The next two home games at the London Stadium have already sold out meaning that season ticket holders who can’t make the Swansea or Everton games can relist their seats on Ticket exchange or share them using the new Ticket Forwarding function.
Thousands of seats remain empty each league game depriving thousands of Hammers the chance to watch their club.
The real number supporters recorded through the electronic turnstiles for the West Ham v Stoke City game last November was 48,391 compared with 56,970 tickets sold and published as the official attendance. The number supporters recorded through the electronic turnstiles in the West Ham v Arsenal game in December last year was 51,122 compared with 56,980 tickets sold and published as the official attendance.
A Club spokesman told me at the time “In line with other Premier League clubs, the attendance figure we announce at home matches reflects the number of tickets sold. We understand that there are always a number of Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend specific matches for various reasons and we are working hard to ensure we fill as many empty seats as possible via our Ticket Exchange facility. West Ham United encourage all Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend matches to offer their tickets for resale on the Ticket Exchange, enabling their fellow supporters who wish to purchase tickets for matches to be able to do so.”
Both upcoming home games are category B and season ticket holders will get 90% of their ticket face value back for either game you can’t make. The remaining 10% goes to Ticket Master as an admin fee to fund the scheme. Any profits the club make reselling your ticket at general admission price goes back to the transfer budget.
Full details of the Exchange functionality, how much credit you will get and how to use it can be found at http://www.whufc.com/ticketexchange
Also now available is the new Ticket Forwarding function which allows you to forward your season ticket on to friends, family or strangers free of charge or you can even donate it to Charity to allow those less fortunate to enjoy a West Ham in your seat. The receiving supporter just pays a £1.25 booking fee to print off the ticket at home.
Full instructions on how to forward your ticket to someone else can be found HERE
Both Chelsea and Leicester City visiting supporters have sung about our empty seats despite each game being a sellout with every single ticket sold. Let’s not give Swansea on 8th April and Everton on 22nd April the opportunity to do the same.
In my view this is not down the club, the board, the manager or the players, this is down to the season ticket holders to make it happen, it is our own control to fill every season ticket seat at the London Stadium and we have only got ourselves to blame if we don’t!
Ticket exchange is already open and available for the Swansea and Everton home games with ticket forwarding available ten days before each game.