Nearly 50 Bradford City fans from around the world have bought season tickets to donate to supporters who might not be able to afford the costs as part of the #TeamTwenty initiative.
The season tickets that were contributed to the third-tier English Football League (EFL) League One club’s season ticket drive included one adult and two juniors passes costing £159.
The #TeamTwenty campaign, launched in collaboration with the Telegraph and Argus newspaper, is aimed at keeping the cost of a Bradford season ticket at the lowest level in the country.
James Mason, Bradford’s chief operating officer, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of Bradford City fans across the world, and also of fans closer to home.”
Tickets were bought through contributions from fans in Russia, France and the US.
“The reason [I contributed] is to support the club and the fantastic ticketing strategy that they have been delivering for the last few years,” said Tim Clough, from Moscow, who bought one of the season ticket packages for others.
“I can afford it and, if I lived in the UK, I would buy a season ticket for myself and potentially for my children. So I asked myself why shouldn’t I do that now and donate that season ticket to someone who could use it, who wouldn’t normally be able to afford it.
“The legacy that the chairman will leave is a club that has a solid fan base of young supporters and I want to support that through my donation. Hopefully whoever receives it will get as much enjoyment – and frustration, excitement and nervousness – from supporting the club as I’ve had for 35 years.”
Another Bradford fan that now lives in the US said he understands that with the cost of living and all the other responsibilities of having a household and kids, many supporters will be unable to afford a season ticket.
“If I was living close to City I would have a season ticket myself, so it’s a way I felt I could contribute to the #TeamTwenty campaign and have somebody else benefit from it,” the fan said.
In addition to this initiative, Bradford’s owner Edin Rahic last week stated that if the team was to return to the Premier League, tickets would cost fans just £1 per game.
He explained that if his club reached the top level of English football for the first time in 16 years, revenue from television deals could allow them to subsidise ticket prices.
Bradford are currently three points off an automatic promotion place in League One, which would bring them into the Championship, one tier below the Premier League.
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