From the Front Office: Explanation of Providence Park VSG Ticketing Policy

Editor's note: The has been some furor recently over the pricing of the tickets for visiting supporters groups at Providence Park in the southwest corner of the park. The Portland Timbers front office wanted a chance to address the situation and, hopefully, clear up any misconceptions that might be out there. Since we all love seeing away fans chanting futilely against the Timbers Army and enjoy being those same fans in Seattle, Vancouver, and other venues throughout the US, we are presenting their response to the issue here.

Supporters,

We would like to publicly clarify our ticketing policy for away supporters in light of recent comments online and misperceptions that may have arisen. First and foremost, we fully recognize and highly value the impact that visiting supporters have on the atmosphere of a match at Providence Park and welcome supporters from every MLS team. We believe that they help create an unparalleled atmosphere at Providence Park. In accordance with MLS policies, we hold at least 150 seats for every incoming supporters group regardless of being sold out locally. Also consistent with league policy, our pricing for visiting supporter tickets is the same as the prices Timbers fans pay who are sitting in neighboring sections.

The prices this season are $35 or $45. The two prices are due to a different price structure stadium-wide for premium matches that have higher demand, preferred dates and popular opponents. We do not offer a discounted group rate for tickets so visiting supporter tickets are priced identically to what the local Timber fans are paying, without any ticket fees. As you know we have the smallest venue of the three Cascadia clubs. The seats we offer are closer to the field and arguably better situated than the seating locations provided our visiting supporters in Seattle or Vancouver. As agreed to with our fellow Cascadia clubs, we sell the allotted visiting supporter tickets at the published prices mentioned above. How the other clubs and their respective supporters groups then distribute and price those tickets thereafter is not something we control.

We continue to focus on delivering the best value for our supporters, our season ticket holders and our waiting list members while also ensuring visiting supporters have a fair and equal opportunity to attend our matches. We will continue to honor the league guidelines and the agreement we have with Vancouver and Seattle on Cascadia matches. During our regular meeting and ongoing meetings with the 107ist since our first MLS season, we have worked closely together to disseminate and execute the visiting supporter group policy which has remained unchanged since our first season in 2011 We look forward to hosting the 12 visiting supporter groups still scheduled to visit Providence Park this season.

Sincerely,

Portland Timbers Front Office