Town have announced that season ticket prices will increase 5% on average for 2005/06 regardless of which league the Blues are playing in. The club have brought the renewal process forward earlier than in previous years, with the cut-off date for early season ticket purchases April 15th.

Season ticket prices have been frozen for four years and chairman David Sheepshanks says he hopes that fans will understand that a price rise was inevitable: "This is the first increase in four years which I hope supporters will recognise as being fair."

Clubs are increasingly starting their renewal process earlier due to the shortness of time in the close season. Receiving season ticket cash earlier allows clubs more time to plan budgets and a greater flexibility to move in the transfer market during the summer.

Existing season ticket holders renewing before April 15th will pay 17% less than they will after the cut-off date. A North Stand lower tier season ticket which cost £329 this season will cost £345 before April 15th and £410 after. A new season ticket holder can buy a similar ticket for £375 before the April cut-off and later for £410.

Town are hopeful of matching the current figure of 18,400 season ticket holders even if they are in the Championship next season, a massive rise on 3,000 in 1996/97.

Should promotion to the Premiership be achieved, a season ticket cap would be set at around the 20,000 mark with the remaining seats balloted as they were during 2000/01 and 2001/02.

Fans in the ballot would receive four tickets during the season for games against opposition of varying status. Matches would be graded and ballot members would be guaranteed seeing one game against Champions League opposition.

Away clubs would be entitled to 3,000 seats if the Blues are in the Premiership, which means they would have to be allocated a section of the Greene King lower tier, as was the case with in the play-off semi-final with West Ham last season.

Sheepshanks, keen to stress that the club is taking nothing for granted at this stage of the season, says he hopes fans will repay the board's recent strengthening of Joe Royle's hand via loan signings David Unsworth and James Scowcroft: "I can only hope that supporters recognise the investment that's been made and that they will feel able to support us in renewing or making their pledge as early as possible.

"We started last season with 17,000 season tickets and the number has grown to 18,400 now. Our total gate income is approximately 45% of our current total income and season tickets represent about two-thirds of that."

As last year, the club are offering fans the chance to pay in instalments via three cheques, payments being made at the end of April, June and August. Once again the club is asking fans not to pay via credit cards due to the banks holding on to the cash and paying it out in stages throughout the season.

An U11 season ticket priced at £57.50 was introduced last season and will be frozen at that price for 2005/06. The seats available at this price will also be extended to the Greene King Stand.

An average seat at Portman Road next season, if the Blues are in the Championship (there being 23 games in the Championship as opposed to 19 in the Premiership), will be £12.55 and an adult and two child season ticket holders can watch each match for £20 in total.

Sheepshanks says this is important to the club: "Whichever division we play in, the board are determined to maintain an inclusive pricing policy in an effort to make football at Portman Road as accessible and affordable to as many as possible."

Matchday tickets are also up 5% if the Blues remain in the Championship but will rise by 10% if Town go up. A North Stand lower ticket bought in advance of a Championship game would cost £26 and if bought on the day £28.

Non-smoking areas will remain as for the current season, although there is the expectation that these will eventually be extended more widely throughout the ground.

Electronic turnstiles are being looked at for the future but are not something which would be installed immediately on promotion. They would be something the club would look at in the second or third season of any future stay in the Premiership.

The administration fee for Away Match Passport holders is up £5 to £25, while the club is continuing but simplifying the Gold and Silver Club membership schemes.

Sheepshanks says he hopes fans will feel the price rises are not unduly high: "I hope supporters will accept the overall package and encourage them to take advantage of the attractive pricing thereby securing their seats to watch Joe Royle's entertainers next season."

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