A letter to Season Ticket Holders from Leicester Tigers Chief Executive Officer Andrea Pinchen:

At the time I am writing this letter, we remain the only Gallagher Premiership club still alive in all three of the top-tier competitions, sitting sixth in the league, in the Round of 16 of Europe and, last weekend, securing our place in the Premiership Rugby Cup Final.

We have got some work to do from now until the end of the season and the support you give us is vital to our success.

The unrivalled atmosphere and noise that you create at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and on the road, where no club is supported in as many as numbers as us, makes a difference for the players on the pitch.

Therefore, I wanted to start this letter by saying a resounding thank you to all of you, our Season Ticket Holders for being that difference.

Looking forward, next Monday, February 26, we will be sharing the details of 24/25 Season Tickets.

Whilst, in previous seasons, we have first shared this information in emails, website articles and social media posts on the day of it being on-sale, this year I felt it was important to communicate with you ahead of time with details on what you can expect to see.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in my time in this role, especially having taken it on during the COVID-19 pandemic, is that open and honest communication with you, our Season Ticket Holders, is paramount to the responsibilities I and all those at the club have and therefore, it is essential that you are provided with all of the available information with time to digest it.

Our club, fellow clubs, our competitions and our game are not immune to the current financial climate. As we have said on many occasions in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing costs associated with that period, as well as events since, have led to an increase in costs placed on us all.

We at Leicester Tigers are no different and know that without the support of yourselves – Season Ticket Holders – and wider supporter base, including our Members, Club Partners, Shareholders and Stakeholders in the club and game, we would not be where we are today.  My role, and the role of the Board, is to ensure that our club keeps on target heading towards financial sustainability and remains your club for many, many years to come.

During the past decade, we have chosen not to raise the price of Season Tickets in line with most across our league. While we have had increases, it has been at a lower percentage than benchmarking has suggested the league average to be. The reality of the situation we find ourselves in, as a club, is that costs continue to rise in all areas, including but not limited to, the salary cap being increased; venue and associated costs to operate Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Oval Park and Oaks Park at world class standard; minimum wage of staff and the staff of our providers, including all of our casual staff on matchdays, and inflation.

Prices for next season will be increased. However, this will not be done as a ‘one size fits all’ approach and, rightly so, this decision has been made with both our product and service in mind.  We began working on the 24/25 Season Ticket, Membership and match ticket products in November of 2023, when it was abundantly clear that we needed to evolve and enhance the connection we have with our fans and our community. We know we have more work to do to deliver this to a level which is acceptable at Leicester Tigers. 

The percentage increase will be varied across categories and so too will the benefits attached to your Season Ticket. We will be offering a host of brand new benefits in 24/25 with a primary focus on providing more access, more exclusive offers and club-wide opportunities for Season Ticket Holders to engage with Leicester Tigers.

Success will not only be judged on what we do on the pitch moving forward, although it will never not be our top priority to deliver you trophies, but how we are measured will be in the connection between you and the players, you and the coaches, you and the club. For me, for all of us, that was the obvious choice.

Season Tickets will no longer be just about providing the best value for a spot in the stands at Mattioli Woods Welford Road for home games, it will be about the most exclusive insight, access, products and offers for those who have signed up.

I am proud of the work that has been done in constructing the new offerings for you in 24/25, specifically the way in which staff have worked with the mindset of re-engaging Season Ticket Holders in improved ways.

Finally, on the 24/25 Men’s Season Ticket, we will be guaranteeing that at no time next season will the value of your match ticket, to the relevant fixture, be undercut on our general sale prices. All general sale tickets in 24/25 will start at a higher price than the associated value on your Season Ticket to that specific fixture.

WOMEN’S SEASON TICKETS

Next Monday’s offering will be for Men’s Season Tickets only for the 24/25 campaign.

We are currently finalising details internally on the Women’s Season Ticket offering for next season, due to wanting to better understand our first-ever season in the top-tier and viability of what has been delivered, as well as awaiting final confirmation on the make-up of the 24/25 season in Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby and the Allianz Premiership Cup.

Once we have that information available, we hope you will be able to support the women’s programme.

What I can confirm though is that, in 24/25, we will not currently be offering supporters the opportunity to purchase a Dual Season Ticket as we did in the current season. We believe individual products for both men’s and women’s seasons is a much more streamlined and transparent approach moving forward, although we will ensure ease of purchase for both.

MEMBERSHIPS

Next season, in a change from the current Membership available, we will be offering new-look products that we believe better serve current Members, while also providing lapsed or potential members the chance to return to the club because of the improvements we have made.

We believe it is vital that not only Members but all supporters have a better understanding of what it is their investment in Leicester Tigers is doing, how far it goes and, for the first time, the chance to choose where they want to see it being put to the very best use within the club.

More information on the changes and improved products will be announced towards the end of the current season.

As always, thank you for your continued support of Leicester Tigers and I look forward to seeing you at Mattioli Woods Welford Road during the final rounds of this season.

If you have any questions regarding our 24/25 Season Tickets offering, once released, please get in touch with the Ticket Office to discuss in more detail.

Regards,
Andrea Pinchen
Leicester Tigers Chief Executive Officer