Saddlers freeze cost of early bird tickets

Walsall today revealed their new Early Bird season ticket deals – with the return of free football.

The Saddlers have frozen prices on their early season ticket scheme for the fifth consecutive year as they look to boost attendances at the Banks's Stadium.

Walsall's offer of free football for under-18s last year was a pioneering scheme and improved their average gate from 4,033 to 4,357 this campaign.

Season ticket sales increased by more than 30 per cent and the club's junior members club, Team Saddlers, saw its numbers increase by over 1,000 per cent.

Under-18s, at the start of next term, can become members of the Saddlers Crew and pay £46 for a season ticket but earn a £2 refund for every home game attended.

And Saddlers Crew members who qualified for the free offer last year, but are now too old, can pay £145 which bridges the gap between junior and adult prices.

Children under-12 on August 18 can join Swifty's Squad and attend all home League games for free when accompanied by a full paying adult.

An adult season-ticket in the Tile Choice lower tier costs £215 and in all other areas of the ground, excluding the Swifts Executive Club, it is £290.

Senior citizens can pay £155 for a seat in the Tile Choice lower tier, while it costs £195 for the upper tier.

Meanwhile, the Saddlers host Colchester on Saturday 21st in League One after just four wins this term and boss Dean Smith admitted it is crunch time.

He said: "Colchester at home is a big game for us. Every game you play can be season-defining.

"You only have to think of games you dropped points in earlier in the season. They get bigger as the games get less but the main thing is to win games and start moving up the league.

"It's not where we were last season because that was about winning at all costs and we're only a point away from changing things.

"At the moment we need to turn the performances into wins."

The Early Bird promotion starts on March 1 and runs until April 7.

Further information is at www.saddlers.co.uk or by contacting the club's ticket office on 01922 651 414/416.

* Walsall's trip to Scunthorpe was today rearranged for Tuesday, February 21 after the weekend's postponement.

The game at Glanford Park was called off on Saturday due to a frozen pitch and means the Saddlers face relegation rivals Wycombe and Scunthorpe in back-to-back clashes.