Submitted on
Tuesday 21 June 2011
by
Jackie Newing
I am the carer for my brother who is an adult with severe learning difficulties.
He has been attending Nottingham Forest matches for the last four years and he has enjoyed the benefit of having a disabled person's concessional rate together with a free carer, who has to attend with him otherwise he would not be able to go.
Last season he paid £440.60 and given that we anticipated that there might be a small increase this season, he has been budgeting to pay around this amount again this season.
He has never been contacted by the club to say that there might be a significant increase to his membership.
On Thursday he received a letter from the club that stated 'We are pleased to confirm that all prices ..have been frozen'. The letter then indicated that the cost of renewal would be £618.
The letter went on to say that the club had arrived at the decision to review the pricing of season tickets for disabled supporters on the basis of discussions with Level Playing Field.
I telephoned the head of the Disabled Supporters Association and was informed that they knew nothing about this change of policy and had not been consulted.
I e-mailed the club and asked for the name of the person at Level Playing Field with whom these discussions had taken place. I have not had a reply. I telephoned Level Playing Field and a representative there said to me that they had never been in discussions with the club and that they had emailed them some policy advice.
I was informed that Level Playing Field had advised the club that if they were to increase the cost of the season tickets to disabled supporters then the increase should be levied in stages so as to avoid causing hardship.
I was told that they had asked Nottingham Forest to alter their website and make it clear that Level Playing Field had no say in this decision. I noted then on Friday that there had been a change to the website in that the club now made reference to Disability Direct.
I contacted them and asked if they could confirm who the club had spoken to and why they had been advocates of a policy which, in my view, discriminates against disabled supporters.
I was emailed back and Disability Direct said they had only been contacted that morning and there had not been previous discussions.
Since then I have spoken to the club.
I was told the decision to increase the cost of a season ticket to disabled supporters had been taken at board level.
I have a number of questions for the club and the board in particular.
1. Level Playing Field have informed the club that any increase to the cost of a disabled supporter's season ticket should be done in stages and in consultation with the Disabled Supporters Association. Why have the Club not done this?
In fact I have received correspondence from the club indicating that they "will instigate consultation with our disabled supporters association during the summer".
Surely this is after the decision has been taken and certainly after the deadline of the June 19 for renewing your season ticket has passed.
2. Why did they mention Level Playing Field and Disability Direct, when it seemed to me that they only quoted the names of those organisations to justify their actions.
3. Why have the club taken this decision to increase the price to a disabled supporter when I have contacted all of the football clubs in the Championship and at least 75% of them have concessions for disabled supporters (including Derby County who charge £190 for a disabled supporter)?
In conclusion and to avoid any doubt, I personally do not have any objections to a disabled supporter paying the same amount as an able-bodied person.
What I find objectionable is the manner in which this increase has been implemented.
The increase levied is prohibitive to many disabled supporters and should have been increased in stages to bring it in line with able-bodied supporters.
Sandra Cooper of Hucknall