Hartlepool United uncovers criminal ticket scheme

Hartlepool United said the schemes were unfair to fans who buy honest tickets

A football club says it has uncovered a scam which saw fans being let in free into the ground to buy cut-price tickets from criminals on matchdays.

Hartlepool United said it has long had issues with fans using concession tickets that do not apply to them, or several people using the same ticket.

But the fraud scheme was a "whole new level" and "unacceptable", chief operating officer Stephen Hobin said.

Two stewards have been sacked and the police have been informed, he said.

Mr Hobin told BBC Radio Tees there was a long-standing issue with some fans trying to get into matches without proper tickets.

A common scheme is one ticket being bought and then passed back through several supporters at the turnstiles.

Another involves people buying concession tickets, for example a child's ticket when they are an adult, and using that to get into the ground.

'Hard-line'

It was while monitoring such activities at Hartlepool's Carabao Cup game against Morecambe that the club discovered the "organised operation" which was "much more serious", Mr Hobin said.

He said certain stewards were letting fans in who would then give money to people in the ground, "probably for half the cost of a ticket".

Mr Hobin said: "What I can't and won't accept is people directly profiteering from the football club, almost making a business out of it on the side."

He said the scams were "unfair" to fans who bought tickets "honestly" and were cheating the club out of thousands of pounds which could be reinvested into the side.

Mr Hobin said the club was now taking a "hard-line" on ticket scams which could see fans banned or even reported to the police.

Extra stewards have been recruited incurring more cost for the club, he said, and he warned fans arriving minutes before kick-off they could face delays due to the more stringent checks.