Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona has introduced a number of measures to encourage regular attendance from season ticket holders for the 2022-23 season.
The club has put an end to exemption periods for Camp Nou season tickets, which was put in place over the last two seasons to deal with the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, which could potentially limit capacity.
Barcelona has also said that it will re-introduce the Seient Lliure measure, through which a maximum of 95% of the price of the season ticket can be charged. Tickets released 10 days or more in advance will be guaranteed payment, but those made less than 10 days before a match will only be paid when tickets are sold.
The club’s board of directors have approved measures for the start of the 2022-23 season to encourage attendance including: a new members census; an update of the conditions of use of the Camp Nou and Palau Blaugrana (home to Barcelona’s basketball and handball teams) season tickets; a voluntary term of the new digital season ticket; a new criteria for season ticket name changes; better ticket price conditions for members; and for purchased tickets to be digital and bearing the name of the holder.
A new census of members will be introduced with the aim to update and regulate the club’s membership, while members that are season ticket holders who attend 85% of matches will have access to advantages such as discounts on tickets for companions, catering entry into draws for tickets and shirts.
For season ticket holders that do not attend, give up or vacate their seat for 10 games of the season, Barcelona will apply the Inverse Seient Lliure ruling. Ticket holders will be given prior notification but if the measure is invoked, the season ticket will be put on sale by default, provided the member does not claim its use within 72 hours of kick off.
Season ticket holders that do not attend, transfer or release a game during the 2022-23 season will lose their season ticket holder status for the 2023-24 season – when Barcelona will play at the Estadi Olímpic while the Camp Nou undergoes renovation.
When it comes to the Palau, the Inverse Seient Llire will be applied to season ticket holders who do not attend, give up or release their seat for six games of the season. If season ticket holders do not attend any match for the 2022-23 season, they will lose their season ticket status for the next season.
To combat ticket scalping and malpractices, and improve functionalities like the transfer of tickets, the digital Camp Nou season ticket will be introduced for the upcoming season. Members are able to use this service voluntarily and can download an application which the club will release shortly.
The traditional season ticket will continue to work but will have a magnetic component instead of a classic QR code, to offer new security benefits. It is already in place for Palau Blaugrana season tickets.
Digital season tickets can be transferred securely to another member, relative or friend via the app. If the experience is successful, it will be considered from the second half of the season.
The club is also introducing new criteria for the changing of names. It will continue to be free up to the second degree of kinship and it will not be necessary to be registered on the waiting list for two years, which was the case up until now. A person must have been a member for four years and not five. Only three seasons have to be paid for in full, rather than the current six.
To encourage attendance by members without season tickets, special promotions will be implemented, and pre-sale periods have been extended from 24 to 48 or 72 hours. Tickets for all competitions will be digital and nominative in order to guarantee traceability and avoid fraud.
FC Barcelona is set to spend the 2023-24 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while renovation work is carried out at Camp Nou.
The club confirmed the agreement with the Barcelona City Council on Tuesday and will be able to use the stadium between August 2023 and May 2024.
The stadium, which was used as the centrepiece for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, has a capacity of 55,000, a fraction of the 99,354 capacity of Camp Nou.
Image: Fikri Rasyid on Unsplash
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