Stoke City Will Provide Free Travel for Fans to Away Games for 5th Consecutive Season

Stoke will once again reward their loyal fans with free travel to Premier League away games for the fifth consecutive season.

The Potters became the first club in England's top four divisions to implement the initiative, with more than 12,500 fans benefitting in 2016/17.

That takes the total number from 2013 to 45,000 and the coaches from the bet365 Stadium will be in full swing in 2017/18, with hordes of supporters desperate to see Mark Hughes' side on the road.

Chief Executive Tony Scholes said to Stoke's official website: “We have been delighted with the way our supporters have embraced the free coach travel initiative; they are travelling to away games in significantly higher numbers than at any other time in our Premier League history.

“Last season we took an average of 1,896 fans to away games, an increase of 40 per cent on the away support we took to games before we introduced free travel.

“Before 2013, we were taking an average of three or four official supporters’ coaches to away games but now we’re taking an average of 14 coaches to each game.

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - MARCH 04: A general view of the Bet365 Stadium is seen prior to the Premier League match between Stoke City and Middlesbrough at Bet365 Stadium on March 4, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Alex Livesey/GettyImages

“We have a fantastic backing, both at the bet365 Stadium and on the road, and we’re sure that will again be the case in our 10th successive season in the Premier League.”

Their first away trip is on August 12 with the Potters making the journey to Goodison Park to face Everton.

Last season, Hughes' side were narrowly defeated by the Toffees on Merseyside with Shay Given scoring an own goal early in the second half after Leighton Baines' penalty rebounded off of him.