MEMBERSHIP...

Ahead of the 26/27 season, Sunderland have unveiled their new “Black Cats Membership” programme including ballots, exclusive sale periods and a three tier system to be implemented. And it is safe to say that the announcement has sparked turmoil, with loyal, die-hard Mackems saying they feeling betrayed and left with more questions than answers as the club chooses to shift away from the previous “Black Cat Points” system that rewarded years of commitment.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

With the club aiming to modernise their approach to ticketing, the newly proposed “Black Cat Membership” scheme has placed every supporter into one of three tiers, each offering a different level of priority to home and away ticket access. The first tier being the “Season Ticket Plus”. At £20 per season, this level offers entry to a ballot for a chance to win away tickets which are always high in demand. While this offers a range of benefits to supporters who have lacked Black Cat Points in previous years, lifelong fans who have spent years following The Lads up and down the country feel they have had their loyalty and dedication completely disregarded by the club. On paper, this seems like an inclusive way to give a chance to fans a who haven’t been able to make it to games finally get the opportunity to do so. The stark reality is that supporters who endured the gruelling rain at Accrington Stanley away in 2018 may miss out on a night in Milan thanks to this new programme.

Tier two of the newly launched scheme has been labelled as the “Black Cat – Adult” level. Coming in at £48 for the season, it offers members priority windows to purchase home tickets and a spot on the season ticket waiting list. While this proposes a range of benefits to supporters who have lacked Black Cat Points in previous years, lifelong fans who have spent years following The Lads up and down the country feel they have had their loyalty and dedication completely disregarded by the club.

The final stage of the three layered programme is the “Black Cats – Academy”. Costing £30 per season, the optional junior membership mirrors many of the benefits previously listed in the adult tiers like entry into ticket ballots and an increased chance of being able to purchase a season ticket. The club presented this statement as a way to engage fans, improve inclusivity and connect with the younger generation of Mackems. However, this hasn’t been able to prevent the backlash on social media with one user on X claiming the addition of the scheme is “out of touch” and another on Instagram declaring that the programme is “separating those who can afford with those who can’t”. 

As the dust begins to settle on the new announcement, the controversy and discourse it has caused is clear. While some supporters who haven’t had the chance to attend away games have welcomed the ballot system, the majority of the Sunderland faithful feel let down by the club’s decision to further commercialise the selling of tickets.