Fans of the UK’s Premier League – the highest league in the English system and arguably the top “domestic” league in the world – are expressing their anger after ticket prices have been raised dramatically for the upcoming season. A whopping 17 of 20 clubs announced price hikes up to 20 percent, leaving many ordinary supporters unable to afford attending games in person.
This ticket price surge, coupled with a national increase in the cost of living due to inflation, has drawn significant criticism from fan groups across the country.
“While we understand the importance of ensuring the club’s long-term sustainability, we believe there are better ways to achieve this than the recent draconian ticket announcements,” the Fullham Supporters Trust said in a statement blasting the club’s ownership, which raised ticket prices by 18 percent for the coming year.
Fulham tops the list for the 2023-24 season with a peak season-ticket price of $3,821. Arsenal increased season ticket prices by five percent – a hike that makes the cheapest Arsenal season ticket £973.50 ($1.237,68) and the most expensive option £1,895.50 ($2.409,89).
Prices for Manchester City’s non-premium, non-family seats range from £385 ($489,45) to £1,030 ($1.309,44) whereas the increase in Manchester United’s ticket costs see the price range between £559 ($710,54) and £998 ($1.268,56). The range of Liverpool’s season ticket costs will alter from £699 ($888,53) to £886 ($1.126,23) next season.
Nottingham Forest price raised by 20 percent, the highest jump in the league. Brentford, Chelsea, Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur decided to freeze ticket costs or made a minor increase.
The issue of football becoming a more unaffordable activity for the traditional supporter base day by day has remained as an unchanging discussion for years.
“The Premier League is booming. However, this globalization of the English game is having a detrimental effect on domestic supporters,” Bleacher Report analyzed back in 2014.
It was indicated in the article that ticket prices had risen far beyond the rate of inflation since 1990. Almost a decade later, the situation seems to be the same. UK’s Office for National Statistics revealed the core CPIH (Consumer Prices Index) annual inflation rate as 6.5% in May 2023, the highest rate since November 1991 when it was also 6.5%. This year, some clubs of the Premier League announced the increase in their ticket prices up by double digit amounts for next season.
The most-watched sports league in the world broadcasts in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. As of 2023, the Premier League is ranked first in the UEFA coefficient rankings based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons, ahead of Spain’s La Liga.
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