Modern football can feel like a cold place at times. Particularly in the Premier League, clubs feel like more like businesses than community assets.
That feeling was heightened further for Tottenham fans last week as they learned that the club would be raising ticket prices for next season.
What does the price increase mean for fans?
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Prices of season tickets will increase by 6 per cent for the 2024-25 season. The club are also removing the senior concession which allows new season ticket holders aged 65 or over to get a discount, although this change will be implemented in the 2025-26 season.
It means the cheapest season ticket available to adults will be £856, nearly £50 more a year than this season’s price of £807.
It also means that, from the 2029-30 season, Spurs season tickets will cost 25 per cent more than they do right now.
How have Tottenham fans reacted?
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has written to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters asking for help in resisting the planned changes to ticket prices.
In their letter, the group wrote: “If, like us, the Premier League believes football is indeed nothing without its fans, we would urge you to contact the current owners of Tottenham Hotspur to remind them of this.”
“[This is] a step too far for many football supporters still dealing with a cost-of-living crisis.”
“The fact that a fan of 30-, 40-, 50- years loyal support will now never be able to buy a season ticket at a senior concession rate is disgraceful and unacceptable. This decision must be reversed.”
“As one of the richest and most profitable clubs in the world there was surely another way to raise the relatively small sum of between £3m and £4 million.”
“It is never too late to do the right thing, these changes must be stopped.”
We have today written to @premierleague Chief Executive Richard Masters asking him to support our calls in demanding @SpursOfficial reverse its decision to stop offering senior concession Season Tickets from 25/26 and to remove its planned six per cent Season Ticket increase for… pic.twitter.com/cTiFTZyKhd
— THST (@THSTOfficial) March 14, 2024
How did Tottenham justify the ticket price increase?
The club put the planned ticket price increase down to a “significant increase in matchday costs”.
“Football is not immune to the rising costs of goods and services across the board and we continue to look at all options to minimise ticket price increases while absorbing the vast majority of costs,” Spurs said.
They also said that the number of senior season tickets purchased at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is now almost four times as many as were being bought at White Hart Lane, and that keeping the concession in light of this is “not sustainable”.