Football Supporters' Federation respond to Bristol Rovers ticket issue

Following Swindon Town's controversial decision to re-charge non-season ticket holders for the re-arranged derby against Bristol Rovers, the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) have issued a statement on the matter.

Swindon's initial match against Bristol Rovers was abandoned after 60 minutes on Saturday August 27 due to heavy rainfall but caused controversy on Tuesday when they announced that non-season ticket holders will have to buy another ticket if they want to attend the replayed match.

The club say it is to recover costs spent on outlays such as police and stewarding, however, on the day of the match a message over the tannoy stated that if fans kept their ticket stub, they would be able to watch the rematch, which has been scheduled for September 20, with a kick-off time of 19:45.

In a statement, an FSF spokesman said:

"We can certainly understand why fans are angry at the club's decision, particularly those non-season ticket holders and the away fans who made the initial trip.

"Clubs do set their own policy and these can range from no refund at all once the game has kicked-off, to a full refund if abandoned at any time.

"Some clubs take a staggered approach, offering variations of refunding 50% of the ticket price if abandoned before half-time or within 60 minutes.

"We would recommend expressing any dissatisfaction with the decision to the club's Supporter Liason Officer and ask if the club has an existing policy on abandoned games.

"Unfortunately, we could not locate Swindon Town's policy on postponements and abandonment on the club's website. We would advise clubs to ensure such policies are readily available on their websites, in an accessible form, so fans understand what they are entitled to should things go wrong and matches get called off."

Swindon Town also mentioned in their official statement that refunds will not be available for the tickets bought for the original fixture.