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James Copley: Sunderland chief Tom Burwell deserves huge credit for outstanding Europa League call Sunderland’s Europa League pricing deserves real praise after recent ticketing criticism and concerns from supporters There is a fairly simple rule I try to follow in this job: if you are prepared to criticise a football club when you believe it has got something wrong, you should be equally prepared to say so when it gets something right. Sunderland have got their Europa League pricing right. In fact, I think they have absolutely nailed it under Tom Burwell. I have been critical of elements of the club’s ticketing operation recently. We have published stories in The Echo reflecting the concerns of supporters because those concerns have been real, substantial and worthy of being heard. Criticism and praise can coexist I am still uncomfortable with the P1 Travel arrangement. I do not think the experiences of some elderly and disabled supporters, or general admission fans affected by changes around the stadium, have always been handled particularly well. Communication remains an issue, too. There are times when supporters have been left trying to decipher complicated information when a clear explanation from the outset would have prevented much of the confusion. I also think the ticket office needs more resources. We have seen that clearly this week with the ticket account change shambles experienced by many. More staff dealing directly with supporters and greater supporter liaison capacity would help enormously, particularly now Sunderland are dealing with unprecedented demand across Premier League, European and away fixtures. None of that changes because the club has made one excellent decision. Equally, those criticisms do not mean Sunderland are badly run. Quite the opposite. I think Sunderland are superbly run in many areas at present. It is perfectly possible to believe that while identifying areas that need improvement. Football discourse sometimes struggles with that concept. Everything apparently has to be brilliant or terrible. Praise becomes cheerleading, and criticism becomes an agenda. The reality is usually somewhere in between. Sunderland faced a huge temptation Europa League pricing was always going to be a fascinating test because Sunderland could quite easily have exploited the extraordinary demand surrounding this campaign. This is Sunderland’s first European campaign in more than half a century. Supporters have spent years dreaming about nights like these and, commercially, that creates an obvious temptation. The club could probably have pushed the prices significantly higher and still sold a huge number of tickets. I wrote earlier this summer about my concern that tickets might drift beyond affordable. The sort of £35-£40 price point being discussed felt much more sensible, particularly given everything supporters will already spend following Sunderland this season. The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel. That is why the pricing announced by Sunderland deserves proper recognition. The different age bands are sensible, the overall cost is reasonable for European football and the club has resisted the temptation to attach an enormous premium simply because it knows demand exists. That is not something every Premier League club has done. Sunderland could have crunched the numbers and concluded that European football carries a premium. Instead, they appear to have looked at their own supporters. That distinction is important, and welcome. A full Stadium of Light is worth more There is an argument that Sunderland should maximise every possible revenue stream. I understand it. The club are trying to establish themselves in the Premier League, compete in Europe and build a squad capable of doing both. But maximising revenue does not always mean finding the highest number supporters will reluctantly pay. Sometimes the smarter commercial decision is making sure 48,000 people desperately want to come back for the next one. A packed Stadium of Light on a European night has value that cannot be represented entirely on a spreadsheet. It helps the team, strengthens the relationship between club and supporters and creates memories that hook another generation on Sunderland. There are secondary benefits commercially, too. More people inside the stadium means more food, drink and merchandise sold, while progression in the competition brings its own financial rewards. Most importantly, empty seats do not sing. UEFA already caps visiting supporter tickets in the Europa League at €35 and requires away prices to be no higher than comparable home adult tickets, showing there is at least some recognition at governing-body level that European football must remain accessible. Sunderland have gone into their own pricing decisions with the right spirit. This is how you protect the connection There will undoubtedly be more ticketing debates this season. Demand now massively exceeds supply. Memberships, ballots, hospitality, away allocations, European travel and potentially stadium expansion all bring difficult questions. There will be decisions that please some supporters and frustrate others. That makes getting the principles right even more important. Sunderland should absolutely become more commercially ambitious. The football club has grown at a remarkable rate and cannot operate like the Sunderland of League One if it wants to establish itself towards the top end of the Premier League. But there is a difference between becoming commercially smarter and simply squeezing people because you know they will pay. Supporters are one of Sunderland’s great competitive advantages. Protecting that is not merely sentimentality; it represents good business. And this is why it is important to acknowledge this decision properly. We have challenged the club over ticketing where it has been necessary and will continue to do so. Supporters deserve representation when things go wrong. They also deserve acknowledgement when the club listens, shows restraint and gets a major decision right. On Europa League pricing, Sunderland have done exactly that.