When York9 FC played its first-ever league home game on Saturday, the weather was good – at least for the first half. After that, the skies opened up and a torrential downpour began. The referee spotted lightning in the 62nd minute and, following procedure, temporarily suspended the game due to the dangerous conditions.

Stadium staff began evacuating fans from the stands, and due to an error in communication between venue staff and club management, began telling spectators that the match was cancelled and to go home. As it turn out, the match wasn’t cancelled at all: about an hour later, the lightning was gone and the match officials declared it safe for the game to resume. It was too late for the majority of the crowd to return: they were, understandably, already commuting home.

Today, York9 FC has taken a huge step in righting that wrong: the club is offering a free ticket for each spectator negatively impacted by the miscommunication. Those who wish to take the Nine Stripes up on the offer have ample time to do so, with the free tickets been accessible until Friday, June 14 – the day before the club’s next home league game against Pacific FC.

Please call the York9 ticketing office at 905-597-8877 ext. 1 to talk to a service representative who will assist you. Alternatively, you can send an email to tickets@york9football.club. Please reach out to the club by Friday June 14th. York9 Communication

While season ticket holders will already have tickets for the Pacific FC game by default, the offer’s window also allows for them to claim a free ticket for the club’s Canadian Championship second qualifying round home leg fixture against FC Edmonton. The club edged past AS Blainville by a 1-0 aggregate over two legs to reach the second round.

It’s safe to say that a club mistakenly sending its own fans home is quite the gaff, but it’s good to see the York9 management office making a big gesture to make amends. It’s another league-wide first from York9: the club got the Canadian Premier League’s first goal, first red card, first weather delay, and now the first apologetic ticket compensation.

While it’s early days yet, the club has shown signs of listening to fans in order to improve the matchday experience. Fans who attended the first-ever game at York Lions Stadium would have seen club president Preben Ganzhorn monitoring the concessions area, noting where improvements had to be made. Three days later for the league opener, it was already a much better experience.

Fans will be hoping that trend continues in the right direction. Today’s free ticket announcement is a good start.

Source: York9 FC