BARROW AFC are on course to increase their season-ticket sales by 50 per cent for next season.

The Bluebirds sold almost 200 for the 2017/18 campaign using their new advanced season-ticket offer – only a handful fewer than they sold in total before the start of last season.

Sales are already going well for the usual early-bird offer as well – which allows supporters to pay in instalments, thus appealing to a different audience – with hopes high close to 300 will be sold before the start of the action in August.

That would be 50 per cent up on the 202 sold for the 2016/17 season, with finance and operations manager Andrew Casson delighted with the success of the advanced ticket venture, which offered the equivalent of seven free matches during the season.

“We sold 196 on the advanced offer,” said Casson. “There is no real comparison to last year, because this is the first year we have sold them before the end of the season.

“What I would say is that we sold 202 in total last year, so we have hit that number already before we get into the numbers for the early-bird tickets, which is where the people who like to pay on standing order will come in.

“We don't sell many of the standard tickets, but based on what has happened previously, I would hop we would sell around another 100 of the early-bird tickets, which essentially gives you five games free.

“That would be about a 50 per cent increase on last year, and we're very pleased with that.”

Casson and his team at Holker Street have been pleased with the reception they have received from supporters to the season-ticket offers.

There are plans being put in place for further offers for those supporters who are unable to attend every game, but might benefit from partial season-tickets – possibly covering blocks of games or just matches played on Saturdays or Tuesdays.

Casson added: “All the feedback we have had is that people really liked the pricing of the advanced offer, the fact we were selling it so early, and that we were still doing the early-bird offer as well so that people can pay in instalments.

“We're still working out the kinks on a couple of ideas for partial season-ticket offers that can cater to shift workers and people like that who can maybe only come to 10 to 12 games a year. We still want to be able to give them a discount for supporting the club.

“One of the key things we have heard is that people are growing more confident we are going in the right direction. We want to reward those who come often, so that if we do get promoted next season, the discounts people will be able to get for being longer-term season-ticket holders will be pretty good.”

As well as working on the season-tickets, Casson is also planning the launch of the new shirts for next season.

The design – which has been finalised – has yet to be officially unveiled, but the plan is to do so at the start of June, with the shirts being stocked in the Holker Street shop and on sale by July 1.

Once again, they will be manufactured by Player Layer after signing a one-year extension to their arrangement, although Casson hopes a longer-term deal with a kit producer will be finalised for future seasons during the season.

“We have renewed with them for one more year,” he said. “We have put some language in place for them and for us, and as we go across the season we will be looking to sign a three-year deal to help take the club forward, hopefully into League Two.”