Posted on 25th February 2026
Stop Exploiting Loyalty: Fans make the case on The Overlap
Supporters from across football took part in a studio discussion with football legends on The Overlap this week calling for action to protect our game’s fan culture.
Decades of terrace traditions are at risk, fans told Premier League legends Wayne Rooney and Jamie Carragher, as loyal matchgoing fans increasingly feel priced out by owners pursuing.
Spirit of Shankly’s Gareth Roberts, who helped create the FSA’s #StopExploitingLoyalty Blueprint, told the Overlap that fans are increasingly concerned about season after season of ticket price hikes.
“We’re worried that clubs want that to become the norm,” he told Rooney and Carragher. “Everything’s going up but wages aren’t following those things, our costs have gone up but as a footie fan your loyalty is exploited at every turn.”
The latest episode of @WeAreTheOverlap Fan Debate features @KieranMaguire and we discussed why @spiritofshankly and @WeAreTheFSA continue to campaign for fairer ticket pricing in the @premierleague
📺 Full episode: https://t.co/5Uq8Fa8kxi pic.twitter.com/vkdv08bb1L
— Gareth Roberts (@robbohuyton) February 24, 2026
Ellie Molloson from FSA members Garibaldi Girls was on the panel representing Nottingham Forest fans and argued that clubs are looking to phase out traditional matchgoing supporters in favour of more lucrative corporate ticket holders and football tourists.
“They don’t want us, they don’t want loyal fans!” 🗯️
Is loyalty being taken for granted in modern football? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/6O2KMqouDr
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 24, 2026
Supporters were also joined by football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who hosts the Price of Football podcast, talking through the Premier League’s plans to replace profit and sustainability rules with a squad cost ratio regime.
What is the #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign?
Following successive summers of across-the-board ticket price hikes, supporters came together at the FSA AGM at Wembley in July 2024. Their plans for a fightback coalesced and the #StopExploitingLoyalty Campaign was born.
Since then, protests from FSA members at Premier League grounds have secured thousands of column inches and hours of online discussion. Supporter groups across our networks have been pushing their clubs in the background for price freezes while the FSA has led national political lobbying on the issue.
The essential motivations and aims of the campaign can be found in our Blueprint here.
