Saints release ticket ballot details as they get set to welcome fans back to Franklin's Gardens

The black, green and gold are taking on Bordeaux-Bègles in the European Champions Cup at 5.30pm on Friday, December 11, and under the Government’s three-tier system of restrictions announced last week, up to 2,000 home supporters will be welcomed into the stadium for the first time since February.

The club is already looking forward to being able to plan for a full-capacity stadium again as soon as possible, but for now - given only a limited number of supporters are permitted to attend matches - tickets will be allocated via a ballot system.

Saints CEO Mark Darbon said: “We are excited beyond measure to welcome 2,000 of you back through our gates next week.

"At this capacity we will need to run a ballot process and I have no doubt those that are successful will create a fantastic atmosphere around the ground - something we have really missed in recent months.

“This is one more step along the road towards seeing a packed-out Franklin’s Gardens once again.

“While the club appreciates that many supporters may end up disappointed if they do not manage to secure tickets for this first match back at the Gardens, at the heart of all the decisions we have made is the desire to be as fair as possible to all of our supporters.

“We ask for your patience as we work through this first ticket ballot for our season ticket holders – and those that are successful will have to be prepared for a matchday that will seem vastly different to usual.”

Saints have given the following details on the ticket ballot...

Season ticket holders who renewed their memberships before the club initially took them off sale on October 15 (and have since had them automatically rolled over to the 2021/22 season) will have priority access to this ballot process, which opens on Friday, December 4 at 12pm and closes on Sunday, December 6 at 11.59pm.

Anyone with priority access to the ballot will have until the Sunday deadline to register their interest to purchase either one single (£30) or one pair of tickets (£60) via their online ticketing account – but must carefully read the Code of Conduct BEFORE applying.

Once the ballot window closes, those supporters who have been successful will be notified on Monday, December 7 via email and automatically charged for their ticket(s).

Should any seats remain following the priority access ballot window, those season ticket holders who renewed their memberships following the announcement of the Rollover plan on November 19 will be eligible for a secondary ballot window.

Supporters are asked to note...

You can only apply for a pair of tickets if you have two or more season ticket holders in your household.

Supporters will not be able to select their usual seats, or any specific seat, for this match. Given the need to manage the stadium to ensure social distancing, those successful in the ballot will be automatically allocated a seat, and this may mean that you are sitting in a very different section of the ground to your regular seat. You will not be permitted to change seats at any time, to ensure social distancing is maintained between supporters.

Supporters cannot travel from any area under Tier Three restrictions to attend this match. Postcodes of successful applications will be checked by our ticketing staff before they are processed.

All successful ballot applicants will be sent their tickets to print at home via email. The club will not be posting tickets.

Car Parking (in car park D) will be available for £5 on the day via contactless payment upon arrival. Car parking tickets are not available to purchase in advance.

A small selection of bars and food stalls will be open within the ground. All payments will be contactless only, and all food and drink must be taken straight back to your seat to be consumed.

In order to gain access into the ground, supporters will be required to bring a printed version of their matchday ticket (or be able to show their barcode on a mobile phone), photographic ID and a completed Covid-safe form – which will be emailed to you to complete 24 hours before the match.

There will be no designated smoking area in operation at Franklin’s Gardens, to prevent people congregating in any area of the ground. No smoking whatsoever will be permitted on matchday.

Click here to read a list of FAQs.

*Those who renewed their season tickets before the club initially took them off sale on October 15 are eligible to enter the first ballot. Those season ticket holders who renewed their memberships following the announcement of the Rollover plan on November 19 will be eligible for a second ballot, should any tickets remain.