Newcastle cancel 103 season tickets after unauthorised resale by tour organisers

Newcastle United have cancelled 103 season tickets and apologised to supporters after discovering an "oversight" that allowed a small group of tour organisers to continue selling seats without a formal agreement.

The club said the tickets, bought by the tour organisers in the 2015-16 season, were not detected until recently and had been used to supply seats for third parties, including school groups. The issue came to light after 45 tickets for the club's high-demand Champions League home game against Barcelona were purchased by the High School of Dundee, in the same month that about 110,000 fans queued online for remaining seats.

Newcastle said the arrangements that allowed third parties to sell tickets were ended when the club's new ownership took charge four years ago, but the continued use and unauthorised resale of those season tickets "was not discovered because there was no formal contract in place for the tour groups." The club added: "At a time when we are doing our utmost to protect legitimate access for Newcastle United fans, we want to be fully transparent and apologise for this oversight."

The club said it had taken immediate action on being informed of the issue. It stated it had not received any funds above the face value price of the affected season tickets and that it had returned the seats to be sold to supporters who had entered the official ballot for upcoming fixtures.

A spokesman for the High School of Dundee said the school purchased the 45 tickets in good faith after being "approached" by a provider. Those tickets were cancelled by the club once the situation was identified.

Newcastle stressed the recent terminations "do not relate to individual supporters re-selling their tickets for St James' in this instance." The club indicated the unauthorised selling was carried out at a "higher package price" by the tour organisers, prompting the sanctions.

The Newcastle United Supporters' Trust welcomed the club's action, saying it "welcomed" visible steps to deter and penalise those who might be profiteering. The trust noted that, alongside rising ticket prices, reduced ticket availability due to sales through third-party sites or other unauthorised means remains a major concern among fans.

The club's statement and the resultant cancellations follow heightened scrutiny of ticket distribution at St James' Park, particularly for fixtures that attract significant demand. Newcastle said it has returned the seats to the official sales process and reiterated its commitment to protecting access for local supporters.

Officials have not disclosed the identities of the tour organisers involved beyond noting the original purchases date back to 2015-16. The club's action ends the continued use of those season tickets and aims to ensure seats are made available through sanctioned channels moving forward.