When Premier League clubs welcomed supporters back through the turnstiles en masse in the summer of 2021, in the wake of 18 months of Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions being lifted, the message could not have been clearer.
The fans, the clubs assured, were the lifeblood of the sport — the ones who provided the soundtrack to the self-styled best league in the world. Football had simply not been the same without them.
Today, those same supporters may wonder whether they really are as valued as clubs insisted almost two years ago.
The 20 top-flight clubs have all now confirmed their season-ticket prices for 2023-24, and 17 have announced an increase — some in double-digit percentages — despite the pressures on household budgets caused by inflation and the ongoing cost of living crisis. That number is six more than the 11 teams who raised prices for last season.
The economic situation was referenced directly by seven clubs in their communication with fans over season tickets — but only to justify the rises, given their increased matchday running costs.
Research by The Athletic also shows:
- Only three clubs have frozen season-ticket prices and none have lowered them
- Seven clubs breach the £1,000 mark for their most expensive adult season ticket
- Some clubs have either scrapped certain concessionary categories entirely or implemented less generous criteria on who qualifies as a senior or junior
- Every club offers a finance scheme to spread the cost of a season ticket, although some do so via a third party which comes at an additional fee for many
- Nine clubs offer digital-only season tickets, with some exceptions for those without smartphones.
Clubs have acted from a position of strength. Attendances have held up despite the widespread financial pressures: of the 20 clubs in the 2023-24 Premier League, only five do not have season-ticket waiting lists.
But The Athletic’s findings pose more questions about the value placed on fans by clubs who had so praised their contribution in the wake of the pandemic.
Here, we take a look at our survey’s results in more detail. For clarity, our survey was based on the prices of a new purchaser buying a general admission season ticket (ie, not in an executive or family area).
GO DEEPER
The Athletic’s 2022-23 Premier League season tickets survey
Which clubs are charging the most?
The costliest season ticket comes at Fulham, where the most expensive adult season ticket will set you back an eye-watering £3,000 in the rebuilt Riverside Stand. There are some minor perks, but this is otherwise an ordinary seat. A junior (under-18) ticket in the same stand is £2,500.
Six other clubs — Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United (the latter two are offering minor perks, such as padded seats and a free programme) — all go past the £1,000 mark at their top end for adults.
And the cheapest?
Unsurprisingly, the least expensive tickets are at the three promoted clubs.
Burnley, the Championship title winners, charge £500 for an adult season ticket, while fellow new boys Luton charge a fraction over that at £510. Last season’s runners-up Sheffield United are slightly more at £528.50. Brentford are the only other club among the 20 where the most expensive season ticket is under £600, at £549.
Which clubs have increased prices and have any frozen prices?
Many clubs referenced the cost of living crisis in their season-ticket announcements — acknowledging either the difficulties faced by supporters or highlighting the increased costs they have incurred from staging games — but still upped their prices for fans whether they are renewing or buying for the first time.
Generally, the increases appear to be more than for last season, at around five per cent, but Fulham’s prices, which include the aforementioned £3,000 ticket, have dramatically risen by between 18 and (a remarkable) 225 per cent. Nottingham Forest’s have increased by at least 20%, Aston Villa’s by around 15%, Everton’s by 10%, Bournemouth’s by 9.7% and Wolves by 5-11%.
In an open letter to the west London club’s owner Shahid Khan, the Fulham Supporters’ Trust labelled the price increases at Craven Cottage as “draconian”. Fulham are, as with last year, an outlier in the rate of their increase, which is as high as 225 per cent in the Riverside Stand but also a hefty rise of up to 22 per cent in other areas.
Forest have removed the age 18-23 concession category, with anyone 20 years old or over now considered an adult. This is, in effect, a significant price increase. A concession for over-75s has been scrapped, too. Club chairman Nicholas Randall described the changes as “simplification of pricing bands”.
Across the capital, Europa Conference League winners West Ham have increased the age requirement for a senior ticket from 65 years old to 66, which is in line with the state pension age but was still met with resistance from supporters. Manchester United have halved their senior ticket discount from 50 to 25 per cent for qualifying supporters.
(Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
There have been no rises at Brentford, Chelsea or Tottenham. All three referenced financial concerns for fans, with Chelsea also acknowledging a disappointing season in which they went through three managers, didn’t win a trophy and finished 12th to miss European qualification for only the second time since the mid-1990s.
“We have seen a common trend of prices going up, some into the double digits, which immediately raises concerns,” Thomas Concannon, the Football Supporters Association’s (FSA) Premier League network manager, who works with fans’ organisations, tells The Athletic. “There’s a cost of living crisis, and football needs to remain affordable. We don’t want to price fans out of going to games, especially when football is awash with money from broadcasting and sponsorship.”
The FSA’s National Supporters’ Survey, in which 10,000 people took part, found that one in five (21.7 per cent) fans said they were now attending fewer games because of the rising cost of living, and that almost a third (31.9 per cent) had reduced their matchday spending on items such as food, drink and programmes.
It is not just in the Premier League that fans are facing sky-high prices.
In the second-tier Championship, followers of newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday face paying as much as £795 if purchasing a new season ticket. Five Premier League clubs charge less than that for their most expensive seats.
Is there anything unique about clubs’ policies?
Some clubs have taken measures to try to limit the number of seats left vacant by those who have paid for a season ticket but then don’t attend particular fixtures.
A ticket-exchange service, where fans are offered a pro-rata refund for selling their tickets back to the club if they are unable to go to a game, has become more popular. Many clubs also allow fans to transfer their tickets to friends or family. But with both options, some clubs charge an administration fee of around 10 per cent.
Brentford, who have frozen their prices despite finishing an impressive ninth last season and having the third-smallest stadium in the league for 2023-24, have introduced a scheme to reduce the number of seats left vacant. They say there are an average of over 1,000 unused seats for games at the Gtech Community Stadium, which they say is over 10 per cent of the stadium.
If a season-ticket holder fails to use their ticket for a league match, they receive a ‘yellow card’ from the club. Accumulate four yellow cards by the next renewal date in March 2024 and they lose the automatic right to renew their season ticket for 2024-25. There are exceptions, however, such as re-selling on the ticket exchange, those under 18 or people with carers. An appeals process is also in place.
To be eligible to renew at Arsenal, you must use your seat for 17 of the 22 home games included under the season ticket. That can include transferring a ticket to a friend or posting on the ticket exchange if unable to attend a fixture.
(Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Arsenal’s ticket policy is more complicated than most, but they have simplified it slightly from last season.
Instead of charging for 26 home games, it is reduced to 22. The extra three games on top of the 19 Premier League fixtures will be their home fixtures in the Champions League group stage. Previously, five European and two home FA Cup games were included with the 19 Premier League matches — with credits applied should the team not qualify or progress.
At champions Manchester City, season-ticket members are required to either attend, list on the ticket exchange or transfer their ticket for at least 10 of the 19 matches. Likewise at neighbours Manchester United, adult season-ticket holders will be expected to use them for a minimum of 75 per cent of games or risk losing them. Supporters can legitimately forward the ticket to other members or use a buy-back scheme.
Can fans pay by direct debit or through a finance option?
Yes, as with last season, every club offer these. Promoted Luton, however, take a slightly different approach by using recurring card payments rather than a traditional direct debit. This is available in four, six or nine-month instalments.
Despite eight of the 20 clubs using the same company, V12 Retail Finance, there are different approaches to the cost of this option.
Arsenal’s finance option is interest-free — but there is an administration fee. The same is true at Liverpool, Spurs (a 5.79 per cent admin fee on a 10-month instalment), Chelsea (4.8%), Forest (10.46% over either four, eight or 10 months) and West Ham (£2 booking fee; £37 admin fee on a four-month plan, £60 on a 10-month plan).
Everton charge a £30 admin fee and 10.3% representative APR (over 10, 11 or 12 months), Fulham charge 4.1% (four months), 5.8% (six), 7.2% (nine) or 6.5% (10). Villa do not charge through V12 for their eight-month finance option.
Brentford, Brighton and Manchester City have an in-house direct debit scheme at no cost. Wolves have waived last year’s £20 fee for a nine-month plan, while Crystal Palace do not charge but you can only get it in phase two of renewals, which is slightly more expensive. Bournemouth’s instalment plan is free but requires a 40 per cent upfront payment. Sheffield United offer a fee-free, interest-free plan in three instalments through PayPal.
Do I still get a physical ticket or am I forced to go digital?
Arsenal, Brighton, Palace, the two Manchester clubs, Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham no longer offer physical cards by default. For those who do not have access to a smartphone, alternatives can be provided if supporters contact the clubs directly.
At Palace, juniors and seniors are offered the choice of a card or a digital ticket to download to their e-wallet. Everton charge £5 for a physical card. Villa give supporters the option of a card or digital ticketing.
(Top photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
