Athletic free 1,019 San Mamés seats by axing invites, target €1.3m boost | OneFootball

Athletic have stripped back complimentary allocations at San Mamés. El Correo reports that 1,019 seats have been freed to lift ticket sales and admit new members from a waiting list of more than 11,000.

The biggest cut falls on employees who are club members, 354 seats, then 172 tied to the men’s first team, 120 for the ex-players’ association, and 102 across the women’s first team and Bilbao Athletic.

The board relinquishes 88, former presidents 36, who instead receive a lifetime box seat. A further 147 come from other groups, including former staff, retirees, scouts and institutional protocol. The club aims to gain €1.3 million from the overhaul.

Invitations remain for academy players, including those promoted to the senior sides from Bilbao Athletic and the women’s team. Courtesy tickets for sponsors and Fundazioa partners also stay, along with other institutional and sporting commitments, totalling 623 seats.

The change takes effect immediately, and for several groups it was applied from the opening match against Sevilla. Club president Jon Uriarte said the club is not in a war economy, and intends to keep growing with higher spending and investment across all areas.

He thanked those affected and voiced hope early discontent would give way to understanding. He argued the move is justified socially, economically and institutionally, with significant financial impact, and that the membership as a whole is the sole beneficiary.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”