CST Annual Survey 2019 - Results - Chelsea Supporters' Trust

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The results of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Annual Survey for 2019 are now available and can be downloaded here.

The 2019 survey held in April Last year and was open to members and non-members alike and two thousand responses were received. We’d like to thank all of you who participated in the survey.

We apologise for the longer delay in releasing the results this time. We will ensure that this year’s survey is released much earlier.

It is arguably one of the most important activities the Trust is involved with on your behalf. It is an important barometer of our concerns, issues and views on the Club and in addition the results feed into the motions you vote on at the AGM which in turn become CST policy for the year ahead.

We will be meeting with the Club next week to discuss the survey results in detail and any concerns and issues arising.

We appreciate that the survey was conducted prior to the end of the season. Therefore, it is worth pointing out that it was taken when there were very strong feelings concerning the, then, manager and his style of play. At that time, we had yet to reach the Europa League final and it looked unlikely that we would finish in the Champions League spots. Many of the responses and comments reflect the turmoil of the time and have significantly reduced satisfaction ratings in many areas. Had the survey been conducted after the season ended, we may have had a different response with less negativity. Of course, since then we have also had a new manager and playing style which has addressed many of the issues.

The report contains the full response, but some of the main, non-playing, highlights are :

Supporters continue to have issues about the pricing of Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge and the reintroduction of a ticket purchase administration fee.
The lack of options for younger supporters to buy discounted tickets remains a source of friction
Match day atmosphere produced the lowest ever ratings. (However, this is likely to be linked with the playing style and the manager at the time of the survey.)
European ticket collection arrangements for games in Europe came under fire.
Discontent continues for access to PL away games and the Virtual Waiting Room, as it does for the operation of the Loyalty Points scheme.
Supporters strongly support the Club continuing to spend money on arranging subsidised Transport for all away games outside London. However, they feel that money could also be spent compensating supporters who are out of pocket when games are moved for TV coverage
The Ticket Exchange continues to be popular, but fans have suggested some tweaks, particularly in respect of purchase restrictions, multiple tickets and concessionary seats.
Overseas Supporters biggest concerns are availability of TV coverage and access to tickets. However, they appreciate that much of that is outside of the club’s control.
Kick Off Times continue to provoke much discussion. Both the days and times of kick offs as well as the amount of notice given for games moved due to TV
The Club receives strong support for being a Living Wage Employer and its stance against discriminatory language.