Henry Winter. The Times.
It was good to see the Manchester City fans’ group, the 1894, unveiling a banner at the Etihad on Sunday, reading: “Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty!”
Game risks losing a generation to scandalous ticket prices
Ticket-price hikes at Premier League clubs are farcical but not enough is made of the impact on those most affected: the 18 to 24 age group and the special atmosphere they bring
Plenty of protests are being heard about Premier League ticket-price hikes, and rightly so. They’re a scandal. Yet amid these loud complaints, not enough is heard about those who make the most noise at matches, the 18 to 24 age group. English football is in danger of losing a generation of fans and losing more of its special atmosphere.
It was good to see the Manchester City fans’ group, the 1894, unveiling a banner at the Etihad on Sunday, reading: “Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty!” On Saturday many Tottenham Hotspur fans turned their back on the game with Luton Town when the clock showed 65, objecting to the club’s decision to stop offering new senior concession tickets for fans aged 65 and above from 2025-26.
Good campaign. Save Our Seniors. But what about Save Our Students? Those in their first jobs? Those staring nervously up at the housing ladder like it’s the Eiger? Those who may have less disposable income than their grandparents? Those aged 18-24? Football risks this hugely important age group being in grounds on match days simply to work in concessions, not enjoying them.
Supporter bases at Fulham, Manchester United, Chelsea and others are also in dispute with their clubs over ticket prices. In return, in an attempt at mitigation, clubs try to plead running costs post-Covid, competition for elite players costing fortunes in transfer fees and wages, and the Premier League’s clampdown on Profitability and Sustainability Rules, with more number-crunchers having joined the league’s board.
Nobody believes them, of course, not simply because trust between sceptical fan bases and many owners is at an all-time low, especially since the European Super League plot. Nobody buys the clubs’ defence over a newly aggressive pricing strategy because the sums generated are relatively modest compared with the clubs’ income from the £6.7 billion domestic TV deal for 2025-29, let alone the overseas booty.
Nobody at the Premier League, and especially not the chief executive, Richard Masters, appears prepared to advise the owners to show more care for their loyal supporters. Of course, many of the owners do not care. If so-called “legacy” fans, those who have supported the club through thick and thin, turning up for games through foul weather and filthy results, decide to stop going because of the escalating expense then the club will quite happily sell the ticket either to someone on the long waiting list or to a tourist, who will spend in the megastore during their flying visit.
The greed of many owners is to be expected, sadly, but their naivety is still startling. One of the reasons that overseas broadcasters, as well as domestic, pay so much for rights is because of the atmosphere. They learnt that reality from the wretched, soulless, soundless games behind closed doors during lockdown. And which group tends to make most noise? Young adults, aged 18 to 24.
This generation is not only vital for the present, generating atmosphere, but are also future season- ticket holders if and when they can afford it.
Michael Brunskill, of the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), sums the situation up well. “We’ve always argued clubs need to pay special attention to that young adult age-range as it’s a time when teenagers move from cheaper kids’ tickets, that their parents often pay for, into what can be a much more expensive age bracket at a time when they’re suddenly expected to pay for tickets themselves while in low-wage jobs, full-time education etc,” Brunskill says.
“There are obviously a lot of other distractions at that point in your life, but if clubs can keep you engaged as a match-goer then, there’s a good chance a lifelong love affair is born.”
Arsène Wenger warned of the danger of pricing out this generation seven years ago, saying: “Can you afford to go when you are young?”. In fairness to his old club Arsenal, they have extended their young adult member offer for this season, which offers a 25 per cent reduction on match tickets. “Previously, this offer was only available to members up to the age of 21,” the club says.
But there needs to be a league-wide commitment to keeping costs manageable for 18-24s. Costs vary, and so does age range. Some restrict concessions up to 21 and over 65. For instance, at Aston Villa, a zone two ticket (behind the goal in the Holte End) for a grade A fixture costs an adult £63, over-65s and under-21s £47.50, and under-18s £32.
Brentford, one of the best-run clubs, have band-B season tickets, which make up 57 per cent of their season tickets, for £330 for 18 to 24-year-olds (normally £495 for adults). At Brighton & Hove Albion, a grade A+ fixture would cost an adult £52, under-21/65+ £40 and under-18s £30.
Burnley offer season tickets for under-22s at £346 and under-18s £138 (adult £504). Chelsea discounts kick in for juniors under 20 and over-65s.
And it’s not just home tickets. After much pressure, clubs did agree a £30 cap for away tickets (when the FSA had campaigned that “twenty’s plenty”). But consider the away ticket prices offered to Brentford fans by Villa: adult £30, under-21 £29.50, under-18 £23, under-14 £16.50 and over-66 £29.50.
As one fan remarked: “Note the generous 50p discount for under-21s and over-66s!” Fans deserve better, young and old, and especially that 18 to 24 group, which is the heart and soul — and lungs — of the stands.
Ticket-price hikes at Premier League clubs are farcical but not enough is made of the impact on those most affected: the 18 to 24 age group and the special atmosphere they bring
www.thetimes.co.uk