It’s an exciting time to be a Leopard as we embark on our second season into the play-offs, and for the second time from the same fifth place at the end of the regular Betfred Super League campaign. We look to go further than last year’s first round exit to Hull KR.
The Club has also submitted its grading criteria and an internal audit by the Club’s accountants confirms a score of 15.24, which verifies the club as a Grade A status, once the play-offs are concluded. We are also excited to be able to operate our Academy for its inaugural year.
2024 memberships and payment plans finish this month, and the Operational Board therefore needs to communicate some exciting changes to you, our valued members, as we continue to strive to grow and improve the club.
We have managed to integrate our system with Leigh Sports Village so that members only have one account to access and can also link their families’ memberships together. In the coming days, you will receive an email with your username and password. From this email you will be able to access your account and amend your password. From within the portal, you will be able to purchase a membership if you had previously only bought single tickets or re-purchase your membership if you had chosen and paid in full for the 2024 season.
All members with direct debits will need to update their card details to allow us to move to the new platform. Nothing is required by the member to ensure that no payments will be taken after the September payment from the old provider. All other details will have already been populated in the system so there are no forms to fill, and your heritage number is assigned to your account, as well as your existing client ID on the LSV system.
In the portal you can also upgrade or downgrade your membership, choose your replica shirt size and, where applicable, your Platinum or Black Card membership polo shirt. You will be able to change and confirm your stand, change your seat into a seat not already allocated to a member. There will also be the option to add certain merchandise items to your cart and join LLTV, which will be having some new and exciting content throughout the year. You will also be able to join the Academy club or simply make a one-off or monthly donation to the running of the Academy.
2025 will be our third year as the rebranded Leigh Leopards and there are 2,012 members who we hope to continue their membership, as they will have been a member since the inception in 2022. Thank you! To commemorate this, for those that renew, their membership packages will have a little addition to mark the occasion. The club will also be launching some merchandise to mark the third-year anniversary.
As with any successful business we must adapt, improve and learn from any issues that arise in a previous season. You will all have seen that the North Stand has been a sell-out every single game with only a small number of tickets available each game that are quickly taken by the Red Card members. The Operational Board has had to make some decisions around the North Stand based on guidelines and criteria for stadia which many clubs have rolled out in recent years. The recommendations were to not allow under-5s into the North Stand. However, we have successfully managed to agree to a starting age of 2-years-old for entry to the North Stand. In doing so, we will be creating a family orientated block in East Stand G and H where there will be face painting and balloon modelling, under the concourse as well as regular visits from Leeto, and that game’s unselected players. We would ask that families with under-5s look to enjoy our newly created family orientated block.
After auditing the use of membership cards, and particularly in the North Stand, it has become apparent that some memberships have been purchased as a place holder at an under-5 or junior ticket to upgrade it when needing to use it. This is disappointing as it prevents the legitimate use of a place in the North Stand to someone else. Therefore, for the 2025 season, there will be no ability to upgrade a ticket from its initial status in the North Stand. For the 2025 season all junior tickets will have the Leigh Leopards Junior Logo as launched to make their cards easier to identify for members and LSV staff to ensure correct use of membership cards.
Given that the North Stand was largely occupied by members the Operational Board has taken the decision to make the North Stand members only for the 2025 season. The successful Red Card membership option will remain as previously, but tickets will not go on general sale to Red Card members and all access for the North Stand will need to be White Card members or above. Red Card members will still have first priority on all available sections with tickets that are available throughout the season and continue to enjoy all the benefits of being a Red Card member.
The Club has also reviewed its prioritising of tickets and event purchasing and given that there are more than 3,000 Gold Card memberships, which can often be higher than an allocation, the Club has decided to introduce a Gold Plus Card package. This new package has everything afforded by Gold Card membership plus the inclusion of Leopards TV (LLTV), Membership of the Academy, providing free access to all Academy games. In addition, Gold Plus Card members are entitled to a complimentary adult ticket to a Category C home game to allow the member to bring a friend free to one game; the Member can change their location for that game to accommodate the request where necessary.
This new category will take priority after the Black and Platinum Card memberships and ahead of the Gold Card memberships. As communicated recently, where a member has a linked account, all members in that linked account will be able to purchase at the highest member’s priority status. When your Membership application is completed, you will receive a follow up email with your LLTV details; of course, you can share this with your linked account holders.
The increase in cost for the Gold Plus Card from regular Gold Card will be used to help grow our inaugural Academy, to staff it, and compete for the best emerging youngsters.
Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont said: “It’s been an exceptional year, especially given it is only our second year as the rebranded Leigh Leopards and our second year back in Super League.
“Adrian, his staff and all the players have been immense, especially after the difficult start we had. Our women’s team have been outstanding, winning every league game and their grand final and are now two games away from Super League. Our reserves also had a successful inaugural year under head coach Stuart Littler.
“The atmosphere created by our fans and the way everyone has bought into coming down to the stadium early to embrace the fan zone and the performing bands has really created something special.
“Whilst now we have only notified our members of the departing players, save for the arrival of Bailey Hodgson and the signing of Davy Armstrong from the NRL, I can confirm that there are three other NRL players to be announced that are contracted to the club for 2025, along with other UK based players.
“We have also committed to an increase in the staffing of our performance and medical team as part of our growth as a club.
“Next year we will have three full Super League years of data for our IMG grading and will surpass 16 points, meaning the club is firmly established as a Super League force.
“Unfortunately, all these things come at a cost, and I need to reflect a portion of that through small increases in the membership packages which I hope will be understood and acceptable to our members.
“We maintained the pricing last season and I had hoped to do so this year, but the costs of all things relating to the operation of the club and the packages and included merchandise have continued to rise and I have had to align that. We have worked with local businesses to bring even more monetary value to the memberships by way of discounts available to members. I am confident as members you will recognise the success and feel part of it and still feel that being a member on any tier at Leigh Leopards represents good value for money.”
Below are the various packages available and their prices for each concession type with the savings associated with each package. We will be launching details of the 2025 home replica shirt to assist members in making their package choice in coming days and details of a new kit brand partner, which is also exciting for the club to attract such a brand.
*Red Membership monthly payments are based on 6 month subscription’s.
All memberships both renewed and purchased for the first time in October will be guaranteed their packages prior to Christmas.
All members’ reserved seats will be kept assigned to them even if not renewed or continued until 30th November, after which point they will be made available to other members or for general sale. We will write to any affected members ahead of this date to ensure they are happy to let their seat allocation be released.
Full terms and conditions of Membership and entry to Leigh Sports Village can be found on our website (www.leighrl.co.uk).
