Over the past few years, we have followed the club through a series of extraordinary events, and we are once again looking forward to whatever the new season may bring.

However, we have concerns over the recently announced ticket pricing structure for the coming season, and the lack of dialogue between the fans and the club over such issues.

Therefore, we have felt it necessary to write this open letter to your newspaper, hoping the club will take action, in the hope that it will encourage the club to perhaps rethink certain policies.

We feel the matchday prices are unrealistic for a club effectively in Division Three.

We pay top-10 Premier League prices. We do realise that price cuts at this time are unlikely, so instead are proposing more attainable goals.

Firstly, elderly concession pricing in the West Stand.

It seems rather perverse that senior citizen tickets are only available in the north and south stands.

There seems no reason why senior citizen tickets should not be available in a stand which will surely be largely empty for much of the season.

Secondly, the restriction of Family Stand tickets to members.

We realise that the club introduced a non-members family area last season, only to then withdraw it because of fan trouble.

We ask the club to rethink this policy, perhaps situating the block elsewhere. We feel it is imperative that we attract new families to Elland Road to build our fan base with children from Leeds, otherwise we fear a lost generation.

Finally, the introduction of a young persons or student match ticket.

We applaud the club for offering student season tickets in one area of the ground. However, we see no reason why the club cannot offer a similar deal for match-day tickets.

Leeds has a huge student population, and we could use this to our advantage by selling profitable but affordable tickets for selected games, perhaps in conjunction with the universities.

Furthermore, we find it hard to accept that 17-year-olds in full-time education are asked to pay at least £22 for the average Category B game.

Would it not be possible for the club to implement some sort of discount for Leeds' sixth form students?

Alternatively, a 16 to 22 years' discount could be offered, as is successfully in operation at many other clubs.

Ultimately, we feel the ticket pricing structure announced is not capable of taking advantage of the diversity of Leeds United's support.

It is not designed to encourage new support, but rather to generate as much money as possible from existing fans.

This is understandable to some extent, but we feel reaching out to families, young people and the elderly is a justifiable goal, and hope the club can go some way to achieving this.

I would like to hear the views of other supporters on this matter. Next season, we could be looking at gates in the region of 15,000.

For a club of our size this is a scandal.

Ken Bates and Shaun Harvey need to realise supporters will not be mugged anymore.

NAME and address supplied

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BEMOANING the paltry crowds at LV County Championship games, Radio 5 Live's so-called cricket expert Pat Murphy believes the downturn is due to the exclusion of terrestrial TV cameras from games.

He said viewing figures for Test cricket on Sky are only 250,000 to 350,000 per transmission and the sooner the subsidised BBC was given more Government money to get the game back on everyone's screens the better.

I can't see that this will make much difference as people's lifestyles are different from the non car-owning post-war decade which had a surge in attendances in all sports after war-time austerity. Like it or not, paying supporters prefer the shorter one-day versions of the game.

This apathy even extends to our beloved White Rose team which, I believe, has been hastened by the playing of overseas "stars" of whom only Darren Lehmann can be hailed a real success.
If we had the old "Tykes only" policy we would not have been thrown out of the Twenty20 Cup.

Regarding the one-day game, to say the frantic run-chases in the closing overs breeds crude shots and bad, non-textbook technique is just an excuse for the inferior cricketers of today.

In the past, Brian Close, Viv Richards, Ian Botham and their ilk were stars at both longer and shorter versions of the game.

If you have the skill, technique and application, then you can play any version of the game well.

JOHN HARTLEY, Roundhay, Leeds 8


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I WAS appalled by the refereeing display during Leeds Rhinos' recent match against Wigan Warriors.

The match official, Ashley Klein, was, in my opinion, appalling. He let off Wigan players who high-tackled Rob Burrow. He also let off a Wigan player who blocked Danny McGuire from catching the ball. Not only that, but he also gave a knock-on against Leeds when Wigan pulled the ball out of their hands.

Rhinos could have won more points and we could have had loads more penalties with the amount of things that Wigan got away with.
Leeds could have won the match, but we did try and we came back, but we lost 23-22.

But the referee himself should have been sent- off because he was appalling!

Paul Morley, aged 11, Leeds 14

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MAY I, through your columns, wish "our" young man Alistair Brownlee all the best in his attempts to win Olympic Gold.

As an age-group triathlete and Level 2 regional referee, for the best region, Yorkshire, I felt that your coverage was the best I've read yet by a non-specialist periodical.

Unlike one from the south of our region, whose writer obviously knows absolutely nothing at all about tri!

Bill Houlder, Willow Park, Pontefract
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I READ your letter from Andy Pearce (YEP July 9) about Harry Kewell, left, joining Galatasaray.

I'm a Liverpool fan living in Leeds and I have to say I quite agree with Mr Pearce.

When Leeds were promoted in 1989-90, I was delighted. Elland Road is always a brilliant place to go. Leeds fans are the most faithful, loyal and patriotic fans in this country.

Certainly not the hooligans of the early eighties as they are sometimes portrayed. The atmosphere is always electric and the place just "rocks".
It is true also that all English fans were saddened by the deaths of their two fans. I have been to Istanbul and it is without doubt the worst place I, as a Liverpool fan, have had the misfortune to visit.
Mr Pearce is also quite right in his assessment of Kewell signing for Galatasaray.

When he signed for us, I thought he was a totally outstanding player and we had pinched him from Leeds.

How wrong I was. He was okay for a while but then I saw exactly what Mr Pearce was talking about. He wasn't a world-beater at all, he became a lazy, overpaid liability. I was at the Champions League final against AC Milan and I saw him "limp" off injured. And now he signs for Galatasary and just spits an insult to every Leeds fan and especially those two poor fans that died supporting their club and Kewell.

I say good riddance, glad to see the back of him, but for God's sake Harry, why Galatasaray? Of all the teams on earth?

MARK MAGEE, East End Park, Leeds 9