A Crystal Palace supporters’ group has called on the club to review their season ticket policy after fans faced significant issues trying to obtain physical cards.
The Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association (CPISA), a group which grew out of the now defunct Supporters Trust, issued a statement on Wednesday after being contacted by fans who have faced problems as a result of Palace’s digital ticketing policy.
Digital ticketing will become a mandatory requirement for all Premier League clubs by the start of the 2026-27 season after the clubs voted to implement the changes at the league’s Annual General Meeting in June.
League rules will require clubs to make tickets digital by default, although clubs will be able to use their discretion for certain groups of supporters who need physical tickets. A target of 70 per cent of tickets as digital is noted in the Premier League handbook.
Palace have already sought to implement this policy, with their stated aim for all tickets to be as close to 100 per cent digital by the start of the 2025-26 season, citing those Premier League rules.
There have been some exceptions made for those who requested a physical card when purchasing their 2024-25 season ticket, but CPISA say they have been contacted by supporters who have been denied a card despite disabilities, other health problems or incompatible phones, or who have found the process unnecessarily complicated.
“CPISA believes fans should have the choice to access plastic season tickets where using digital tickets is a particular stressor for them, including those with disabilities, health issues, lack of smartphones or who are elderly,” read the statement.
“By forcing fans to purchase smartphones or collect paper tickets on match days to avoid issuing plastic tickets, CPFC is seen by these fans as being punitive and not taking into account decades of loyal season ticket support.”
One supporter with a phone that does not support Near Field Communication (NFC), the technology required to operate the system, who has spoken to The Athletic and asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of their situation, said they were told “it didn’t matter how long I had supported the club” after holding a season ticket for 27 years. They have been refused a physical ticket.
CPISA have spoken to supporters who have never owned a smartphone or do not know how to use one, and some who cannot afford to buy one. Many have yet to be informed of a decision on their application. Some who were eventually successful in obtaining a card told CPISA of a complicated process which involved multiple phone calls and emails to the club’s box office.
Minutes of the latest meeting between CPISA and the club note that cards will be limited to the elderly, those with disabilities or health conditions preventing use of smartphones. Once the redevelopment of the Main Stand is complete, entry will be digital only.
There have been issues with digital ticketing in the Premier League since its introduction. At the start of the 2021-22 season there were queues at Southampton, problems at Liverpool, Palace and West Ham United. Palace’s fixture with West Ham in April last year saw kick-off delayed after a failure of the ticketing system, while Arsenal’s opening game of the 2023-24 season — against Nottingham Forest — was delayed by half an hour after the club experienced teething trouble over their newly adopted digital ticketing policy.
Some Palace supporters faced technical issues before the goalless draw with Manchester United on Saturday with season tickets in their digital wallet showing as expired and had to obtain paper tickets from the box office.
Covid-19 accelerated the move from physical season cards to digital ticketing. Clubs were free to make their own decisions but the guidance was to move towards a digital-first approach. Many clubs have since moved to a digital-only approach and disposed of physical tickets with limited exceptions.
Everton allow fans to pay £10 for a physical season ticket and, at Leicester, the cost is £25 although there are cost exemptions for seniors aged 65 or over, under-12s and supporters with a registered disability. There is no charge at Forest, Wolves, Ipswich, Chelsea or Brentford. Some clubs provide supporters with cards in certain circumstances at their discretion but many are moving to digital-only.
A spokesperson for Crystal Palace said: “Like almost all similar businesses, we want to move towards as close to 100 per cent digital ticketing as we can achieve. We believe this offers huge benefits in the areas of safety, security, convenience and sustainability. Going forwards with the new stand, it will also enable faster access to an enlarged fan area outside the stadium.
“However, we have issued 2,000 physical cards and we will continue to work with supporters who face genuine challenges; either directly with individual supporters or for groups who can have one person holding multiple tickets — they could be friends, family members or carers.”
(Top photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)
