FANS aged 16 and under will get free entry to all of Dorchester Town’s home league games next season after the club announced a new ticket deal to attract more youngsters to the club.

In more good news for supporters, entry for adults drops to £10 a game, while seniors, students, NHS staff and armed forces personnel will pay £6 as the club begins life in the Southern Premier League following their relegation from the Confer-ence South this term.

Chairman Neal Butterworth has said that free entry for juniors is a move to increase the club’s support in the long-term and encourage more children to watch live football in an era when most have been priced out of the upper echelons of the game.

“We have been planning for next season for some months and one of the key areas we wanted to address was attracting the next generation of fans down to the Avenue Stadium,” he said.

“With more football on television than ever before and the sky high prices in the professional game, children are missing out on the excitement, passion and emotion that only live football can provide.

“Realistically, we know that we can’t compete with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal for young people’s support, but our aim is to encourage the region’s young population to enjoy the unique experience of live football that we were all brought up on, and be proud to call Dorchester their hometown club as they grow up.”

Early bird season tickets will cost £180 for adults and £108 for senior citizens, with the prices rising to £200 and £120 respectively following the May 31 deadline.

Butterworth continued: “Our fans have been fantastic this season. With the season we have had this year, to still be averaging around the 400 mark come the end of the season is testament to their loyalty and it has certainly been appreciated by Phil Simkin and the team.

“As a board, we are now working to repay that loyalty, whilst at the same time planning to grow the club over the forthcoming seasons.

“We know that money is tight, so we hope fans will welcome and embrace these savings to give us the best possible start to next season.”

Butterworth also confirmed that the club plans to continue with the family area ticket, where two adults and two children can watch the match for just £15 from the Avenue’s family enclosure.

For the full breakdown of ticket prices and offers available to supporters dorchestertownfc.com/tickets