarding a refund.”