2025/26 Ticket Consultation
Survey Results

Executive Summary

The NFST received 1,966 completed responses to its 2025/26 Ticket Consultation between 5 and 9 March 2026. This is the largest supporter consultation exercise the Trust has conducted. The respondent base is overwhelmingly committed: 77% attend 15+ home games per season, 91% of season card holders have held theirs for 5+ years, and 55% attend every single home match.

The findings are unambiguous: supporters view match day tickets as poor value, overwhelmingly oppose any price increase, and — for the first time — affordability has overtaken loyalty as the primary renewal factor.

Key Findings at a Glance

• Value for money scores are critically low across every product. Season cards: 2.03/4. MyForest memberships: 1.87/4. Match day tickets: 1.58/4 — all between "Poor" and "Fair", with match day tickets significantly closer to Poor.
• Price resistance is near-universal. 81.8% want no match day increase, 65.9% of season card holders want a freeze, and 76.9% of MyForest members want no increase.
• Affordability has overtaken loyalty as the #1 renewal factor. 54.9% cite affordability vs 37.7% loyalty — meaning the majority will make a financial, not emotional, renewal decision.
• Europa League ticket pricing is the single most discussed issue. 259 of 792 match day comments (33%) specifically reference European match pricing. Empty seats are cited as irrefutable proof of overpricing.
• The 18–21 youth/student concession is the most demanded policy change. 279 concession comments reference youth/young fans, 117 mention students, 140 cite the specific 18–21 age group.
• The away membership scheme is seen as a "closed shop." 61.3% of Priority Two members report ballot success rates of 0–10%. 31.6% of all respondents are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
• Relegation uncertainty amplifies every concern. 65 season ticket comments reference relegation specifically, with many arguing pricing decisions must wait until league status is confirmed.

Are You Currently A...

Season card holders form the majority (58.9%), followed by MyForest members (32.5%). Away members make up 11.2%.

Season Card Tenure

Among the 1,300 current holders, tenure is deeply committed: 59.8% have held for 10+ seasons and 30.8% for 5–10. Only 9.3% are relatively new (1–4 seasons).

MyForest (Home) Membership Tier

Of the 945 active MyForest members, Pro leads (37.3%), followed by Standard (27.7%) and Plus (19.7%).

Home Game Attendance

55.5% attend every game and 76.9% attend 15+ per season. Only 5.5% attend fewer than five. These are the people who fill the City Ground week in, week out.

Season Card — Value for Money

Among 1,325 season card holders, sentiment clusters around "Fair" (50.2%) with a significant "Poor" minority (25.2%). Only 3.6% rate value as "Excellent".

Acceptable Season Card Increase

Among current holders (excl. N/A): 65.9% want no increase. Combined with 0–2%, over 83% want prices frozen or inflation-only.

Open-Text Themes (812 comments)

812 comments — the most heavily commented question. Themes are consistent and mutually reinforcing: prices have risen sharply since promotion, relegation uncertainty makes any increase unjustifiable, loyal supporters feel taken for granted, and Europa League pricing is cited as evidence the club has already overreached.

MyForest Membership — Value for Money

Among 884 active members, the largest single group (35.6%) rate value as "Poor". The 1.87/4 average sits below "Fair".

Open-Text Themes (373 comments)

Acceptable MyForest Increase

Among active members (excl. N/A): 76.9% want no increase. Only 10.9% accept 0–2%.

Match Day Tickets — Value for Money

The most critical metric. All 1,966 respondents answered, and 52.8% — over half — rate match day ticket value as "Poor". The weighted average of 1.58/4 is the lowest score in the survey, sitting between "Poor" and "Fair" but significantly closer to Poor.

Open-Text Themes (792 comments)

Acceptable Match Day Ticket Increase

The strongest signal: 81.8% of all 1,966 respondents want no increase. Over 91.2% want prices frozen or inflation-only. Support for increases above 5% is negligible (2.1%).

Away Membership — Value for Money

Among 664 away members, VFM is 2.40/4 — the highest-rated product, reflecting the genuine value of exclusive access. 77.7% still want no increase.

Acceptable Away Membership Increase

Away Ballot Success (Priority Two)

Among 973 respondents who answered, 61.3% report ballot success of just 0–10%. Only 2.4% report 75%+.

Away Scheme — Satisfaction & Fairness

Satisfaction is low at 2.75/5, with 31.6% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. The three-tier system divides opinion — "Don't know" leads (38.7%), reflecting low visibility for non-away-members.

Open-Text Themes (427 comments)

Concessions Scheme

Only 12.9% will be eligible for concessions. The scheme generates notable opposition — 27.6% disapprove or strongly disapprove — while 50.7% sit in "neither".

Open-Text Themes (563 comments)

Most Important Renewal Factor

Affordability leads at 54.9%, with loyalty at 37.7%. The majority will make an active financial calculation about renewal, not an emotional one.

Additional Comments — Summary Themes

586 respondents — nearly one in three — left final comments. Dominant themes:

1. Affordability crisis is real and immediate: Supporters openly state they are at or past their limit. Many describe choosing between games, dropping family memberships, or considering non-renewal for the first time in decades.
2. Europa League pricing was a strategic failure: Empty seats are the club's own doing — pricing that turned a once-in-a-generation celebration into a cost burden.
3. Loyalty is real but finite: Even those who will renew regardless warn: "loyalty should not be exploited", "even loyalty has a financial ceiling", "there will be a price point beyond which I will not renew."
4. Club management and transfer waste: Four managers in one season, hundreds of millions on failed transfers, prospect of relegation — many feel it is fundamentally unjust to ask fans to pay more for the club's own failures.
5. Next generation being lost: Youth/student concession removal features heavily. Young family members and friends are being priced out — shrinking the fanbase and killing atmosphere.
6. Stadium facilities lag behind pricing: No hot water, broken toilets, cramped concourses, poor food — sub-Championship facilities at Premier League prices, particularly in the Peter Taylor and Brian Clough stands.

Notable Trends, Outliers & Correlations

1. The VFM Gradient: Consistent and Clear

Scores worsen from season cards (2.03) to memberships (1.87) to match day tickets (1.58). Away memberships (2.40) are the exception — genuine exclusive access has tangible value. Per-game cost visibility is the primary driver of dissatisfaction.

2. Price Resistance Mirrors VFM Exactly

"No increase" rises in lockstep: season cards 65.9% → MyForest 76.9% → match day 81.8%. The worst-valued products get the strongest pushback.

3. Europa League: The Canary in the Coal Mine

259 of 792 match day comments (33%) reference European pricing. Unsold seats are observable, real-time evidence of demand destruction — making arguments for further increases untenable.

4. Affordability > Loyalty: A Structural Shift

54.9% cite affordability as the #1 factor vs 37.7% loyalty. When the majority makes financial rather than emotional decisions, the club's traditional safety net of loyalty-driven renewal no longer holds.

5. The "Loyalty Tax" Paradox

37.7% cite loyalty, but open-text reveals this loyalty increasingly feels exploited. Many frame comments as explicit warnings. The club risks a tipping point where accumulated resentment converts loyal renewers into active non-renewers.

6. Scale and Consistency

1,966 responses with consistent findings across question types, membership categories, and open-text themes. This is not a vocal minority — it is a representative cross-section of the engaged supporter base.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Based on 1,966 responses from across the supporter base, the Trust makes the following evidence-based recommendations:

1. Freeze All Prices for 2026/27

81.8% oppose any match day increase. 65.9% of season card holders and 76.9% of MyForest members want a freeze. With VFM scores below the midpoint across every product and affordability as the #1 renewal factor, a comprehensive price freeze is the minimum credible response.

2. Delay Renewal Windows Until League Status Is Confirmed

Supporters feel it is fundamentally unfair to commit at Premier League prices when the club may be playing Championship football. Renewals should open no earlier than late May 2026.

3. Fundamentally Rethink Europa League / Cup Pricing

The current approach has demonstrably failed. Lower prices for non-league fixtures would likely increase total revenue through higher attendance, improved atmosphere, and greater ancillary spend.

4. Reinstate an 18–21 Youth/Student Concession Band

The most demanded policy change: 279 youth mentions, 140 references to 18–21, 117 student comments. The pricing cliff directly threatens the club's future fanbase pipeline.

5. Introduce a Junior MyForest Membership Fee

Charging children the same fee as adults (e.g. £99) is widely described as indefensible. A reduced junior rate would ease the burden on families.

6. Reform the Away Membership Scheme

61.3% of Priority Two members report single-digit ballot success. The scheme needs structural reform: simplification, attendance-based progression, greater transparency, and investigation of reported reselling.

7. Invest in Basic Matchday Facilities

Hot water, functioning toilets, improved food/drink, and basic hygiene standards are cited so frequently they have become symbolic of the pricing-experience disconnect.

8. Recognise and Reward Loyalty

Loyalty discounts for long-serving holders, clearer waiting list communication, better membership benefits, and visible gestures of appreciation would address the growing sense of being taken for granted.