Premier League prices may bring supporters together

As fans feel the squeeze it could force positive change

- MIGUEL DELANEY

Premier League ticket prices have risen by an average of 6.7 per cent, according to figures supplied to The Independent by the Football Supporters’ Association [FSA] and supplementary analysis, with Crystal Palace the only one of last season’s 17 surviving clubs to not raise their prices. Nottingham Forest have been responsible for the biggest increase, with an average across their category range of over 20 per cent.

These are facts that sour the distinctive emotion that comes with this weekend of the year. There is little excitement for fans like the return to stadiums after a summer away, with the good weather only warming the glow that comes with the optimism from so many new signings. Except, fans are now feeling very different emotions as a consequence of those signings.

That’s because there have also never been costs like this weekend. Many clubs have directly cited “meeting demand for spending on players” as a justification for raising ticket prices. It has meant, perhaps more than feeling the excitement of those players, fans have felt the squeeze. They have less money. Some have had to stop going altogether. Senior supporters, younger fans and those usually eligible for concessions have felt it the most, amid a wider shift. Supporters groups are fearful that concessions are gradually being conditioned out of the Premier League amid a wider push for increased revenue. Some even wonder whether season tickets will eventually go in the long term.