Fulham Supporters’ Trust (FST) claim the club is pricing regular match-going fans out of attending games after it increased already high ticket prices for the visit of Manchester United in November.
Fulham, who are 11th in the table, have already been accused of alienating its fanbase by charging up to £3,000 for a season ticket – the most expensive in the Premier League this season.
The club has now announced individual ticket prices for the United game that reach £160 for seats in the Riverside Stand. The FST describe the fee as “the highest we have ever seen for individual matchday sales”.
The cheapest available adult tickets for the game are in the “Family Zone” in the Johnny Haynes Stand — at £35 — but supporters must be accompanied by children, who cost £24 a ticket, and are thought to be limited in number. The next cheapest adult ticket is in the Hammersmith Stand that will set supporters back £67.
Craven Cottage can hold up to 25,700 supporters. In home games this season 24,236 attended the match against Brentford, 21,043 the visit of Tottenham Hotspur and 24,567 were at the Luton Town game.
The FST said in a statement: “The Trust is extremely disappointed with the ticket prices released for the Manchester United game on 4 November.
“The prices for the Riverside Stand are the highest we have ever seen for individual matchday sales and are likely to be financially out of reach for many of those who hold club membership. Adult prices around the rest of the ground have increased approximately 18 per cent since last year, which is similar to the increase in season ticket prices for this season.
“We continue to have concerns that club members, including concessions, are being priced out of attending games. There seems to be a marked increase in matchday ticket prices across London clubs in particular and we will continue to monitor how Fulham compare against our peers.”
Fulham owner Shahid Khan insisted earlier this year that high ticket prices were to make the club “sustainable” and competitive. Fulham finished 10th last season.
“Some of the fans are upset but you have to put it into perspective,” the American told The Times. “We are talking about a small percentage of the overall tickets, but we have to do everything to get revenue for the club.
“We’re a small club and we need the fans, but we also need the money to invest in the squad and comply with [financial] fair play rules. This is striking a balance.”
Trust members intend to raise the issue when they meet with Fulham officials in October. Some fans are calling for the FST to make arrangements for a protest to be staged during the United game.
The FST added: “We are also aware that the Manchester United fixture is notorious for non-Fulham supporting fans finding their way in to home supporter areas. We hope the club, in increasing prices as they are, will be making every effort to ensure that this does not happen and that any non-Fulham supporting fans subsequently identified in home areas are removed and prevented from buying tickets in the future. This would ensure that, in paying higher prices, Fulham fans at least enjoy a good matchday experience.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/cXHqxrI
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