'Flattest atmosphere for a decade' - Paul Barber and Brighton must change ticket policy to end Amex Stadium empty seat farce

That was the potential choice facing Brighton fans before Wednesday night’s game with Wolves. Test positive for Covid-19 as a result of travelling to and from the Amex or at the stadium itself and the 10-day isolation period would have you locked up on December 25th. Judging by the number of empty seats, a lot of Albion fans saw Christmas as their priority rather than watching a weakened side who had not won for 10 games, nor scored a home goal from open play since September. Make that 11 matches without victory now and 490 minutes since the ball hit the back of the net from a situation that was not a penalty. Brighton’s policy of announcing tickets sold rather than actual bodies through turnstiles meant that the Albion had their own “There were no Christmas parties and if there were, no rules were broken” moment of absolute nonsense, recording a crowd of 30,362. Even the BT Sports commentary team picked up on it, almost mocking Brighton for trying to claim there were only 1,000 empty seats when anyone with a working pair of eyes could see otherwise. Albion fans were staying away according to the TV, which although true was not entirely the reason for so many empty seats. The cause for so many gaps at the Amex was the club’s season ticket sharing policy, introduced for the new campaign. Previously, if a season ticket holder could not attend then they could pass on their ticket to a friend or family member who would fill the seat. Although not technically allowed, it happened everywhere and nobody in authority really cared. Thousands of current Brighton fans came to support the club this way, regular freebie tickets leading them to abandon the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United for a lifetime of occasional joy and frequent frustration with the Seagulls. Under the old system, those who did not feel comfortable cramming onto packed trains and buses to get to the Amex could have given their ticket for the Wolves game to somebody else. More money on the concourse for the club, another voice backing the team. With mobile ticketing, the club decided to bring in a new policy. The only way a season ticket holder can now transfer their ticket is by upgrading their own account at a cost of £20 for the privilege. And the recipient of the ticket must be a MyAlbion+ member, costing them £25. Suddenly, the options for passing a ticket on are very limited. Your father-in-law or the person you sit next to at work previously took you spare seat under the old system because they liked football. They do not like the Albion enough though to justify becoming a member for £25 and so no longer have the ticket. Before the Watford game in those heady August days when Brighton were title contenders, I forked out £20 to upgrade my account and £25 for my partner to become a member. When she cannot go, my friend and I who sit together cannot get rid of our tickets. None of the casual football fans who used to fill the seat want to fork out £25 to become a member of a club they do not support and so the seat goes empty. Countless other Albion season ticket holders are in the same boat, which is why the stadium has not been full once so far in 2021-22. With numerous other season ticket holders not willing to pay £20 to upgrade their own accounts on top of the eyewatering sums already being forked out, it is clear the club have a problem. Paul Barber told us at the last Fans’ Forum that the new season ticket sharing scheme had wonderful uptake and was a success story. This was hardly a surprise as he is not likely to turn around and say, “You know what? We have messed this one up.” Like those Downing Street parties denied by Boris Johnson’s words whilst video and photographic evidence speaks otherwise, the empty seats around the Amex suggest that contrary to the club’s claims, the new process does not work. Against Wolves, so many empty seats led to one of the flattest atmospheres there has ever been in a decade at the stadium. It felt like a pre-season friendly at times and that seemed to translate to the players, who were lethargic and toothless in delivering their worst performance of the campaign. Should the Amex remain open and omicron continue to spread rampantly, non-attendance is likely to become even more commonplace. The travel nightmare of an 8pm kick off on Boxing Day with no public transport when Brentford come to town could set a new record for lowest attendance at an Amex league game (announced as 30,297 of course). There is one simple thing the Albion could do to combat this – drop the fees. Allow season ticket holders to transfer their seats for no cost to anyone who has a Brighton FAN number rather than only those who are £25 members. The club hold the required details of anyone with a FAN number or purchase history, so that ticks the track and trace box. The only reason that money is currently involved is because the club saw this as a way to make a quick buck when they implemented the scheme in the summer. Six months on and it is clear that most fans have not fallen for it. Brighton now have a very clear decision to make – either keep collecting £25 here and there. Or admit that they got it wrong and remove the £20 and £25 charges. That would encourage and enable more people to come through the gates to create more noise which just might help the players end this barren run. And the Albion crowd (or lack of) might not end up being mocked by BT commentators as well.