The Railwaymen Supporters Group would like to provide fans with some further information regarding the distribution of money from matches streamed via the iFollow service.
The current arrangement sees the home team agree a number of away supporters with the visiting club before the game, in line with how many away fans would normally be expected to attend the fixture. All revenue from iFollow match passes sold up to this agreed number will go to the home team, and any match passes sold over the agreed number will see revenue generated go to the away side.
For example, it was agreed last weekend between Crewe and Hull City that Crewe would have expected to take 300 travelling Alex fans to Hull. This meant Hull would receive the iFollow revenue from the first 300 match passes sold to Crewe Alex fans. However, the club actually sold 533 away match passes for the game, which meant the iFollow revenue for the extra 233 passes above what was agreed went to The Alex.
Naturally, the home club keeps all iFollow revenue for any match passes sold to home fans and is also able to distribute free passes to season ticket holders. For cup matches the revenue is split equally, apart from when we play an invited club in the EFL Trophy who are not entitled to receive a split of the money.
This is the agreed and preferred model in League One as it helps to protect income from away fans and allows the club to still provide season ticket holders with a code to watch the game.
So, how much do the club actually make from each domestic based pass?
Well, the good news is that there is only a very small transaction fee to facilitate iFollow and after taking VAT into account, the net revenue to the club is £8.10 per pass.
So Crewe Alex fans, cancel your Saturday afternoon plans, and settle down in front of the sofa to watch our game with MK Dons tomorrow for £10 as we look to secure our first win of the season.
Up the Alex!
