Fans lobby Premier League clubs for ticket price freeze and increased away supporters subsidy

Supporters trusts of 11 Premier League football clubs have asked their club boards to freeze ticket prices and make £1m (US$1.4m, €1.3m) available to help fans attend away games.

In a letter to sent to the clubs’ decision-makers, the trusts have requested to vote on a number of measures at the upcoming Premier League shareholders meeting, including the freeze on ticket prices for the three year duration of the lucrative £8.2bn (US$11.7bn, €10.7bn) television rights contract the league negotiated last year.

They also asked for increased funds to be set aside for every club so that each could plough £1m per season into the Away Supporters’ Initiative, which subsidises travel and reduced ticket prices. The current Away Supporters’ Initiative totals £200,000 (US$285,976, €262,131) per club, per season.

A cap on away ticket prices, in line with the Football Supporters Federation’s ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, and price reductions for fans aged 18 to 21 – “the future generation of supporters” – has also been requested.

The letter was sent to the boards of Arsenal, Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur.

“The football authorities have said for some time that they understand supporters’ concerns about the cost of watching football, and the impact on the game’s reputation of high ticket prices against a backdrop of the latest lucrative TV deals,” said a spokesperson for the trusts.

“These simple proposals give the Premier League clubs the opportunity to deliver practical measures that show those concerns are serious.”