The Europa League is entering its decisive phase—but tickets for VfB’s potential quarterfinal opponent Nottingham are getting cheaper. There are two reasons for this.
Nottingham Forest won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, but in recent years, the traditional club, which had fallen to the third division, had to reestablish itself in the Premier League. A round of 16 match in the Europa League should actually be a real highlight – in theory.
Ahead of Thursday evening’s first leg against FC Midtjylland, however, Forest is having great difficulty filling the 30,000-capacity City Ground. On Tuesday, some sections were not even half full. This may also have prompted the club to make a surprising decision.
Two days before the game, Forest quickly lowered the prices for all season ticket holders and club members by £10 (just under €12). “It’s an important evening for everyone connected with the club, including our fans, our players and our coaching staff – and it’s the start of a chance to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in 30 years,” the club wrote. “We know that the atmosphere at City Ground is unique and can make a decisive difference on evenings like this, and we want as many fans as possible to be able to take part.”
What role did a fan survey play?
Even though most tickets still cost the equivalent of around €60, fans are likely to have taken note of this with goodwill. Just on Monday, the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust announced the results of a survey it conducted among around 2,000 supporters, which focused on ticket prices.
“The feedback suggests that many loyal Forest fans feel they are almost unable to afford the cost of supporting their club,” they said. In addition, for many, the “cost of attending games is no longer in proportion to the value offered.” This may also have prompted club officials to reduce prices.
Forest, who qualified for the Europa League last year as England’s seventh-placed team only thanks to Crystal Palace’s exclusion, finished the league phase in 13th place and knocked out Fenerbahce Istanbul (3-0/1-2) in the play-offs, but are now in the midst of a relegation battle in the Premier League. Vitor Pereira is already the fourth coach to take charge this season. In the Europa League quarterfinals, the Tricky Trees would face VfB Stuttgart or FC Porto.
