Latest news with #StopExploitingLoyalty
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Soccer-Premier League clubs agree to extend price cap on away tickets
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Aston Villa v Manchester City - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - December 21, 2024 General view of fans buying tickets outside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) - Premier League clubs unanimously agreed on Tuesday to extend the current 30 pounds ($40.56) cap on away ticket prices for a 10th season, the league said in a statement. Since the price cap was introduced in 2016, away game attendance has risen from 82% to 91%. The cumulative away attendance for the 380 matches during the 2024-25 season was 953,420. "The Premier League and clubs recognise the additional costs associated with fans following their team during the season, and the incredible atmospheres they create at matches," the league said in a statement. This comes after fans of several Premier League clubs united under the Football Supporters' Association campaign "Stop Exploiting Loyalty", prompting a ticket price freeze next season from clubs like Liverpool, Brentford, and Manchester City. The new season of England's top flight will begin on August 15 and conclude on May 24, 2026. ($1 = 0.7396 pounds) (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Premier League clubs agree to extend price cap on away tickets
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Aston Villa v Manchester City - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - December 21, 2024 General view of fans buying tickets outside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo Premier League clubs unanimously agreed on Tuesday to extend the current 30 pounds ($40.56) cap on away ticket prices for a 10th season, the league said in a statement. Since the price cap was introduced in 2016, away game attendance has risen from 82% to 91%. The cumulative away attendance for the 380 matches during the 2024-25 season was 953,420. "The Premier League and clubs recognise the additional costs associated with fans following their team during the season, and the incredible atmospheres they create at matches," the league said in a statement. This comes after fans of several Premier League clubs united under the Football Supporters' Association campaign "Stop Exploiting Loyalty", prompting a ticket price freeze next season from clubs like Liverpool, Brentford, and Manchester City. The new season of England's top flight will begin on August 15 and conclude on May 24, 2026. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Liverpool players plan title party but fans face being fleeced for tickets
Liverpool are planning a title party as Arne Slot's side gather to watch Arsenal's clash with Crystal Palace, but fans face being fleeced for tickets on the blackmarket this Sunday. Arne Slot will clinch the Premier League in his first season as manager if Palace win at the Emirates on Wednesday and Virgil van Dijk said the squad plan to watch together. The champagne will be on ice if Arsenal win, with Liverpool champions if they beat Tottenham at Anfield this weekend. 'To be honest, I expect Arsenal to win at home,' he said. 'But if it doesn't happen, then I think it will be nice to be together. However that may look, we'll discuss in the next couple of days, if Arsenal win their game, they probably expect they will do against a very good Crystal Palace, we have to do our job. 'It doesn't matter (when). I want to be champions of England. I want to let this dream become true. I would love to lift the cup for this club that I love so much, if it doesn't happen on Wednesday, then we have an opportunity on Sunday to do it in front of our own fans, in front of a red Anfield and it will be special, that's for sure.' Liverpool players and staff gathered Formby Hall Hotel in 2020 and watched as Chelsea beat Manchester City to seal the club's first league title since 1990. Supporters face prices beyond £2,000 for a pair of seats to watch their potential Premier League-winning party against Tottenham at Anfield. VIP packages are also being offered for as much as £3,500 by touts and resale websites as the blackmarket cashed in on the sought-after fixture. Another ticket resale website offers a standard pair of seats together in the stadium's Central Longside Lower section for £2,250. LiveFootballTickets, meanwhile, are offering solitary Anfield Road Upper section seats for £689 - a seven-fold increase on estimated face value price. With Covid-related stadium restrictions limiting celebrations last time Liverpool lifted the title, the Anfield fixture against Tottenham is one of the most sought-after tickets in years. However, while resale prices are largely the responsibility of individuals looking to cash in, they compound the frustrations of supporter groups campaigning against clubs increasing prices next season. The Spirit of Shankly group has been campaigning for 'fairer' deals alongside the Football Supporters' Association's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign. Liverpool stand on the verge of Premier League glory after winning at Leicester on Sunday to send the Foxes down. Trent Alexander-Arnold struck the King Power Stadium winner to remind Liverpool fans what they will be missing should he depart for Real Madrid this summer – but Van Dijk insisted he is none the wiser over his future. 'Whatever may happen in the future for him, that's something that he has to resolve with himself and the family,' Van Dijk said. 'But he's a Liverpool player at this point and he's important for our team. 'Since I joined the club, he has been a fantastic player and there's a lot of good things that he will always be remembered for if he decides to leave. But listen, at this point, we don't know as a group what's going to happen. He is already under a lot of pressure already I think so there is no point for me to put him on the spot whatsoever.'
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Alienated fans fear money-driven ticket exploitation is pricing out regulars
It is the time of year when season-ticket holders receive an email from their beloved club spelling out how much it will cost to follow them through thick and thin once again. The email often lands without warning of an increase, that bit saved for lower down after explaining the financial challenges and how the owner wants to invest to bring success. Generally it will say it was a 'tough but necessary decision' to charge for loyalty. For many fans this is becoming harder and harder to swallow. In the Premier League, amid increased TV and prize money, chiselling extra out of those who almost feel obliged to attend seems unnecessary. The owners and directors who do this are well aware that fans, on the whole, will keep coming back. Football is such an integral part of many people's lives that they cannot imagine not making every possible trip to a place they regard as a second home and are willing to cut back elsewhere to prove their commitment. Eleven Premier League clubs have announced their prices for next season. Five have frozen prices (Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham, Leicester and Brentford) and six have upped the cost. There has been an average 5% increase at Newcastle, Brighton and Manchester United, while Nottingham Forest have gone as high as 8.5%. Arsenal's prices have gone up by 3% or 5% depending on the location of the seat. Everton are increasing prices – but at a new stadium. The UK's annual inflation rate was 3% in January. Season-ticket holders were previously viewed as the lifeblood of clubs across the pyramid, the income from renewals in the spring allowing teams to plan for summer recruitment. But in the Premier League the money raised from TV deals has changed the picture: a good amount of focus now goes on selling single match tickets at higher prices and some clubs do not offer lapsed season tickets for sale again. Premier League rules say clubs must have concessionary tickets but the category is not defined and some clubs are manoeuvring to offer them only in certain parts of the ground to ensure premium seats can be sold at the highest value. A rewriting of the stipulations would help young fans, and the game needs the next generation to have access to matches. There are factors that clubs may give little thought to because they are out of their control but the rising cost of transport, food and drink make a day out at the football more expensive than ever before entering the ground. Clubs are adept at exploiting loyalty and give the impression they do not understand fan culture, paying for light and pyrotechnic shows when most people attending matches only want affordable football. The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) has a long-running campaign, Stop Exploiting Loyalty, that aims to unite fans and give them a stronger collective voice. 'Whilst some clubs do have really good dialogue with their supporter representatives, either their supporter organisations or fan advisory boards, we do have some concerns that clubs are not providing key information in adequate time to allow for proper feedback and dialogue,' an FSA spokesperson says. 'Fans across the league feel there is a move away from the traditional culture of English fans and fear clubs are using money-driven agendas that will ultimately impact a club's support.' There will be changes at Old Trafford next season when certain longstanding match-goers will be moved so their seats can be repackaged as hospitality spots, which will be far more valuable. United have been open about it, saying: 'Some of the general admission tickets directly adjacent to the home and away dugouts will be converted to hospitality seats, reflecting the high value of this unique location.' They are not the first to monetise seats in that area of a ground. The Etihad Stadium has the Tunnel Club and Chelsea are selling seats in the equivalent position for £12,500 for certain fixtures. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion It may be difficult for many people to accept the increasingly corporate nature but most fans understand how the Premier League has evolved. Eye-watering fees for certain people might have brought the lowering of prices elsewhere but this is not the case. When a new stadium is built it offers a blank canvas and in the coming years there is the potential to redesign the traditional plans and have season tickets, about two-thirds of capacity, sold cheaply in specific blocks and premium seats being made more expensive. These sort of suggestions are being heard in meetings at clubs who are planning a new stadium but it would take a bold decision-maker to go away from the status quo. Concentrating one-off visitors in particular areas could bring additional financial benefits for clubs. Different in-stadium merchandise or food options, for example, could be made available to such fans, whose wants tend to differ from those of supporters who attend every match. Clubs need to be careful. The football experience is not only about the action on the pitch but what happens in the stands. The attenders who come for a solitary fixture want an experience to remember and part of that is a lively atmosphere. It is often up to the regulars to create the noise but if they are priced out, quiet stadiums could follow and that would harm the product for day-trippers and TV audiences. 'Clubs benefit massively from huge broadcasting and sponsorship deals, income that is way above and beyond the income of ticketing,' the FSA says. 'Small increases here and there impact the supporters way more than it benefits the club. Cash-grab agendas will only damage the atmosphere and that core local support that the Premier League has built itself on. As fans, we also love being the best in the world. We helped build it – it is important this isn't exploited.'
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Premier League sent clear message over Man United 7pm kick off time - 'putting TV ahead of fans'
The Premier League has been told it prioritises broadcasters over fans as Manchester United gear up for their second Sunday night top flight trip in a little over a month. Ruben Amorim's side travel to Leicester City this weekend with a 7pm Sunday kick-off. That comes on the back of the fixture against Fulham in late January kicking off at the same time. The evening slot is unpopular and logistically difficult for travelling fans given it vastly reduces public transport options and guarantees a late return to Manchester for the away supporters, with many facing work or school on a Monday morning. READ MORE: Mason Greenwood Man United reunion set as talks confirmed - 'I am very confident' READ MORE: Man City will rename the Etihad Stadium in time for Brighton game The kick-off time is used sparingly by the Premier League but United will bear the brunt for the second time in six weeks this Sunday. The Leicester City fixture was chosen to be part of Sky Sports' coverage but due to the Carabao Cup final taking place on Sunday afternoon and United being in Europa League action on Thursday, the game has been put back to a 7pm start. While that affords United adequate rest from their midweek win over Real Sociedad, it makes life difficult for the travelling fans. And the Football Supporters' Authority has hit out at the kick-off slot and called for a re-think in the decision-making process. A spokesperson for the FSA told the Manchester Evening News: "Sunday evening kick-offs are really unpopular with matchgoing supporters as public transport options are limited and it's not good for families with young children. "Conditional TV selections are really increasing the strain on fans as the Premier League and its clubs continue to prioritise broadcasters over matchgoers for these games." The FSA launched the Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign last summer, with the aim of highlighting increased ticket prices across Premier League clubs. That has led to joint protests between rival clubs on the issue across the season. The FSA website explains the thinking behind the campaign: "Of all the issues impacting football supporters the price of tickets has always been close to the top of the table and, over the past few years, many fans have faced eye-watering price hikes – particularly in the Premier League. "Supporters have long campaigned to keep football affordable and there have been some big wins – such as the £30 away ticket price cap in the Premier League and FA pledges on semi-final and final costs which came about after FSA campaigns. "But anger has grown on home prices which have gone up by 19% since Covid. And this season, the fightback against ever-rising ticket prices has begun with the #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign."
