The Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST) has forward a proposal to Chelsea Football Club regarding the creation of an official ticket exchange for Blues fans. Why is this interesting? Because currently the secondary ticket market is controlled by Viagogo, and they're less interested in doing what's best for Chelsea fans and more interested in making money off us. Which is what you'd expect when an external company is brought in.
From the CST website, this proposal's key features are:
- The ability for members and season ticket holders to purchase unwanted tickets for games at Stamford Bridge from fellow Chelsea supporters, with the potential for away games to be added to the exchange at a later date.
- The removal of heavy "administration" fees as currently charged by Viagogo.
- Tickets to be sold at face value with the addition of a small transaction fee necessary for the running such an exchange.
- The ability to easily transfer tickets between friends and family.
All of which sound much more pleasant for supporters than the current situation, which sees tickets get high markups so as to turn a profit for Viagogo. It's obvious that an 'official' exchange, run by the club, will be more friendly to fans than an external company coming in, and cross-town rivals Arsenal have already adopted this solution for their fans.
Considering the benefits of the CST proposal, especially for non-local fans travelling to see the Blues play, and the obvious downsides of the current situation, it seems like a for us (and everyone else) to spread the idea far and wide. Hopefully CST gets somewhere with the club!