Protect the Fans. Protect the Game.
We are writing on behalf of the Supporters Representatives on the West Ham United Fan Advisory Board and wider organised supporters to set out the national supporter position on ticketing and to outline the steps we would like West Ham United to take in response.
Please find attached the Protect the Fans. Protect the Game. document – co-signed by more than 100 supporter organisations and Fan Advisory Boards across the Premier League. This sets out the collective national ask for a two-season halt on home ticket price increases.
The rationale for this is clear:
Spiralling match-day costs for supporters
Disruption created by TV scheduling
Unprecedented commercial, broadcast, and sponsorship revenues now being generated across the Premier League
As you know, supporters at West Ham have faced some of the highest season ticket and match-day annual rises anywhere in the division since Covid. We acknowledge and welcome the fact that last season West Ham United froze season ticket prices and restored concessions but supporters at West Ham United and at other clubs are deeply concerned about the long-term direction of travel.
Supporters who have followed West Ham through generations – through thick and thin, through Upton Park to the London Stadium – are now questioning whether they can continue to do so. Rising ticket prices, travel costs, TV subscription fragmentation, food and drink increases, and the added pressures of digital ticketing have placed fans under constant and unnecessary strain. This is happening at the exact moment when Premier League broadcast revenues are at record levels, and when commercial partnerships – including several at West Ham – are more lucrative than ever.
This moment offers clubs an opportunity to step back, take stock, and realign supporter costs with the league’s enormous income growth. With three years left on the current domestic broadcast cycle, now is the perfect window for a two-season price freeze that protects loyal match-goers while more sustainable, long-term dialogue takes place.
In line with the national position, we are asking West Ham United to commit to freezing season ticket and general admission prices for the next two seasons while meaningful and transparent consultation takes place between the Club, supporters, the FAB, and Premier League bodies. The current club-by-club “arms race” on pricing is harming supporters, fuelling unrest, and deepening the sense of disconnect felt by match-going fans.
At West Ham United, this disconnect has now become unmistakable. Supporters have expressed deep frustration about:
Continual price increases
Long-standing issues around concessions and the treatment of older, disabled, and younger fans
The erosion of supporter identity and atmosphere within the stadium
A second document – the Stop Exploiting Loyalty Blueprint – will follow shortly. Recently launched in Parliament, it sets out the wider concerns driving supporter action nationally. When read alongside the national ticketing paper, it shows a unified, constructive, and organised response from supporters across the game.
We believe West Ham United has an opportunity to show leadership, rebuild trust, and take meaningful steps to repair the relationship with its own fanbase. The Club’s supporters remain its greatest asset. We deserve to be protected, respected, and treated as partners in the future of West Ham United.
We look forward to discussing this with you and to seeing West Ham United take a leading position in supporting a sustainable, supporter-focused approach to ticketing across the Premier League.
Best wishes,
The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board