Fans from across the country will make their anger at ticket prices known with a “weekend of action” set to take place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October.
For Aston Villa fans that will be the home match against Stoke City on Saturday 3rd October.
Supporters’ groups from every top-flight club are set to take part along with many from the Football League and beyond. Match-goers will display banners highlighting the cost of match-tickets and call on clubs to cut ticket prices.
The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) says the problem of high ticket prices runs throughout the professional game and says fans from all leagues back the FSF’s “Twenty’s Plenty for Away Tickets” campaign.
The Premier League’s Richard Scudamore has repeatedly acknowledged that away fans were a “special breed” and one of the Premier League’s “unique strengths” – the FSF argues that clubs should cut the cost of away tickets across the entire league to recognise this.
Opportunity for Away Ticket Cuts
As previously mentioned on MOMS, the fact that Norwich City came straight back up to the Premier League meant their parachute payment of £24m was redistributed amongst the Premier League teams with each club receiving an unexpected £1.2m.
As a gesture to the most loyal of football fans, clubs could easily use that money to make all away tickets £20 across the board. After all, Swansea City have shown other clubs the way in already taking the step of subsidising all their away tickets and making them all £22 for Swans fans.
Vote!
While Villa’s middle management may prefer to wait first for the actions of other clubs, please vote in the below poll to show them what supporters feel about the idea:
FSF Chief Executive Kevin Miles on:
The Ticket Price Issue
“Over the past 25 years money has flowed into football enriching players, owners, executives and agents – we think it’s about time fans saw some of the benefits too.
“Nine out of ten fans feel that football is too expensive but fans’ loyalty and commitment to their clubs is being exploited.
“The impact of rising prices has been particularly felt by away fans at Premier League level, who also have to contend with high travel costs and kick-off times changed for TV, and that’s why we’ve focussed on away fans with our “Twenty’s Plenty” campaign.
“It’s not just the Premier League where we see high prices though – every week we hear from fans unhappy at ticket costs lower down the pyramid.
October Ticket Price Protest
“The FSF believes that prices have to come down and on the first weekend in October, fans from across the country will deliver that message – get in touch with the FSF if you’d like to join in.”
The national fans’ organisation also wants to see clubs end the application of “match categorisation” to away fans’ ticket prices, which unfairly penalises fans of certain clubs, and do more to make football affordable for younger supporters.
New 18 to 25 Category?
The FSF has also called for a standardisation of junior concessions to under 18, and argues that clubs should implement a new concession category for 18 to 25-year-olds across-the-board.
Ticket prices can rise steeply once supporters graduate from children’s prices, and this often happens at a time when fans are entering full-time education, low-paid apprenticeships or minimum wage jobs.
Supporters’ groups argue that should be reflected in match prices to ensure teenage fans don’t turn their backs on the live game during these formative years.
New TV Deal Value
The increase in the latest domestic TV deal equates to more than £40 for every single fan, at every single top-flight game, and the FSF says that clubs have more than enough money to reduce prices throughout the leagues and to do more to support grassroots football.
- The weekend of action will take place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October. If you’d like to get involved and display a banner, or create a visual display at your club, email the FSF: tickets@fsf.org.uk
Alternately contact us on: contact@myoldmansaid.com
Follow the FSF on Twitter – @The_FSF
Follow MOMS on Twitter – @oldmansaid
Meanwhile…why is Macron bigger than Aston Villa on the back of this ??
http://shop.avfc.co.uk/shop/aston-villa-training-vest-white/index.html
Can’t wait to see the back of these cowboys Faulkner saddled us with.
Yeah, i didn’t think it was a great idea by them