Premier League clubs cap away tickets
England's top flight soccer clubs have agreed to cap the price of tickets for away fans at 30 pounds (R646) for the next three.
|||London - England's top flight soccer clubs have agreed to cap the price of tickets for away fans at 30 pounds ($42.7) for the next three seasons, the Premier League said on Wednesday.
The decision follows high-profile campaigns by groups including the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) who have called for a 20 pound limit - the “Twenty's plenty” initiative.
“Clubs know that away fans have a unique status,” the League said in a statement.
“They are essential for match atmosphere and stimulate the response from home fans that distinguishes Barclays Premier League matches from those of other leagues.”
With the beginning of a new television deal from next season which will earn Premier League clubs an estimated 8.3 billion pounds ($11.8 billion) over the next three-year cycle, British Prime Minister David Cameron had also urged clubs to find a happy medium on ticket prices.
“Clubs need to ensure that their ticketing policies provide the right balance between value for supporters and generating the income necessary to sustain their businesses,” Cameron said when the issue was recently raised in parliament.
Calls for a ceiling on away ticket prices intensified last month when several managers, including Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis, voiced their support for making matches more affordable.
Liverpool fans staged a walkout during their draw with Sunderland last month in protest over rising prices at Anfield for the next campaign, which prompted the club to scrap the planned increases and was hailed by the FSF as a “game-changer”.
Reuters