Q&A with Everton's The Blue Union

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust
StubHub: the new official ticket exchange
Q&A with Everton’s The Blue Union

April 2013

The end of the 2012/2013 season also sees the end of the original Spurs Ticket Exchange. This has been replaced by a partnership with StubHub, an ebay company, which states that fans can “resell seats for home matches they can’t attend, set their own price and change it whenever they like”. While the system will only be activated once a home game has sold out, the move to StubHub has caused many ripples among the Spurs fanbase, and rightly so. Secondary ticketing markets can be little more than legalised touting.
THST has called a meeting with THFC to discuss the partnership and how the StubHub exchange will work for Spurs fans. This will take place ahead of the Southampton home game on Saturday, 4th May. Rather than mulling over the theory, THST contacted Everton’s The Blue Union for some practical
experience of StubHub. Both Everton and Sunderland have been using StubHub’s system this season.
Here, Simon Magner of The Blue Union, responds to questions posed by Spurs fans via @THSTOfficial’s Twitter account on 20th April. While Simon’s answers are, obviously, Everton specific, they provide plenty of food for thought for Spurs fans.

1. Prior to moving over to StubHub this season, what system was in place for Everton fans to sell on unwanted match tickets?
Before this season’s deal with StubHub, there was nothing in place to sell on match tickets. Most fans tended to (and probably still do) pass on their tickets to friends/family.

2. Was the introduction of StubHub greeted with much resistance or scepticism from Everton supporters?
There was a mixed reaction from Evertonians. Many saw this as a good business deal for the club, bringing in much needed extra revenue (although I’m not sure what the exact figures are), some Evertonians were slightly more sceptical and realised that this kind of scheme has very little policing, opening the door for legalised ticket touting.

3. With no upper limit on ticket pricing, have Everton fans managed to keep resale prices at a sensible level?
For the majority of the season, I would say the average Evertonian has benefitted from this deal. The club has struggled to sell out Goodison Park this season, and tickets for several games could be found on StubHub, priced between £15-20. Everton also ran a scheme which gave season ticket holders two vouchers for discounted match tickets (£15) to pass onto friends and family.

4. Is the Everton StubHub model open to members of EFC only?
No, any supporter can take advantage of the StubHub selling mechanism, which opens a number of safety concerns regarding away fans sitting in home ends.

5. If not, how have EFC ensured tickets are bought by home supporters? Have there been any instances of away fans buying tickets in the home end?
I am unsure if there have been any direct instances of away fans purchasing tickets in the home end via StubHub and I am unaware of any problems this may have caused. As far as I know, Everton do very little to help police this.

6. How much were tickets selling for, on average, for the bigger games i.e. Merseyside derby etc.? Was this more than face value?
Tickets were spotted on StubHub for the Merseyside derby at £200. The face value for these kind of matches is usually around £40.

7. Presumably, StubHub charges a commission on each transaction. What percentage is this of the sale value?
On a typical order (not necessarily EFC tickets), StubHub would take a 20-25% of the purchase price. Buyers tend to pay 10% more than the listed price and sellers receive 10-15% less. Obviously, this has not been the case with most tickets for Everton but would change depending on ticket demand.

8. Does the Everton StubHub model offer an option to sell away tickets also?
No. StubHub does not sell away tickets on behalf of the club. Everton usually have a healthy away support, and the club sometimes decides to take a lower allocation since this reduces the up front cost the club is expected to pay.

9. After a season of using StubHub, what’s the reality of Everton fans’ experience of the system as opposed to the preconception?
In the main, the system appears to be beneficial, for the time being, while demand is low. As I have said previously, we have had very few sell outs this season and there have usually been plenty of tickets available for supporters at the ground. I think most Evertonians (non-ST holders) who require match tickets would still use the official ticket office at Goodison Park before purchasing tickets from StubHub –possibly because many are unsure how the system works and may not even be aware of it. There is obviously still the worry that as demand increases, so too will ticket prices – especially for premium games. I believe this should be a cause for concern for clubs such as Spurs whose match tickets appear to be in high demand and are fairly expensive in comparison. This could potentially see ticket prices soar.