So, the Newcastle United Season Ticket waiting list is out.
I am now patiently waiting behind 18,861 other fans to get mine.
I should make clear at the outset that I think the club and Fan Advisory Board have done a brilliant job in establishing the criteria for the waiting list.
It was impossible to please everyone and it felt fair.
But as with the current loyalty points system for away games, there’s an issue.
The Newcastle United Season Ticket waiting list is a snapshot in time.
If you tried to go to over 75% of home games in the 2025/26 season and were a member for both the 24/25 and 25/26 season then you’re in Tier 1. But what about in a couple of years time?
The club and the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) have confirmed that there are no plans to periodically review priorities.
Theoretically, a person who is 251st on the list could not go to a single game next season, not even try. As long as they buy their membership they remain in place.
This is similar to away loyalty points. They don’t expire. If you went to lots of games ten years ago and built up points, you don’t need to do anything to keep those points active.
Other loyalty schemes demand active loyalty.
England has a two year rolling window, any activity over two years old drops off. You have to keep going, you have to keep supporting.
Until Newcastle United implements a similar scheme the younger generation of fans will remain behind thousands, regardless of anything they do between now and…. Well…ever!
Alan Park (18,862nd in the queue).