MP asks clubs to cut ticket prices
SPORTS minister Helen Grant has warned England’s football clubs not to take their supporters’ loyalty for granted following evidence of the growing cost of attending matches.
The average price of the cheapest tickets at league clubs has risen 4.4 per cent this year – more than three times the rate of inflation – to £21.49, a BBC survey found.
“I feel clubs really must not take their fans for granted,” said Grant. “To take a family of four to a Premier League match now you’re talking about £130, and that’s before petrol, parking, programme, hot dogs, burgers and a drink. That is not affordable for most families. Clubs really do need to look at this.”
Former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said clubs risked turning fans off permanently if they did not consult them on pricing. King said: “Any business that thinks it can simply rely upon the loyalty of its customers, regardless of how they treat them, in the end will fail.”