Four years is a long time in football but many Premier League fans will still recall the gushing words of club executives and decision-makers during the Covid pandemic. Supporters have never been discussed in such glowing terms as when they were not allowed to attend matches.
Across the land, fans were repeatedly told how they were the lifeblood of the game, and indeed the very essence of their clubs. Football, as they say, is nothing without fans, and the wider industry made it clear that it could not wait to have these supporters back in their grounds.
But actions speak louder than words and many fans, of many teams, are entitled to question the sincerity of those pandemic-influenced statements. Matchgoing supporters all over the country were welcomed back with open arms by their clubs but now, a few years down the line, many are either being squeezed by an ever-tighter grip, or being forced away entirely.
A new Premier League campaign begins on Friday night and, for supporters of 16 of the 17 top-flight clubs who avoided relegation last season, it will be a more expensive season than last year. Of those 17 Premier League clubs, only Crystal Palace have frozen season ticket prices.
Analysis by Telegraph Sport shows that, on average, including Palace’s price-freeze, the cost of adult season tickets in the Premier League has risen by seven per cent this season. At Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Brentford, the percentage rise is in double digits from last year.
For some, the latest set of price rises have simply been too much to bear. Telegraph Sport has spoken to supporter groups across the Premier League and each of them has reported cases of long-serving fans who can no longer afford to attend matches.
“Sadly this summer was another period of record price hikes which has forced fans into making really difficult choices as to whether they can go or not,” said Thomas Concannon, the Football Supporters’ Association’s Premier League network manager.
At which point, many readers may be tempted to shrug their shoulders. It is the same old story, right? Big-spending Premier League clubs prioritising their income ahead of their loyal fans: what’s changed? Well, this year has also seen the development of a secondary – and perhaps even more alarming – issue.
Wolves forced into scrapping a planned price increase for under-14s
For some clubs, 2024 has seemingly marked the start of a campaign against the elderly, young and disabled. First they came for the full-price season ticket holders. Now they are coming for the concessions.
In many cases, these changes have led to furious resistance from supporters. A war, of sorts, has been declared, and fans are showing they are prepared to fight. Wolves were forced into scrapping a planned price increase for under-14s. Before the U-turn, one category of under-14s tickets was due to increase by 176 per cent, from £105 to £290.
Clubs are facing greater and louder objections, and fans will only become stronger in their stance. Last month, a motion was passed at the FSA’s annual general meeting which will result in more “coordinated action” by fans on the cost of tickets.
It stated: “Many clubs are abolishing or reducing concessionary tickets penalising loyal senior fans and pricing out young fans who are the future of the game.”
The motion, backed by eight supporter groups, effectively means that fans and campaigners will be more vocal and front-foot about these issues. Clubs must brace themselves, and they must also remember that Premier League rules set out a requirement for them to incorporate senior and junior concessions.
Wolves are not alone in rowing back on ticketing decisions in the face of fan dissatisfaction. At Arsenal, discussions between the club and the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust resulted in the continuation of concessions on senior season tickets, which the club had initially intended to remove.
At West Ham United, too, there has been a response to fury among their fans. On Wednesday, West Ham said concessionary discounts would be reinstated for their highest-category games, amid continued tension over ticket prices. It remains to be seen whether this move proves to be placatory.
Much of the anger among West Ham fans stems from the withdrawal, earlier this summer, of new season ticket concessions for under-21s and under-18s in many areas of the stadium. New season ticket concessions for over-66s were also removed in some areas.
A petition against these changes has so far attracted almost 17,000 supporters. A campaign by Hammers United, against what it describes as the club’s “attack on its young, older and disabled supporters” has gained momentum, and led to some fans boycotting last weekend’s pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo. West Ham’s defenders would argue that the club’s least expensive adult season tickets are the cheapest in London.
Spurs’ decision ‘immoral, unethical and unnecessary’
Up the road, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, fans have been protesting – and will continue to protest – against the club’s decision to remove concessions for new senior season ticket holders from the 2025/26 season. Spurs have said the number of senior season tickets has risen dramatically and is “not sustainable”. The ‘Save Our Seniors’ campaign group describes the move as “immoral, unethical and unnecessary”.
If concessions were under threat at just one club, it would perhaps not be a source of major concern. But this trend is sweeping through the league, and supporters are understandably worried about the collective direction in which their clubs are heading.
At Nottingham Forest, where there have been the most extreme price rises of any Premier League team this year, there is fear over the long-term future of the fanbase. As well as making changes to senior concessions, Forest have changed the age bracket for youth season tickets, which was previously for 12 to 19-year-olds but is now for 14 to 17-year-olds.
“We are finding 18 or 19-year-olds, who are early on in their careers or are students, are suddenly paying vastly more money,” says Andy Caddell, chair of the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust. “That is the one where you ask: what is the future of the club? Eighteen and 19-year-olds not being able to go any more? I find that really troubling. My view is that this is pretty close to indefensible. It does not feel right.”
Forest’s argument is that their tickets remain among the most affordable in the division, and that the size of the price increase this summer is reflective of the low base from which they were starting. Many clubs are also pointing to increased stadium operating costs, and the need to make every penny count in the age of profitability and sustainability rules.
There is also the simple fact that, despite the rising prices, demand for tickets remains enormously strong. The prices keep going up, after all, and the fans keep coming.
But supporters are finding it hard to stomach these explanations and attempted justifications. They are not fools, and they know that matchday income is increasingly insignificant when compared to the money that is made from sponsorship and broadcast deals. Analysis by Deloitte shows that, for the “big six” clubs, matchday revenues now make up just 17 per cent of total revenues.
“Squeezing match-going fans for an extra million here and there will not solve football’s spending problem,” says Concannon. “For the long-term health of our clubs owners and executives have to recognise that football must remain affordable.”
Indeed, when many Premier League players are earning more than £100,000-a-week, it is surely fair to question whether demanding a few extra quid from young or ageing supporters really does make a significant difference. At Spurs, the ‘Save Our Seniors’ campaign group estimates the club will make a saving of around £3 million per season with its changes to senior concessions – the same amount as chairman Daniel Levy’s bonus.
For those Spurs fans, and for supporters at other clubs who are moving in this direction, the struggle goes on. It would be no surprise if, this time next year, more clubs have followed suit. It is a competitive world – where one or two clubs go, the rest could soon follow. But supporters are standing up and, increasingly, fighting back. The battle lines have been drawn.
