Posted on 8th August 2024
West Ham United: Concessions fight rumbles on
Like all but one of the 20 Premier League clubs West Ham United announced significant increases to season ticket and matchday pricing for the 2024-25 season earlier this year.
On top of that, the club also announced changes to concessionary pricing – restricting them to certain sections of the London Stadium and to bands five and six while increasing prices for young supporters – a move that has angered and disappointed West Ham fans across the board.
The Hammers United fan group, who launched the petition that now has more than 15,000 signatures, said: “The culture of football is not just about club badges, stadia and colours, it is about the fans and those fans have always spanned many generations.
“This restriction is both cruel and mendacious and will affect the next generation of West Ham fans who will be priced out by this action, while making attending matches more expensive for older fans too”.
“When the owners of West Ham United told fans that the move from Upton Park to the London Stadium would ensure that fans would enjoy affordable family football. Over the past two seasons this aspiration has become nothing more than a meaningless slogan.”
West Ham United Supporters Trust said: “These changes are forcing families, friends and groups of loyal West Ham fans who have sat together supporting our Club for decades to split up and some will probably never see West Ham play at home again.
“Meanwhile many young fans who have never yet had a season ticket are being priced out of attending matches.”
Since the initial announcement of price changes and the ensuing public backlash, West Ham United have said they will be increasing concessionary prices to include bands three and four, but crucially not at the 50% discount rate that was in place previously but at 25% discount rate instead.
West Ham United Supporters’ Trust said: “While this minor row-back by the club should be welcomed, it does not go far enough.”
Hammers United said: “Our concessions are being taken away piece by piece all for a few hundred thousand pounds a year, enough to pay one month of a squad player striker’s wages, and yet the owners are gaslighting us that unless fans pay more, the club will not be able to compete with local rivals.
“Given that revenue from ticketing represents no more than 17% of all income, these changes represent a huge price rise for fans and a rounding error for the club, which has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”
FSA conference: Cross-club solidarity
At our 2024 AGM, held at Wembley Stadium in July, supporters from across the country voted on a motion on co-ordinated action on ticket pricing in the Premier League, EFL and beyond.
Brought to conference by Liverpool’s Spirit of Shankly supporters’ union, and backed by West Ham United fan groups, the motion calls on the FSA to organise a national campaign on ticket prices.
The motion – read it in full here – proved popular among supporter representatives, passing overwhelmingly with only three abstentions.
