SELLING season tickets will be a unique challenge this time around.

With the Covid-19 pandemic still looming large, things will look a lot different for the 2021 season – initially at least.

The season will be starting in March – five weeks later than usual – to give clubs as much chance of possible to welcome some kind of paying audience into grounds.

The level of capacity clubs will be able to operate at, if at all, is still up in the air although with vaccines now starting to be rolled out, the hope is the picture will look a lot brighter as winter turns to spring.

Currently, Warrington is under Tier 3 Covid restrictions, meaning Warrington Wolves would not be able to host fans if matches were being played now.

With membership prices frozen and a commitment to refunding fans for every four home games they are forced to miss due to behind closed doors matches or limited capacity, chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick is hoping that entices enough fans to buy or renew.

He also made clear just how crucial season ticket revenue is to the club's financial survival.

"We’re still not through it although there is light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines and crowds being brought back," he said.

"The next big thing is season ticket revenue. Due to the uncertainty of crowds coming back in, we’ve offered refunds after every four home games.

"That’s going to be a challenge, no doubt about it. The economy is going to be struggling and we will feel an indirect impact of that.

"The take-up has been relatively positive. We launched a little bit later obviously and there was a surge in the first couple of days.

"It has slowed down a bit but with the positive news on vaccines and crowds, I hope that will boost and encourage supporters to come back. It is much-needed revenue for the organisation.

"It’s not like the Premier League where the TV deal is phenomenal and ticket money is less important.

"Don’t get me wrong, our TV money is critical for the club, but so are season tickets and gate receipts.

"It’s absolutely vital for the financial future of the club that we encourage our members to renew for 2021."

By the time next season rolls around, fans will not have graced the terraces of The Halliwell Jones Stadium for a year.

Fitzpatrick hopes the desire to get back into stadia will mean season ticket sales will not take a dip from this year.

"We’re aiming high," he said.

"We sold 6,800 last year and that’s what we’re going for again. We’ll strive to achieve that.

"One thing we know is supporters to see live rugby again.

"We’ve learned the ticket sales for the Rugby League World Cup are phenomenal at the moment so there is a huge appetite for live sport."

The pandemic has been a unique challenge for everybody and the club is no different, having been run by a skeletal staff for most of the year.

With players and staff accepting pay cuts and the vast majority of members choosing to donate the value of missed matches back to the club, Fitzpatrick is proud of how they have responded.

"It has been an unbelievable experience but something I don’t want to experience again," he said.

"How the players and the coaching staff have responded to this has been simply incredible.

"They went into the resumption on the back of a three-week pre-season, games were coming thick and fast.

"When the rest of the world was socially distancing and staying away from each other, they were going in grappling and bashing one another up. All of this was on reduced pay.

"The endeavour and commitment of everyone has been incredible, that includes the office staff as well.

"We had 140 staff here at Warrington and everyone was furloughed apart from seven of us, who were working to keep the club afloat.

"We had a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality and I’m so proud we’ve been able to get through it.

"There’s still a number of big hurdles, but we’re not in a bad position.

"We can get through it and we will get through it."