Gladbach issues full refund to 30,000 season ticket holders
On Thursday, Borussia Mönchengladbach became the first Bundesliga club to announce a full refund to 2020/21 season ticket holders.
While hope that a limited number of fans might be allowed back into Bundesliga stadiums before the end of the season has by no means been extinguished, the board of directors in Gladbach have opted to allow season ticket holders to collect full refunds for any money spent on a 2020/21 access card.
As part of a solidarity drive during the autumn of 2020, Gladbach allowed club supporters to purchase season tickets at half their usual costs. Local fans who bought such passes were allowed to register for stadium access when Bundesliga clubs operated under a 20-percent-capacity rule between September 15th and October 31st.
Since November, the Bundesrepublik has operated under a series of more stringent lockdown conditions. The latest federal provisions prohibit any congregative venue from operating under any capacity until at least February 1st. An extension of this counts as an absolute certainty.
In a statement issued on the club's website, the club committed itself to refunding 30,000 tickets via direct deposit within the next week. Gladbach did not provide outlines for fans who might wish to refuse the refund in the interest of supporting their club.
"We had very much hoped to be able to play in front of spectators again in the second half of the season," club managing director Stefan Schippers is quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, the general state of the pandemic does not allow for it and we must act of the assumption that this will not change soon. Therefore, we have decided to refund the season ticket money immediately."
The statement assures all card-holders that, should a limited number of fans be allowed back into Borussia Park prior to the end of the season, season-ticket holders will hold the first right-of-refusal for all places.