We have raised the issues raised by fans relating to season tickets with John Radford. We emailed him the fans' concerns on 13th April 2026.
John accepted that the price increases had not been communicated well and more could have been done to explain the reason for the price increases.
He repeated that where possible he will always try and minimise the increase of any costs to fans. He said he thought that the season tickets were still very good value for money when you considered the price per match and the progress that had been made on and off the pitch. It was agreed that the club is probably in the best position on the pitch since around 1978 thanks to the financial support provided by him and Carolyn and One Call and the managerial and playing skills of Nigel Clough and his team.
John said that the club's costs had increased over the last 12 months and he was trying to give Nigel Clough a playing budget to compete in League 1 where clubs are averaging losses of £4-£5 million. Signings like Tyler Roberts demonstrated that the club is supporting the manager but quality players obviously are more expensive.
There were no special deals on tickets last season because tickets were in high demand and sold very well.
5,780 season tickets had been sold this season and the club is hoping to sell at least 6,500 season tickets and it could increase to 7,000.
More tickets could become available in A and B Block in the Quarry Lane End as these are currently restricted to family tickets (adult plus child). B Block may be made available for general sale and A Block and the Radford Family Stand (Bishop Street) used for family tickets.
The club is trying to free up seats so it can use the whole of the ground's capacity which is 9,700. There are some issues with some seats e.g 147 seats in the North Stand having a line of sight issue because of a TV gantry. There are also some seats in the North Stand which have been cordoned off this season which will hopefully be sold to away fans next season.
We raised the direct debit issue for season tickets and Mark Hawkins said he was aware of it. We pointed out that fans were concerned about losing their seats and he said that the ticket office would try and make sure this did not happen. There were around 29 fans who defaulted on the direct debits last season.
John Radford agreed that the fan experience could be better and it was not acceptable to have taps not working and broken locks on toilet doors and broken light bulbs.
There is a problem with the club not having enough water supply to meet peak demand on match days but even big clubs like Nottingham Forest and Everton have similar issues.
The club is looking to set up a new tannoy system. They had been quoted £250,000 in the past. The Notts County tannoy system cost £400,000. Initial quotes were said to be less than expected.
The club is going to try and make more use of the marquee after games. The loud music will be stopped so fans can talk and watch the tv screens. We did suggest doing some pre and post match interviews in there with former players, directors, club employees etc. It all helps with communication. Apparently the marquee does have to shut at 6.00pm. The bar takings in Sandys are much better than the marquee on match days. The marquee does better when away fans are allowed in there.
Three new kits have been chosen by the directors (except Stags Fans United). Stags Fans United and the SSA suggest every year that one kit should be chosen by the fans. We were informed there was not time to do that this year because of tight timelines from Errea for ordering new kit. They wanted to avoid the problems of last season when they had to send staff to customs to collect shirts just before the Retford United friendly.
We also asked John Radford (as always) to hold another Fans Forum which all fans could attend. These are very important as they help with accountability and transparency.
Come On You Stags!
Darren
Stags Fans United
