Lee Johnson’s Hibees are set to be backed by a bumper crowd on Friday night as St Johnstone visit Easter Road under the lights – with less than 100 tickets remaining at the time of writing.
The latest in a series of ticketing initiatives organised by the club, supporters can attend the league fixture for as little as £5 with sales flying as we approach the game, giving a wide range of fans the opportunity to back the team.
Following the success of last season’s ‘Football for Fiver’, when St Johnstone were once again the visitors to Leith, the club have moved to offer reduced ticket prices throughout the stadium for the match which falls at the end of the October school holidays in Edinburgh.
With the cost-of-living crisis and families across the country struggling to cover their monthly bills, Hibs have given people the chance to support the club alongside nearly 20,000 others this week as we look to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing visit to Celtic Park on Saturday.
It’s a move which they have to be applauded for in times where it’s often easiest to pay attention to the negativity in football.
While reduced ticket prices are hugely welcomed, it’s difficult for the club to run initiatives of this nature too many times throughout the season due to the financial impact on the budget over the course of a year – but once again supporters have responded to the act of goodwill on the club’s part by pushing Easter Road towards a sell-out.
Alongside the reduced pricing, the club have also given fans the chance to donate tickets via Hibernian Community Foundation with struggling families and good causes identified to attend the match free of charge.
With more than 200 tickets donated via the club’s e-ticketing site it will be brilliant to see fans at the match who may not have had the chance to go otherwise.
In conjunction with this latest offer, the club have also reintroduced match bundles which will give greater flexibility to supporters who cannot commit to a season ticket but who would like to attend games at Easter Road for the remainder of the season.
With five-match packs – which give fans the chance to pick and choose which games they’d like to include for a reduced price – and a festive two-match bundle which includes the Livingston and Celtic fixtures either side of Christmas, the club have to be commended for listening to supporter feedback and attempting to make Easter Road a more accessible and attractive place to go.
On top of this fans had the chance this week to attend an open training session at Easter Road which was followed by lots of opportunities for signatures and selfies with members of the first team squad and management team – strengthening the bond between club and fans once more.
There has been an air of positivity around the fanbase so far this term, with a huge travelling support selling out away ends across the country and impressive home attendances this season despite the economic issues faced by us all.
On the pitch, things got off to a bit of a shaky start with our early League Cup exit and a couple of poor league results, but as first team players continue to return to action we are seeing more to be positive about at the club.
The big challenge on the back of the brilliant response from supporters to Friday’s ticket offer is for the players and staff to give those fans a reason to return to Easter Road next Saturday when St Mirren come to town.
With one of the biggest home crowds the modern Easter Road has ever seen, this week it’s in the interests of us all to ensure as many of these fans become regulars as we possibly can.
Click here to grab a ticket for Friday before they sell out!
Glory glory to the Hibees.
The East Stand 