Supporter groups write to clubs calling for price freeze

A number of supporter groups in the Premier League have written to their club’s leadership calling for a 2025-26 season price freeze.

As season ticket renewal time approaches, supporter trusts at three Premier League teams have written to owners and chief executives asking them to freeze all ticket prices for next season, engage with supporters on critical ticketing issues and commit to retaining concessionary prices at current levels.

In recent weeks, Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, Spirit of Shankly (Liverpool) and Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) have all called on their clubs not to increase ticket prices after hikes in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Newcastle United: Ten year season tickets deal to expire

Writing to Newcastle United chief executive Darren Eales this week, NUST said: “As loyal supporters, we believe it is essential for the club to recognise the financial strain many fans are facing as they continue to support Newcastle United in the current climate.”

10,000 season ticket holders, who have been on a long term deal since 2015, will be due to renew their tickets for the first time in a decade and face a significant uplift in price – NUST argue this revenue increase for the club negates the need for any across-the-board increase in ticket prices.

“The Newcastle United Supporters Trust calls on the club to freeze both season ticket and member ticket prices for next season, particularly in light of the ongoing economic challenges faced by many of our supporters.

“We ask that the club put the welfare of its fanbase first, ensuring that attending matches remains affordable and accessible to all.”

Liverpool warned on “pricing out” supporters

Elsewhere, a coalition of Liverpool supporter groups – Spirit of Shankly, Spion Kop, the Liverpool FC Women Supporters Club, cultuRED and the network of official supporter clubs – wrote to club managing director Andy Hughes last week.

The letter, calling on Hughes to protect Anfield’s culture and atmosphere, asks for a reduction in season ticket and general admission pricing as well as further supporter engagement.

“Liverpool FC is in Anfield, and should be of Anfield,” they said. “A Premier League match should not be off limits to a supporter growing up in the same postcode as the club.

“Pricing out supporters risks undermining the very foundation of what makes Liverpool FC special.”

Arsenal Supporters’ Trust calls for freeze

Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, whose club made €716.5M in revenues across 2023-24 according to Deloitte, yesterday called on their club to freeze ticket prices and maintain their concessionary offering at current levels.

AST backed the FSA’s #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign and called on the club to “apply all of the existing concessionary ticketing arrangements and for 2025/26 apply a freeze on general ticket prices.”

Old Trafford discontent continues

Ticket prices still in the spotlight – good report here on #MUFC supporter group @The__1958 writing to Manchester United about ever-increasing ticket prices.

“There’s a danger that football is being turned into a luxury product,” they said.#StopExploitingLoyalty https://t.co/aYFycy0l35

— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) January 23, 2025

What does the FSA think?

Global accountancy and finance experts Deloitte published their Football Money League this week, outlining the biggest revenue-generating clubs in world football. Of the top 20 clubs globally, nine are from the Premier League.

Looking back to the COVID-19 lockdowns, when stadiums were closed to fans, we often heard that ‘football was nothing without fans’ thanks to the noise and atmosphere we generate. Football in an empty stadium isn’t the same.

Almost five years later it does feel like that lesson has been forgotten as almost every top-flight club bumped up prices last season, concessions for young and old fans are under attack, and the Premier League’s own data shows prices have jumped 19% since 2020.

We back our member supporters’ group calls for a top-flight ticket price freeze.