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Albion chief executive: Season ticket hike down to Financial Fair Play

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Albion's chief executive Mark Jenkins has defended the club's £50 season ticket hike and outlined why he is against Financial Fair Play rules.

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Attendances have dipped at The Hawthorns this season – for a number of reasons – but some fans have been put off by an increase in ticket prices.

Last season the average gate was 25,064 but none of Albion's seven league home games this season have attracted more than 25,000 fans and there were only 24,343 at the Arsenal game.

Mr Jenkins acknowledged the economic difficulties supporters are under but says Albion are still offering cheaper tickets compared to most Premier League clubs.

The club have now launched their half-season tickets for the remaining 10 games at The Hawthorns, ranging from £225-£285 for adults.

They are also offering £1 tickets for children under the age of 17 in a 'Kids for a Quid' initiative for the upcoming home game against Bournemouth on December 19.

"We are very mindful of the economic realities of this area and that is something that we take very closely into account when setting our prices," said Mr Jenkins, who was appointed the club's finance director in 2000 before becoming CEO in 2010.

"Equally, though, we operate in the most competitive of environments and we have to maximise our revenue if we are going to be able to compete on the field.

"After media income, ticket sales represent one of our biggest sources of revenue and so, going into this season, following two seasons of holding prices steady after lowering them prior to that, we felt compelled to increase prices because we were so far behind the rest of the market.

"Even though they went up by £50 for the full season ticket, Sky's survey of Premier League prices back in June still found that on average, across the board, we are still the cheapest.

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"We are very pleased about that because we want to offer the best possible value in an area with its own economic issues to contend with."

According to the CEO, the £50 increase did not deter many punters from keeping their seats.

"Season ticket renewals were bang in line with what we'd had the previous year, so I think people accepted the necessity of the new price structure," he said.

He revealed the price hike was partly down to new Financial Fair Play rules which limit how much TV money a club can spend on players' wages.

Albion spent 75 per cent of all income on wages during 2014, one of the highest percentages in the league. The club has had to find other forms of revenue in order to spend more money on wages.

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Mr Jenkins thinks Financial Fair Play restricts a club like Albion from enticing better players by putting shackles on how much they can spend on wages.

"The strategy that the club adopted a few years ago came from a conscious decision to invest in player wages rather than transfer fees wherever possible because we felt that better translated into results on the pitch," he said. "You can be sure that player wages gives you a steer on relative ability!"

Because they can't spend more TV money on wages than any other club, Albion are still reliant on other revenue streams.

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"As a football club, we have always been against financial fair play because it does not mean the creation of the level playing field that it was purported to do in some quarters," said Mr Jenkins.

"Our view is that it really locks in where your club fits in the league.

"It doesn't close the gap between a club like ours and Liverpool, it essentially ensures that gap will remain in relative terms."