We asked Rovers season ticket holders why they continue to sign up, and the benefits of doing so.

Jonathan Pass: I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1996. I’ve always sat in the Blackburn End until last year when I moved to the family stand with my son.

I choose to have a season ticket because I’ve always gone. My family have always gone and I couldn’t not go.

The benefits of a season ticket are that it’s cheaper per game. My son is seven and his season ticket is free which is fantastic.

I feel the atmosphere has improved at Ewood in the sense that there are no protests anymore. The atmosphere at Ewood was toxic at times. It is pretty quiet on match days though, with only the Blackburn End creating any noise. The family stand is really quiet which surprises me.

It’s also frustrating that crowds are only marginally better than last year. Hopefully we’ll get some fans back and the attendance will improve over the next couple of years. There’s definitely a more positive feel about this group of players and management.

Jim Wilkinson: I’ve been a regular attender for 51 years and had a season maybe half of those years

Now, with a couple of daughters who are keen fans, and the means to invest in them, it makes financial sense to buy season tickets and get a bit of a discount.

None of the three of us will go to every single game, I know for a fact I’ll miss half a dozen through holidays, weekend breaks and trips to other events but I also feel strongly that it’s a kind of commitment and pledge to the cause.

We’re Rovers fans and if it benefits us and the club mutually we’re happy to pay upfront. What I’m not that happy about, though I appreciate tickets were priced artificially and ludicrously cheaply in the Premier League era by John Williams, was the rise this season

Historically they aren’t much different to any era I’ve watched us in as a second tier level side and I would only expect them to rise if we challenge seriously for a top six spot.

But I do think Rovers have missed a trick not at least freezing season ticket and individual match prices this year. Or even slightly reducing them.

The on-the-day surcharge is in my view a scandal. 

I like a lot of what Steve Waggott and Mike Cheston have done together with a manager who is adored by the Rovers public but if they’d consulted me or other fans of similar levels of vintage, loyalty etc they’d have been told virtually unanimously that they needed to be more  imaginative and flexible if they had any notions whatever of increasing attendances.

Mike Whewell: I have had a season ticket since 1997. I just love going. It’s a family thing too as my dad and brother both go. I’m also a hopeless armchair fan if I can’t make a game.

A season ticket helps me relax away from life stresses & it’s something to look forward to, I also get to spend time with my dad and brother. 
I think we’re still relatively well supported at Ewood. Albeit, we seem to have also lost some fans (in comparison to relegation post 1999), which could be in part due to the new ownership, which is a shame.

The 12,000 or so there now have been really supportive for a few years now and the atmosphere is so much better for it. There was a time before that (incidentally when crowds were bigger) when I didn’t actually enjoy going because of the constant negative fan reaction/boos.

I’m probably biased but there’s no better place for atmosphere when Ewood is full, our fans are so passionate; this perhaps explains the boo’s etc during the bad times as our fans wear their hearts on their sleeves- so maybe we can’t have it both ways.

On the Mowbray target of 20,000 fans, we would need Premier League football to achieve that regularly.

The Oxford game showed that the fanbase is still there though and it was a joy to see, testament to the job Tony Mowbray is doing.

Andy Neil: I got my first season ticket in either 1989/90 or 1990/91.

The main reason is cost - the saving is significant and I'm fortunate that I can pretty much guarantee attending 20+ homes games a season.

Other than the cost benefit, it saves buying tickets for every home game and you get priority on away games.

I would never criticise people who don't attend home games and although the price of season tickets and match day tickets are relatively cheap compared to other teams in the division the local area suffers from low wages.

The club haven't helped in recent years by closing the family stand and relocating it to an area where season ticket holders without kids were basically forced out. 

In addition to this, closing the Darwen End, season tickets increasing after relegation to League One, putting a surcharge on fans who purchase after midday (on a 3pm kick-off), forcing fans to buy a ticket rather than offering a cash turnstile when there are generally 15,000+ empty seats. 

Finally, with the exception of the Oxford game last season, ticket offers are usually targeted at the wrong games.

Saying all that, the fanbase is there but the club need to learn how to harness it rather than trying to milk it for every penny.

Claire Barnes: I've been a season ticket holder on and off for most of my adult life except when I went to university in the 1990's and for a few years afterwards when I worked in Manchester. My grandad was a season ticket holder and I went with him as a child until he died in 1979.

I met my husband Marcus in 1991 as he's a lifelong fan too. This latest stint has been for at least 18 years and our sons have been season ticket holders all their lives (we fended off the desire they had to follow glory teams as we are all Blackburn born and bred). Consequently I've seen us play in nearly all of the divisions as well relegated and promoted several times plus, of course, win the Premiership.
I really do choose to have a season ticket as I can get free tickets from the Academy if I wanted (as we have a lad in the scholars and one in the Under-12s) and have been able to do so for over years years.

In all honestly I like my seat - I've moved over the years (we got better seats each time we got relegated) but at the moment we are Jack Walker Upper Central.
The main benefit is that it is better value, especially with a 17 year old and a 12 year old, as well as that I know where we will sit and who is sitting near me. It also motivates me to go. I like paying monthly too so I can budget football tickets in rather than have a big exposure all at once. I can also sit there for cup matches and friendlies as I have first refusal on our seats.

I think the crowds at Ewood have changed over the time that I have been going which is usually impacted by how well we are doing in the league. There are a lot of lifelong fans who still regularly go and whilst the size of the crowd is criticised I still think that it is a decent gate when you look at the size and demography of our town.

I get the frustration of some fans (and would never argue with the view of those who choose to stay away). At the moment, I think it's the best it's been for a while as you can feel the optimism generated under Tony Mowbray and the team.

I watch first team level right down to Under -12s. I think this is the most positive I've ever felt a crowd be. A real sense that we are going to try and achieve something this season. I wish we could sometimes be as loud vocally at home as we are at away matches.