The Fulham Supporters’ Trust (FST) have called the club’s ticket prices “increasingly unaffordable” and say they will stage an organised protest outside Craven Cottage in November.
Fulham host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday November 4, and a number of supporters’ groups will convene to make their feelings clear ahead of the match.
The FST say that game is, on average, 18 per cent more expensive to attend than the same fixture last season.
A statement released by the FST said: “The problem is a completely misguided ticket pricing policy that fundamentally misunderstands what it means to be a fan. It’s a policy which, piece by piece, is alienating a large part of our core fan base.
“It all started in 2018 [when] Fulham stormed back to the Premier League at Wembley. The euphoria of that day was quickly replaced by […] matchday tickets rising steeply as high as £55 in the Hammersmith End and more expensive elsewhere. Whilst season tickets were fairly priced, this ‘Premier League tax’ was a sign of things to come.”
The statement continued: “Despite relegation (twice), a pandemic and a massively overrunning rebuild of the Riverside Stand which should by now be bringing in much-needed non-matchday revenue, we finally seem to have some stability on the pitch.
“However, off the pitch those £55 tickets now feel more like an aspiration than a burden. For our upcoming game against Manchester United, the majority of seats in the Hammersmith End have risen 18% since last season and a whopping 40% since 2019, now standing at £77.
“If you want to watch from the side it’s even more — up to £106 in the Johnny Haynes Stand and £160 in the Riverside. These are the most expensive standard tickets in the Premier League and it’s not just the high profile matches that are on the rise.
“Ticket prices for all categories of match have risen steeply since last year, typically 18% in the three old stands and substantially more in the Riverside. The majority of adult tickets behind the goal cost £71 against Sheffield United with prices at the sides up to £125. For a family of four Fulham fans it would now cost from £172 – £212 to attend such a game in the Hammersmith End. So much for us being “a family friendly” club.
“What about season tickets? Those prices have also been climbing – up 10% in 2022 and another 18% in 2023 with prices as much as £3,000 in the incomplete Riverside. If next season’s renewal prices match this year’s new season ticket prices, as history tells us they’re likely to, we’ll have seen a 66% hike in three years.”
There are better ways to balance the books than to seek to make a few tens of thousands from fans who earn normal wages in the real world
The FST added that they “understand the challenges” of running a successful football club, but insisted Fulham fans are “not being heard by the senior management.”
They said they want an “overhaul of the business model” and insisted there are “better ways to balance the books than to seek to make a few tens of thousands from fans who earn normal wages in the real world.”
The statement ended by pledging to protest, saying: “For our game against Manchester United, the Fulham Supporters’ Trust will join forces with the Fulham Lillies and a large number of Fulham media outlets to demonstrate to senior club management that Fulham fans are united against increasingly unaffordable ticket prices that threaten the family friendly nature of our club.
“The fan media outlets support this action, have endorsed this statement and will publicise it to the wider fan base.”
