Ticket Ballots are exclusively available to Black Cat Members. If you have an active Black Cat Membership, please follow the step-by-step guide below to enter a ballot. The guide will take you through the process from start to finish and help you complete your application. Please note that Away Ticket Ballots are only available to Black Cat Season Ticket Plus Members. Home Ticket Ballots are only available to Black Cat Adult Members and Black Cat Academy Members.
New Home Ballot Process from October 2026 Onwards
What’s changed with the home ballot?
From the Chelsea home ballot in October 2026 onwards, if you win a Black Cats Membership home ballot, you choose your own seat. Before that, winners were automatically assigned a seat based on the preferences they set when they entered.
Why the change?
You told us where you sit matters. Under the old system, members could miss out because the areas they’d picked sold out among other winners, while seats sat unsold elsewhere in the ground. Picking your own seat fixes that.
When did the change come in?
With the ballot for Chelsea at home on Saturday 7 November 2026, which opened on Tuesday 6 October 2026. It has applied to every men’s home ballot since, across all competitions.
Who can enter the home ballot?
Black Cats Adult and Black Cats Academy members.
How does the home ballot process work?
1. Each home game gets its own ballot. We’ll tell you when it opens through Membership Monday, and it’s listed on our live ballots page.
2. Log in with the account linked to your Black Cats Adult or Black Cats Academy membership and opt in while the ballot is open.
3. When the ballot closes, winners are drawn.
4. If you’ve won, we’ll email you.
5. Choose your seat from those still available and pay for it before the deadline in your email.
6. If you don’t choose and pay in time, your seat is released back into the ballot.
How do I choose my seat?
Log in to the https://tickets.safc.com/en-GB/categories/mens-home-tickets pick any seat still available for the relevant fixture you have won the ballot for and pay for it before the deadline in your email. If you don’t choose and pay in time, your seat is released back into the ballot.
When do I pay?
When you choose your seat. You select it and pay for it in one go.
How long do I have to choose and pay?
Your winning email tells you the deadline. Miss it and your seat is released back into the ballot.
How many tickets can I get if I win?
One. Ballots run on a one-ticket-per-member basis.
Can I enter with my mates or family and sit together?
Yes, as long as everyone has their own current Black Cats membership. Link your accounts and enter as a group. We can’t guarantee seats together: if there aren’t enough side by side, you’ll be offered what’s available and can decide whether to go ahead.
Does everyone in my group need their own membership?
Yes. Every ticket is tied to a member, so anyone without a current Black Cats membership can’t be part of a group entry.
Will there be a seat for me in the stand I want?
Seats are available to ballot winners on a first-come, first-served basis, so popular areas can go quickly. Pick early if you’ve got somewhere in mind.
Has anything changed for away ballots?
No. Away ballots stay open to Season Ticket Plus members only, and successful entrants are still charged automatically on their pre-authorised card.
I can’t see any active ballots. What’s wrong?
The most common cause is logging in with a different account from the one your membership is on. We can see your membership status but not your ballot activity, so check which account you’re using first to ensure you are using the correct one.
Where do I find out about upcoming ballots?
Members will be notified of ballot timings. We also flag every ballot in Membership Monday, our weekly members’ email, and list it on our live ballots page.
Who do I contact with a question?
Membership queries: bcm@safc.com. Ticket office: in person at the North-East Corner, Stadium of Light, SR5 1SU, via Ask SAFC or on 0371 911 1973.