Potential pranksters warned as Saints give season ticket holders a chance to get shirty

The club will be the first in the Gallagher Premiership to launch a refund process with the strong expectation that the final four home games of the campaign will be played behind closed doors.

Saints will offer four refund options to their 8,500 season ticket holders, one of which is to donate all of the money to the club.

And fans who do that will have their names stitched into the away shirt for the 2021-22 season.

However, with some supporters owning multiple season tickets, a strong warning has been issued to deter pranksters.

Saints fear that some may try to be funny by submitting joke names such as Mike Rotch, Ivana Tinkle or even IP Freely.

And that means if a supporter suggests such a name, they will have to provide proof of identification.

Saints fans have shown great loyalty during troubled times, with CEO Mark Darbon recently lavishing them with praise after the patience and financial support that has been shown to the club.

And a club official said: "In recent weeks, we’ve been humbled by the number of supporters who have contacted us and offered to donate the remaining cost of their season tickets - although we appreciate that not everyone is in the same financial position.

“Any money donated will be a substantial help in helping us navigate the choppy waters we find ourselves in.

“As a thank you, we thought it only right to honour those supporters’ generosity by emblazoning their names on the 2021-22 season kit — but pranksters beware. Any ‘Ivor Bigguns’, ‘Ben Dovers’ or ‘Hugh Jars’ will be asked to prove their identities.”

If the current lockdown restrictions ease and some supporters are allowed into Franklin’s Gardens during this season, which is set to resume in August, Saints are likely to run a ticketing ballot.