Tom Clark: Ticket price hike shows fans what clubs really think of them
A planned rise in ticket prices across football shows that profit trumps loyalty as clubs risk pricing out a generation
With the international break behind us, we are finally at the business end of the football season with all to play for across many divisions. In the Premier League alone, we have a three-way title race, a scramble to be the least inconsistent in the Champions League hunt and a total mess at the bottom of the table, with points deductions likely to be as important as wins as the season draws to a close.
But it is also the business end for other reasons. In the past few days, several clubs have released their plans and prices for ticketing next season, and it is fair to say it has not gone down well.
Tottenham are scrapping senior concessions and have gone for a blanket six per cent rise, West Ham and Arsenal are also hiking prices, six to 11 per cent for Hammers fans, four to six per cent for Gooners, 12 months after they were hit with a five per cent rise.
Crystal Palace have frozen their prices. Well done, Palace, you might think, but - and there is always a ‘but’ with football clubs - they have decided to remove discounts for key workers, losing the goodwill gained from being potentially the one London club not to raise prices.
Football's detachment from reality is evident. While clubs face rising costs, they're far better equipped to handle them than fans. These hikes risk alienating loyal supporters and bringing about a further decline in young fans, prompting the question: do clubs care?
Spurs sell out more often than not, as do Arsenal. West Ham tickets are easier to buy, but attendance figures are up, and the club are understood to be looking into increasing capacity, so they must feel there is a market for more tickets and more income.
Fewer season ticket holders mean more empty seats to sell on a match-by-match basis, which is not necessarily a bad thing as it opens up the opportunity for people who are unable to attend regularly. ‘Plastic’ fans became a topic of conversation a couple of weeks ago, when Ange Postecoglou bristled at the term, and rightly so.
As the Spurs boss pointed out, just because you are not local to the club does not make you less of a supporter. Anyone who wakes up in the middle of the night or travels across the world to watch a game is pretty loyal in my book. Tourist fans also get a bad rap - as a regular one, I will passionately defend people’s right to catch a match for the experience, and they are a great source of income for clubs.
A one-time visitor is more likely to head into the club shop, buy expensive merchandise, and get in the ground early for food and drink than a seasoned veteran with a favourite local.
There is space for all fans though, and if clubs really did care about their supporters, this would be recognised in the cost of tickets, raising prices during a cost-of-living crisis only underscores their profit-driven approach.
I am generally a glass-half-full person, but I struggle to be when it comes to this side of sport. Football is not alone here. Wimbledon tickets are exorbitant, as are visits to Lord’s, Twickenham, and all manner of elite events.
In my early 20s, well, still now actually, my summers revolved around either travelling to a tournament or going to as many live events in the UK as possible. It still requires careful budgeting on my side, but it is doable and I fear that is not the case for many younger supporters who are getting left behind as clubs and federations continue to focus on the bottom line.
If sport is not careful, an entire generation could be priced out, lost to the pursuit of profit.
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