Rival football fans join in protest over rising ticket prices

Rival football fans join in protest over the much talked about rising ticket prices and a lack of discounts for young and old people.

Football fans are growing tired of rising ticket prices and a lack of discounts for young and old people. The Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign has brought rival groups together – as they try to stop the richest league from getting too pricey for some its most loyal fans.

Now the festive football schedule is well underway – with every Premier League club playing three times over the next ten days.

But while many will be cheering on their team, others will be protesting – as supporters grow restless about rising ticket prices and a lack of discounts for the young and old.

Reporter: “Football fans, colourful language, and colourful support. But for how much longer? Because some of these supporters might not be able to afford a ticket to watch Manchester City here at the Etihad.”

Fan: “I don’t know what they expect these young lads to get all this money or young girls to get all this money from. I’m 22 next year, and then I’ll be paying adult prices. You’re talking 70, 80, 90 quid per Premier League game.

“But then that could be too much for you? That could be a sense of me thinking, I can’t go to the favourite club that we’re watching for the past years as a child.”

Reporter: “Just around the corner, in a rare show of unity, rival Manchester supporters come together to protest about being priced out of the game they love.”

Fan: “The solidarity between rivals is quite is quite heartwarming in a way. Do you know what I mean?”

Reporter: “At City, season tickets have risen by an average of 5%, and United fans saw matchday ticket prices increased with no concessions for pensioners or children.

“This is a time when the Premier League’s broadcast deal in the UK alone is worth nearly £7,000,000,000.”

Fan: “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. It starts testing people’s loyalty because, you know, you start to question why do I keep doing this and get getting nothing bite for it and it getting more expensive. You know, it it stinks.”

Reporter: “One of the issues is the rise of tourist supporters. With the Premier League the most watched in the world, these fans are more likely to spend big for the football experience.”

Fan: “Everyone different fans come off on the road. It’s really good because you you see in your club go global, and that’s the best feeling ever. But it comes to a point where there’s just not enough match goers from in and around Manchester, affording these sort of prices.”

Reporter: Manchester City wouldn’t comment on this protest, while United have said price rises are part of cost saving as they put the club on a stronger financial footing.

“But this is bigger than just these two teams.

“Protests have taken place across the league with the Football Supporters Association launching the stop exploiting loyalty campaign.

“The group says ticket prices rose last year by an average of 6.7%. The clubs argue they have higher operating costs and need to comply with financial fair play rules.”

Twitter users reacted as rival football fans join in protest over rising ticket prices…

@Prince1Keith: Many supporters, regardless of who they support (or claim to) are planning to turn their backs on the Premier League and start watching local non-league football instead. The non-league game will be the big winners in this argument – not the mega-rich and greedy Premier League!

@EllisRomero: There’s more than enough money in football that a % of all ticket sales could be ring fenced and removed from ffp. This constant price gauging of fans won’t end well… fix it now before it is too late.

@DinoMuscatelli: Start paying footballers less. Easy.

@MarkMark1952: better still dont buy tickets and go to the matches just greed from the clubs and to buy expensive players keep putting them up will only end up with less fans going lowing sales and profit

@melbournemuzz: Don’t go!!. Make them play in a half full stadium and go support a lower league club. Plenty of options in and around Manchester. Time to move on.

@ollieg21296: The young lad in this video speaks incredibly well.

@giggsclass1: So proud of @MU_ST being all over this for the fans they represent 🇾🇪 oh so sorry I meant I’m so proud of @The__1958 as it’s only them that try to represent the fans 🇾🇪🇾🇪

@HammersUnited2: Good work @Channel4News. Our game is being taken away from us & our ‘owners’ gaslight us that unless ticket prices increase ‘we’ cannot sign top players. Football doesn’t have a revenue problem it has a spending problem which ‘owners’ want to lump on fans #stopexploitingloyalty

@jackstringer19: Good on those fans. This is why I couldn’t care less if we never return to the prem, i’d rather be stuck in League One and be able to afford to watch my team.

@Andrew_McVittie: The costs incurred by clubs to support transfers and salaries is out of control. The race to outspend rival clubs is also a race to the bottom for fans. Transfers don’t need to cost what they do. Players don’t need to be paid daft money. The game needs to exercise constraint.

@saj1964: Why clubs want ‘tourist’ fans and treat ‘legacy’ supporters with contempt… modern football stinks!

@IWA1895: A good watch on how fans across the premier league are coming together to peacefully protest unaffordable ticket policies 👏🏼

@JasonIoannou: @premierleague ticket prices are fast becoming unaffordable for the vast majority of people, even though ticket revenue is an insignificant part of clubs’ overall income. #stopexploitingloyalty