Give me my discount, you thieving ........

Dear (almost left my name in for a second)



The Club have recently become aware that under the previous Icelandic ownership in 2009 the Club published, as part of its season ticket pack, some additional 'Season Ticket Facts & Figures'.

These additional Facts & Figures made passing reference to an incentive to reward the long-term loyalty of season ticket holders, who committed to renew for five consecutive years, to receive a 20% discount.

One of the first pledges made to you under the Club's current ownership in 2010 was to reduce the level of debt to ensure the Club would never again be in the perilous state it was left in by the previous Board. Since then the Club have been open in every regard and want this to continue. Despite our return to the Premier League, we continue to face a crucial time. We hope that the considerable efforts we have made to turn the Club's finances around have not gone unnoticed by you, our most loyal and valued supporters.

In the 2011/12 season David Sullivan and David Gold kept the Club afloat by investing their own money to ensure West Ham United had the best possible chance of a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. This was the right decision and it has paid off. We are back where we belong but must now work hard and invest in the squad to do all we can to help guarantee Premier League stability in 2012/13.

There is no question that such substantial discounting of season ticket prices at this point in time will have a grave effect on the Club's financial health and our ability to retain our Premier League status.

Since January 2010 we have held and in some cases reduced season ticket prices.

We have also avoided taking the cynical route of raising prices to enable the Club to absorb this discount.

The Club have worked extremely hard to build trust among supporters and to do everything possible to reward and acknowledge their loyalty. We are absolutely resolute that the relationship we have sought to nurture and grow, with tangible demonstrations of our commitment, is not eroded by the previous Board's folly.

We want to be transparent. We want to address the issue in a fair and reasonable way.

We have therefore decided to offer a 5% discount each year for the next four years beginning in this renewal year (season 2012/13) to reach the 20% figure. We will commit to this in a legally binding document between us to ensure that this time there is no ambiguity for supporters.

We have taken this decision because:

The 2009/10 'statement' was made by the people whose irresponsible actions have caused our current financial predicament
We want to be fair whilst acting responsibly and in the best interests of the club
The Club simply cannot afford to give a 20% discount AND achieve our ambitions for 2012/13
During this 4 year period supporters will benefit in terms of the overall savings as the offer is inflation and price-rise proof
We will ensure this offer is legally binding on the club and protect the discount for our supporters going forward (up to and including the 2015/16 season)
If you are of the view that this applies to you as you are renewing for the 5th consecutive season in 2012/13 then please note full information and the documentation which we require that you sign and return will be sent to you via post. Alternatively you can click here to download the form which you can return signed in person to the ticket office or you can purchase online by clicking here. When you log in using your client reference number your revised price which includes the 5% discount will automatically appear. You will be required to agree to the terms and conditions of sale at which point you can proceed to purchase your 2012/13 Premier League Season Ticket!*

We hope this goes some way to acknowledging the situation caused by the previous owners and we thank you for your understanding and continued support in genuinely helping West Ham United to continue with the progress made in recent years. We assure you this decision has not been taken lightly. This is the only viable route if the Club is to achieve stability and our Premier League ambitions in 2012/13. We hope you will therefore support this decision.

Yours sincerely,

West Ham United Football Club