Clubs must be given credit for reciprocal away fan deals

Everton fans praised their club at the weekend for entering into another reciprocal pricing deal, this time with Swansea City, reducing entry to the Liberty Stadium to £25.

High ticket prices remain in the spotlight and the Blue Union group used Everton’s trip to Swansea as an opportunity to highlight good practice when it comes to ticket pricing.

FSF National Council and Blue Union activist Dave Kelly said: “Clubs that are entering into reciprocal deals are not getting the credit they deserve for doing so.

“This is a response to that, to promote it as much as possible.”

Dave says that football fans need to be made more aware of reciprocal deals and is encouraging fans to press their clubs to take up the practice.

“Travelling down to Swansea a lot of Everton fans were wondering why they had £35 on the ticket but were only paying £25,” he said. “So it’s an exercise in publicity. We want to shout it from the rooftops.”

Reciprocal pricing saved fans £342,000 last season, and with some still in the pipeline for the remainder of the 2014-15 season, the FSF expects that amount to surpass £500,000.

A broader range of clubs this season have taken up the practice – nine this year, slightly up on the seven clubs that used it in 2013-14 – and Dave wants to see the practice spread.

“There is a business case to be made,” Dave said. “I asked Bill Kenwright if he would rather have 700 Newcastle fans at Everton paying £45, or 3,000 Newcastle fans paying £20.”

“This isn’t just another fans group moaning about something. This about fan groups going out and celebrating the positive action of their clubs.

• Find out how the Twenty’s Plenty campaign has saved fans money here…