Premier League ticket prices have been one of the biggest supporter stories of the season and the FSA has been at the heart of that, campaigning and explaining issues to the media alongside our member groups.
The traditions, values and supporter culture that have made English football the envy of the world are under threat from escalating ticket prices, commercialisation and corporate greed.
In November 2025 we visited Parliament to further spread that message and launch #StopExploitingLoyalty – A Blueprint at an event attended by MPs, journalists and supporters.
That same month 115 top-flight supporter organisations also wrote to the Premier League calling for a two-year halt on home ticket price increases under the slogan ‘Protect the Fans. Protect the Game.’
#StopExploitingLoyalty
The #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign takes aim at those threats and the growing disconnect between many clubs and their loyal supporters. Beneath the marketing slogans and grand displays of supporter culture lies a harsh reality – modern football is exploiting the very people who helped build it.
Some in the game cynically argue that new ticket policies are just an attempt to open the live game up to new audiences. To move away from crowds made up of middle aged blokes and broaden the demographics.
Our response? Football is for all, it’s at the core of what we do, and our Fans for Diversity initiative has introduced thousands of new supporters from a range of backgrounds to the live match experience.
Demonstration outside of Old Trafford © Alamy
But clubs deploy the “new audiences” spiel while, in reality, only opening the game up at the top level to those who will show them the money. How many new affordable family deals or new concession areas have been set aside by the biggest clubs? Is that inclusive?
Some of our richest clubs reside in areas that can be incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity and culture. Which elite clubs are truly reaching out to youngsters in those areas on their doorstep? How many special offers at affordable prices are promoted by clubs?
If a club uses a city or community’s name, it owes a permanent debt to that area – yet stadiums can be gleaming monoliths which local, football-mad residents can never enter.
Football was once a family tradition, with generations standing or sitting together, but that is increasingly unaffordable at the top level as the game becomes a luxury good, inaccessible to many within the communities that clubs are supposed to represent.
This point was also debated at our 2025 AGM with a motion making clear that communities of loyal supporters must be protected as part of a sustainable, diverse and authentic game — in every division, in every place, and for all supporters.
Our supporters’ groups stand as one behind the message – #StopExploitingLoyalty
High ticker prices are a choice
What price is the colour, passion and noise of our grounds? Will clubs bring in their multi-billion pound media deals if stands are bereft of atmosphere? During the COVID-19 pandemic we heard “football without fans is nothing” but have clubs learned that lesson?
Matchday income tends to be around 7-15% of a club’s revenue, depending on stadium size and pricing. Squeezing fans can raise £2-3 million at the very biggest clubs, less again at those with smaller grounds. Loose change when it comes to transfer fees and player wages.
You can make a strong case that it’s in the interest of most clubs to put a league-wide limit on price rises, as they disproportionately benefit the biggest clubs who can already generate far higher matchday incomes thanks to their global appeal.
Not just a Premier League problem
While the vast majority of price complaints we receive from member groups originate in the Premier League it’s clear this isn’t just a top-flight problem. Issues at EFL level are regularly raised while the FA Cup also sees some eye-watering prices.
We love the FA Cup and the third round draw is one of the highlights of the domestic football calendar – but games being moved for TV and higher ticket prices are in real danger of spoiling that magic.
As there’s no £30 cap for FA Cup games clubs can, quite disgracefully, get away with charging whatever they like for a game which will cost away fans £30 in the Premier League. We believe the FA should introduce a £30 away cap into their prestige competition.
FSA chair Tom Greatrex said: “Awkward kick-off times, expensive away tickets and a sense that TV comes first with matchgoing fans an afterthought – these short-term, financially driven decisions are in danger of undermining the FA’s long-term goal of celebrating and protecting football’s oldest competition.”
Within the EFL there are many reasonably priced season tickets but also examples of ticket prices which are too high. This is especially true for away supporters who don’t benefit from a cap meaning tickets in this category can be more expensive than the top-flight. In the Championship it was £45 for some fans to visit Coventry City. There should be an away cap in the EFL.
Over the past decade many teams have done “reciprocal” away caps (i.e. two teams can agree to cap tickets for their fixtures) but we would like to see a league wide rule and will continue to lobby the league for this, while tracking EFL price data.
2026-27 Premier League prices
As April 2026 it looks like 11 clubs will increase prices for 2026-27, although as ever the data is complex. Clubs can often highlight data points which paint a positive picture but mask other problems.
Let’s not forget that price rises in the Premier League, however big or small, are very likely to come from a high starting point anyway. We want to see price rises stopped, not slowed.
A number of clubs have taken unique approaches to price rises which we haven’t necessarily seen before. At Sunderland supporters received a tiered price offer depending on how long they had been a season ticket holder for before the club’s return to the top-flight.
Meanwhile Liverpool announced that their ticket prices would be linked to inflation (3% for 2026-27 up to a maximum of 5%). They are the first club to announce an upward, multi-season rise and the move was met with outrage from supporters.
Anfield was awash with yellow cards as tens of thousands of supporters protested at the club’s home game against Crystal Palace. The flyers highlighted 13% price rises and the protest was widely covered in the national media.
Liverpool fans holding Show FSG the Yellow Card flyers © Alamy
The protest was arranged by a wide array of supporter organisations including FSA members Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool FC Women Supporters’ Club, alongside Liverpool FC Supporters Board, Kop Outs and Spion Kop 1906.
Liverpool supporters also spoke warmly of the reaction from away fans with Palace’s travelling supporters showing solidarity on the day and within the stadium. It tells everything you need to know – the vast majority of matchgoers back the principles behind our Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.
#StopExploitingLoyalty – calls for action
- Stop ticket price rises: Clubs must ensure that matchday tickets remain affordable, with pricing structures that respect the loyalty of long-standing fans. Keep the £30 away cap.
- Commitment to concessions: Young, older and disabled supporters must be protected from disproportionate price hikes.
- Protect football culture: A global TV audience is not an excuse for owners to price out the local audience. The game must remain accessible to communities around our stadiums.
- Clubs must listen: Fans should have a meaningful say in decisions that affect their experience and the future of the game.
