Of all the issues impacting football supporters the price of tickets has always been close to the top of the table. For West Ham supporters, the removal of concessions for young, old and disabled supporters for the 2023-24 season was unforgiveable. The price of our standard season tickets were also pushed up by 6-11% – at a time when inflation was running at 2.2%.

Fans at every Premier League club stared speaking out about the price hikes they saw for the 2024-25 season, with only Crystal Palace keeping their prices the same. This followed on from Fulham raising the cost of their most expensive season ticket to over £3,000 and Spurs removing discounts for seniors.

While fans have been speaking out about the rising cost of going to the match, one of the defences we regularly see is that clubs are “forced” to extract as much money out of matchgoing fans as possible due to profile and sustainability rules (PSR). Having looked at this argument with football finance experts including Kieran Maquire, we’re not convinced it stands up: ultimately football has a spending problem, not an income problem.

Clubs in the Premier League are enjoying record revenues and matchday income represents a relatively small amount of those record numbers.

Stop exploiting loyalty: Fight back begins

In the summer of 2024, supporter groups from across the country came together at the FSA AGM, held at Wembley Stadium, to discuss ways fans could push back against the rising tide of unaffordable tickets. A motion for new policy, which committed the FSA to another round of ticket price campaigning, was unanimously passed by FSA members at conference.

Supporters present argued that ticket pricing should be a key part of fan engagement work (which is being implemented by all Premier League clubs) and WHUST added an amendment to the motion to ensure that the incoming independent football regulator should be involved with – ensuring fans have genuine input into their club’s ticketing policy through the aforementioned engagement.

Supporters wanted to make clear their anger at price rises, attacks on concessions and a general feeling that loyalty is simply not understood or appreciated at the top of many clubs who see matchgoers simply as a resource to be exploited.

The West Ham supporters campaign aimed at reversing the Club’s inflation-busting increase in ticket prices and withdrawal of concessions had many strands, including:

The Betway Cup boycott which saw the lowest ever attendance at the pre-season showcase.
The regular Black Bubbles protests both home and away.
The #StopExploitingLoyalty banners both home and away which has seen rival fans stand side by side.
The intervention of at least 10 local MPs who have supported the campaign.
Outrage among a variety of media outlets including local and national newspapers, podcasts, TV and radio.
Celebrity fans and players who have spoken out about the injustice.
An unprecedented 22,000+ signatories of the West Ham Fans’ petition. Many of course signing not just for themselves but on behalf of family members.
The FSA continuing its full support of our actions.

This was a campaign that saw cooperation from a number of different West Ham supporter groups including WHUST, Hammers United, WHU Supporters Club, WHU Disabled Supporters Association, Old Skool Hammers.

We also all stood alongside supporter groups from opposition clubs at our home and away matches.

#StopExploitingLoyalty