As you will have seen from recent communications from the club, the Swans Trust have been working closely with the club’s management team on the issue of season ticket refunds for the 2020/21 season, due to the ongoing public health crisis.

While the package put together between the Club and Trust for the remainder of the 2019/20 season was generally very well-received, the solution for the 2020/21 season was always going to prove more challenging. At this moment, we have no real clarity on when crowds will be allowed back into the Liberty, whether partial crowds can attend at some point and, if so, how that would work. There are also significant restrictions on what the club can automatically provide to season ticket holders, due to the conditions imposed by the EFL and Sky, which we are very disappointed about.

As a significant shareholder in the club, we are also very aware of the financial realities of the current situation and we have repeatedly noted the need for measures to be put in place to ensure the financial stability of our club while building a squad capable of competing at this level. We also must balance this against ensuring the fans’ interests are looked after. It would be unfair to our season ticket holders if they were the only ones to contribute to protecting our club.

As the supporters’ representatives within the club, we will always push for the best deal we can. While not everything we proposed has been included, many have been and we are content that our views, and those of the many members who have commented to us, have been listened to. We are satisfied that efforts have been made to financially compensate those fans who are able to forego a refund and we believe it is fair that season ticket holders will receive priority when crowds are safely allowed back into the Liberty, most likely under social distancing guidelines.

Most importantly, we know that many fans will be facing their own financial challenges during this time. It is only right that the club allows season ticket holders to receive refunds, if they are requested. We also know that many fans have not yet renewed their season tickets, so we are happy that accommodations have been made to reserve their existing seat for a 20% deposit. In the current circumstances, asking fans to incur that full cost within a short space of time would have been unfair.

We are also happy to confirm that, should any existing season ticket holder request a refund, they will be contacted prior to resumption of full crowds being able to return to the Liberty and will have the option of purchasing a season ticket in the same seat at that time.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty, we should note that the package outlined is an interim measure. If the crisis continues into the new year, we would expect that the benefits outlined to date would be extended accordingly. We have obtained the commitment from the club’s management team to discuss further over the coming months as the situation becomes clearer.

We appreciate that the club’s announcement on this issue is likely to receive mixed reviews, however we are comfortable that the club’s management team have made considerable efforts to accommodate the different wishes of the fans, within the challenging circumstances and restrictions that they find themselves in. As the situation evolves in the coming weeks, we would expect those efforts to continue.

Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
29th August 2020