Lincoln City Set Deadline For Ticket Loyalty Scheme Consultation

Lincoln City’s Fan Advisory Board will only recommend a loyalty or away ticket priority scheme if there is demonstrably overwhelming supporter support, according to the latest minutes.

A consultation will conclude no later than December 2026, ahead of the Gold Membership sales window early next year. Minutes from the FAB meeting on 19 September outline the next steps in the discussion around how tickets should be allocated for popular away fixtures. They also make clear that no commitment has been made to introducing a scheme, with members acknowledging the potential for any arrangement which ranks supporters by loyalty to cause division.

The formal decision recorded in the minutes states:

“No commitment was made to introducing a loyalty or away ticket priority scheme. FAB will recommend one only where supporter support is demonstrably overwhelming.”

A four-member FAB working group has been established to take the consultation forward. The Chair has developed a plan with the club which will begin with communication explaining what is being considered, followed by a supporter survey.

A focus group will then be drawn from a cross-section of those who respond, before findings are reported back to the club. Lincoln will also share its benchmarking of schemes operated by other Championship clubs, giving supporters examples of existing arrangements to consider.

That should give the discussion more substance than a simple question about whether fans favour loyalty points. Different schemes can produce very different outcomes, depending on how attendance is recorded, how priority is awarded and what opportunities remain for those who travel less frequently.

Members were clear that the consultation must not be designed in a way which effectively determines its own answer. Responses will be considered against how often supporters travel, rather than simply relying on an overall total, while the focus group will specifically include occasional away supporters.

The survey will also avoid the period immediately after a high-demand ticket sale. That is a sensible acknowledgement that somebody’s experience of securing or missing out on a particular fixture can strongly influence their view of the wider system.

As we explored following the Middlesbrough sale in August, there are reasonable arguments on several sides of this debate. Regular travellers understandably want their attendance to count when demand exceeds supply, particularly if they have followed City to less attractive fixtures throughout the season.

However, work, finances, family commitments and geography all influence how often somebody can attend. A scheme which rewards regular attendance also needs careful consideration of what it means for younger supporters, exiles and those whose circumstances have only recently allowed them to travel more frequently.

The December deadline places the consultation before the next Gold Membership sales window, allowing the findings to be considered ahead of supporters making their purchasing decisions for another season.

Alongside the loyalty discussion, FAB members praised improvements to away ticket sales, the queuing system and communication around the process. The Sheffield United sale, identified as the next significant test after Middlesbrough, passed without material problems.

A small number of members did experience access errors during that sale, which the club will raise with Ticketmaster. Nevertheless, the assessment recorded in the minutes was considerably more positive than the frustration surrounding the Middlesbrough process.

For now, the agreed outcome is a structured consultation with a deadline and a clear requirement for overwhelming support before FAB recommends change. Supporters who attend occasionally are explicitly included in that process, alongside those who follow the Imps away regularly.