A tech firm owned by the chairman of Fleetwood Town is to help Blackpool fans celebrate their ‘homecoming’ following the removal of the deeply unpopular Oyston regime last week.
Thousands of supporters are set to return to Bloomfield Road this weekend after boycotting the ground, some of them for as long as four years, in protest at what they claimed was asset-stripping by Owen Oyston.
The Seasiders are now under the control of receiver Paul Cooper and have already sold more than 13,000 tickets for Saturday’s match against Southend, with volunteers helping to clean up the ground following years of underinvestment.
Tech firm Card Saver, run by Lancashire entrepreneur Andy Pilley – who owns local rivals and fellow League One club Fleetwood Town – have now been named as the club’s new payment technology provider.
The Blackpool-based payment solutions company will provide all cashless payment services at the League One club, allowing fans to buy tickets and merchandise via either debit and credit cards, or Apple and Google Pay.
“Myself and Card Saver are delighted to be the new payment technology providers for Blackpool Football Club,” said Pilley.
“Blackpool FC and Fleetwood Town are rivals on the pitch for 180 minutes every season, but we are also Fylde coast neighbours and so I’m delighted my company is partnering with the Seasiders in this way.
“You can clearly see from the crowds that have already been queuing up to get tickets there is huge excitement building ahead of Saturday’s game.
“The new board at Blackpool contacted me to say they needed a new card services and contactless payments provider and asked whether we could help.
“We have now installed 25 payment terminals covering all areas of the club, from the ticket office, club shop and in the hospitality and food and beverage areas.
“I am delighted Card Saver is able to provide payment solutions for this proud and historic football club as they and their fans enter a new era.”
Card Saver was set up in 2015 and has thousands of business customers across the UK. Together with many high street stores, SME businesses and charities it works with several football clubs, including Premier League side Burnley.
Ben Hatton, Blackpool FC’s executive and managing director, said: “We are extremely grateful to Andy Pilley, and to everyone at Card Saver for coming in at short notice and pulling out all the stops in order to get us up and running for the game this Saturday.
“These new payment terminals will make a huge difference, particularly at the kiosks in the stadium. With contactless payments available to all supporters it should significantly speed up the time taken to serve people.
“It has been heart-warming to experience the swell of support for the club in the last week or so, and the fact Andy, the chairman of a neighbouring rival League One club, has been so helpful is a fantastic example of the football family pulling together.”