Cats stop selling season tickets
THE CLUB HAVE HALTED SALE OF CARDS WHILE IT WAITS FOR CAPACITY LIMITS
SUNDERLAND have halted season card sales as the club waits for an update on capacity limits next season.
The League One campaign is set to kick off behind closed doors on September 12, the Government planning on allowing supporters back into grounds from October 1.
Attendances will be severely restricted to allow for social distancing measures to be put in place and while no official figure has been given as yet the expectation is grounds could initially be limited to around 25 percent of their full capacity.
The Stadium of Light holds 48,707 and if it reopened at 25 percent capacity that would mean a maximum attendance of around 12,150.
The Black Cats have already sold more than 12,000 season cards so the club has decided to pause sales until further notice to avoid oversubscribing.
The club is hoping to increase that reduced capacity by between 2,000-3,000 and if that is possible season cards are expected to go back on sale.
The club said in a statement: “Comprehensive planning is underway at Sunderland AFC to ensure the club is fully prepared for the start of the 2020-21 season.
“While we hope to begin the campaign with supporters in attendance at the Stadium of Light, it is expected social distancing measures and other safety protocols will be in place when fans return.
“Of course, this will heavily impact upon the stadium’s overall capacity and could result in some supporters being unable to sit in their desired location.
“The club is continuing to follow Sports Grounds Safety Authority guidance and will work with the relevant governing bodies and supporters’ groups to ensure the matchday experience remains as authentic as possible, while also adhering to all of the safety measures set.
“With season card sales already surpassing the 12,000-mark, which is in line with the reduced capacity estimated, we have taken the decision to pause all new season card sales until further notice.
“We appreciate many fans will be disappointed by this news but we will provide a further update regarding additional sales once further clarification around supporter attendance has been provided.
“In the meantime, the club will continue to liaise with the SGSA and the relevant governing bodies and we hope to boost that estimated figure by 2,000-3000 in the short term.
“Finally, thank you for your continued patience and understanding throughout these unprecedented and unpredictable times.
“We will endeavour to provide further detailed updates in the coming weeks and we hope to see you all back at the Stadium of Light once it is safe to do so.”