Aston Villa are reported to have gained £1.2 million (approx) in ‘bonus’ money simply from the fact that Norwich City bounced straight back from the Championship last season.
With Norwich City being promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, their £24m worth of parachute payments are going straight back to the league’s 20 clubs.
With each club receiving this unexpected windfall, the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) have proposed to all the Premier League clubs that this money should be used directly on away fans. With each club receiving around £1.2m each, this could easily fund a £20 away ticket price cap for 2015-16 – in line with the FSF’s ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign.
Swansea City have already committed to a £22 price cap on away tickets, despite Villa CEO Tom Fox publicly stating it something of a pipe dream.
An Arsenal blog argues here counters all the arguments and concerns against the idea.
A supporter of ‘Twenty’s Plenty’, My Old Man Said fully backs this FSF notion to demand Premier League Clubs implement the measure.
The following letter from the FSF has been sent to all the 20 Premier League clubs.
FSF Letter
Dear Premier League club,
On Monday 25th May Norwich City secured a quick return to the Premier League, beating Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Championship play-off final. The Canaries thus re-joined the Premier League and will enjoy all the financial benefits that brings.
As a result of their promotion the Canaries’ parachute payment, a reported £24m, will instead be shared amongst all top-flight clubs. This equates to £1.2m for each club, and we have an idea for how this unexpected windfall could be spent to benefit some of the game’s most loyal fans…
The Football Supporters’ Federation aims to work with clubs and help make football more affordable for fans – particularly those who follow their club on-the-road. Without away supporters we do not believe football would be the great live event that it is. Travelling fans are key to generating the atmosphere that home fans bounce off and vital to the spectacle that TV loves.
Premier League clubs receive billions in media deals and we firmly believe that away fans play a huge role in that. However, there are many barriers for the away supporter. Travel costs and ticket prices make following your team an expensive business – and away supporters also miss out on season ticket-related discounts and special offers.
One of our key campaigns is Twenty’s Plenty for Away Tickets which was launched in 2013 and aims to make football more affordable for travelling fans, preferably by capping tickets at £20. The contribution of away supporters is recognised but home fans do not miss out as they receive the same offer in the return fixture.
According to our calculations it would cost £20m to implement Twenty’s Plenty at every single Premier League fixture, an average cost of £1m per club. In the past we have been told that clubs budget in three year cycles, in alignment with the Premier League’s media deals, and therefore they could not account for an unanticipated £1m expenditure.
However, Norwich City’s promotion means that every single Premier League club received £1.2m that has not been budgeted to spend elsewhere. We would encourage every club to use this unexpected windfall to make football more affordable for one of the most loyal, hard-pressed groups in football – the travelling fan. Twenty’s Plenty for Away Supporters.
Yours faithfully,
Kevin Miles
FSF chief executive
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Fully agree with the 20plenty idea however don’t think bpl teams should get the extra for a team coming back up…. Surely the parachute money should be shared between the championship, as its clubs in that division that have lost.
i agree, money should stay in the Championship, as not enough money goes down the football cash pyramid. But since this money is ‘extra’ to the Premier League clubs, it should be used to combat away prices and help supporters.