Cobblers announce refund plan for supporters after season is curtailed

Cobblers will offer all supporters the opportunity to claim a refund on their season tickets after the 2019-20 campaign was brought to a premature conclusion.

Town's remaining nine matches have been cancelled following a vote by League Two clubs on Tuesday, while the play-off semi-final fixtures against Cheltenham Town, plus the final at Wembley, will be played behind closed doors.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas recently said he was 'overwhelmed' by the amount of supporters who contacted the club saying they will not be asking for a refund on their tickets despite missing the final nine games of the season.

However, the club will still offer all fans the chance to claim their money back.

In an open letter to supporters, the club wrote: "Thank you very much for your support. We hope you are keeping safe and well and thank you too for your patience. The last few months have clearly been difficult for everyone with so much uncertainty. However, now that the season has been brought to a premature end, we wanted to update supporters on our planned Covid-19 ticketing policies.

"Many supporters have already contacted the club to say they do not wish to seek a season ticket or match ticket refund and have instructed the club to keep the money to help the club through these unprecedented times. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has done that already and we greatly appreciate your support and faith you have shown. Thank you.

"Your support has not only helped the club top up the staff wages through this period but is also helping the club take on the considerable financial commitment of taking part in the play-offs.

"We are delighted that we have finished in the play-offs and of course as it gives us a great opportunity for promotion, but it comes with an additional financial commitment including taking players and staff off the furloughing scheme, regular Covid-19 testing, training ground and stadium deep cleaning, PPE for support staff and much more, all while not having any ticket income so your help is without doubt timely.

"Also, as hopefully you saw on the club website and in the media, the players and coaching staff have already donated their play-off bonuses and any appearances fees to assist the club at this time, which is a wonderful gesture and shows the togetherness of the club and the squad.

"While all this support has been fantastic, we understand this is not a gesture that everyone is able to make, so taking this into account and following numerous conversations with many different fans on the subject, we will be offering the following options: 1. You can donate ANY refunds due to the club; 2. You can donate ANY refunds due to the Northampton Town FC Youth and Education Academy; 3. Or you can contact the club for the appropriate refund via the details below."

Refunds will include 2019/20 season ticket holders, who are entitled to a refund of 4/23rds of the price they paid, and match tickets. Any ticket income not reclaimed by the reclaim date will be donated to Northampton's Youth and Education Academy automatically.

Ticket holders for the 2020 celebrity charity match are also entitled to a full refund and any charity match ticket money not reclaimed by the reclaim date will be split between the Northamptonshire Young Carers Charity and the Northampton Town Community Trust, the charities who were set to benefit from the game.

What to do next:

- To indicate option one or two, email [email protected] with your choice,

- To request a refund, email [email protected] with all the details of your refund claim. YOU MUST INCLUDE A CONTACT PHONE NUMBER AND THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO BOOKED THE TICKETS, YOUR BOOKING REFERENCE (IF POSSIBLE) AND IF APPROPRIATE THE FIXTURE(S) YOU BOOKED FOR.

- Or you can also not do anything and your refund will be automatically donated to Northampton Town FC Youth and Education Academy or the Northamptonshire Young Carers Charity and the Northampton Town Community Trust as described above.

The vast majority of club staff are on furlough and the club and ticket offices are also still closed, therefore any refunds will be processed when these offices reopen, and details of those dates will be available on the club website as more information is known.

Supporters have until 5pm on Friday June 26 to claim any refund via email. Once the email is received by the club you should receive an automated email confirming receipt of your claim. At the end of the claim period, any unclaimed monies will be donated in accordance with the details above. If you decide to not request a refund via email you will receive confirmation with a Thank You video through email.

The club will announce more details on season tickets for 2020/21 once further guidance from the EFL and government regarding start dates and any social distancing requirements have been confirmed.