We don't have a demand that outstrips supply at the moment. It happened a few times last year for specific games, but on the whole people can get in if they want to. Going forward, if we start selling out most weeks there are options - temporary seating (although it is usually rented, so not always that profitable for the club), lotteries for available tickets (Liverpool run a system like this), selling tickets further in advance so that the casual supporter can plan their visit. If you have to do this the only long term solutions are 1) increase capacity or, 2) play crap and get relegated, otherwise known as the West Brom route.
That was the case last season, but I'd argue that it won't be for 2018/19.
I had to take the tough decision not to renew my season ticket last month as I'll be leaving the country at the back end of October. I procrastinated for ages as to whether I could justify laying out £330 for 8 games, and also whether it would be fair to buy up a seat that another more local supporter could use when I'm 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world. With the decision made not to renew, I felt I could least rely on there being at least some matchday tickets available while I'm still here and that I'd still be able to go when I'm around.
This morning though, simply out of interest, I had a look on Eventbrite to see if my old ticket had been sold. It now seems the entire Selenity Stand (save for a handful of restricted view seats) is sold out, as is Bridge McFarland and the Upper Co-op. In fact, going on the map, it seems all that will be available on matchday is around 30-40 seats in the lower Co-op (assuming they don't sell before the start of the season... which seems unlikely) and whatever we might get in the Stacey West depending on the away support.
Personally (and I accept I may be slightly biased as a long-time fan who is now regretting his decision not to renew his ST!), I think the club has made a quite serious error in not capping season ticket sales, and bringing in the 'Legends Lounge' - co-incidentally the only area of the ground where there is plenty of availability still left. With interest in LCFC at an all-time high, surely a good number of matchday seats (500-1,000 for EVERY game - not just the ones where the away support allows for part of the Stacey West to be open) should have been held back so new supporters, exiles or people unable to afford £380 for a ST could go.
Surely extending the Selenity Stand now has to be uppermost in the club's thinking because I don't see any other areas of the ground where any kind of significant increase in capacity can be made. And with the new ground at least a decade away, we've reached a point where capacity has been reached and we're turning away fans (an incredible state of affairs given where we were this time 2 years ago).
Clive and Co have rightly talked about this period being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Lincoln City - surely part of the game plan going forward has to be taking advantage of the new and existing support that is out there. In my view, the last 2-3 months (i.e. the Wembley turnout and the unprecedented level of season ticket sales) has proven beyond all doubt that Lincoln City could easily sustain a stadium of 12-15,000 - certainly while the Cowleys remain in charge and success continues.
Now off to snap up those last restricted view seats!!
