IPSWICH Town are freezing their season ticket prices for next season.On the day that Portsmouth became the first Premier League club to enter into administration, TownChief Executive Simon Clegg handed Town fans a boost with news of a price-freeze, although yesterday's announcement did not include match-day prices.

Carl Marston

IPSWICH Town are freezing their season ticket prices for next season.

On the day that Portsmouth became the first Premier League club to enter into administration, Town

Chief Executive Simon Clegg handed Town fans a boost with news of a price-freeze, although yesterday's announcement did not include match-day prices. They will be finalised at a later date.

The season ticket price freeze is across the board, whatever date fans decide to purchase their season tickets.

The new season ticket brochures will be printed on Monday, with the first batch set to hit doorsteps by the middle of next week.

Town have a total of 15,950 season ticket holders this season, which is approximately 600 up on the previous campaign.

And although Roy Keane's men are in the midst of a dreadfully disappointing season, trying to fend off relegation into League One, rather than aiming for promotion to the Premier League, it is hoped that the Suffolk club will again attract a similar following for next term.

The Direct Debit Scheme, by which 60% of season ticket holders have paid this campaign, will continue, while the cut-off date for the Early Bird Scheme is to be April 10.

Clegg explained: “We spent a lot of time thinking about what we ought to be doing with season tickets for next year, not least with the context of ever-increasing costs that the club continues to have to pay out, with inflation now continually running at 3.5%, year-on-year.

“The costs incurred by the club are getting more expensive and with today's news of Portsmouth going into administration, it's very clear that we have to run the finances of this club on an appropriate and tight rein.

“All of that said, we are conscious of the wider economic environment that we are operating in at the moment, which is having an impact all over the country.

“We're also conscious that is has been a disappointing season to date, so having taken everything into the mix, we have decided that it is appropriate to freeze season ticket prices for next year.

“Over and above that, we have decided that we will continue with the increasingly popular direct debit scheme, where people have an opportunity to spread payments from May through to December.

“As for the Premiership Promotion Cash-back Scheme, effectively that commitment came to an end at the end of this season, but what we've decided to do is to extend that for a further season.

“So anyone buying a season ticket through the Early Bird Initiative this year, will have the opportunity of having 50% of that season ticket rebated in the event of us being promoted at the end of next season,” added Clegg.

Town's Chief Executive admitted that this season has been a big disappointment, for all concerned, but that progress had been the made.

“We continue to be very ambitious,” continued Clegg.

“But we are disappointed within ourselves, within the playing squad, the manager and the management structure here, in terms of what we've achieved so far.

“Yet we've still got the best part of a third of the season ahead of us, and I think we've made progress since the start of the season.”

With regards match-day prices, Clegg said: “We are not announcing them at this stage. It's something we are still looking at.

“But you shouldn't read anything into that. Today is all about announcing season ticket prices.”