Ticket Pricing Update

As we enter 2025 Wolves are starting the process of reviewing ticket pricing for the 2025/26 season; the Fan Advisory Board will consult with the club about any changes and underline the commitment made by the club to freeze 2025/26 Adult Season Ticket prices.

Wolves 1877 Trust continues to support the Football Supporters’ Association’s national campaign, raising awareness of the rising cost of football and the erosion of affordable access for concession groups.

*A national campaign by the Football Supporters Association*

What is the #stopexploitingcampaign about?

The #StopExploitingLoyalty (#SEL) campaign, highlights fans' frustration with the rising costs in football, particularly in the Premier League. The campaign focuses on the issues of soaring ticket prices, the erosion of concessionary rates for young and elderly fans, and disproportionate increases in costs that make attending games increasingly unaffordable.

Examples include dramatic price hikes for season and general admission tickets at Wolves, and other clubs, with some clubs increasing rates for youth and senior concessions by as much as 300%, as seen at Nottingham Forest. Supporters from various clubs (including Wolves) have protested against these changes, arguing that they undermine the community loyalty that forms the foundation of football culture. Fan groups have organised protests, submitted petitions, and are raising the issue in supporter engagement meetings.

The #stopexploitingloyalty campaign also brings focus on clubs that prioritise revenue generation from occasional visitors over rewarding loyal, long-term fans. Despite record Premier League revenue from broadcasting deals, ticket prices have been raised across the league. Supporter groups, through the FSA, are advocating for clubs to make football more affordable and are calling for the incoming Independent Football Regulator to include ticket pricing in its oversight.

With record TV, and sponsorship deals it’s clear that football has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, targeting the loyalty of supporters through ticket price increases is not only unnecessary but exploitative.

Wolves 1877 Trust, alongside the FSA and other supporter groups, is calling for:

● A price freeze of all season ticket prices and general admission prices

● Concessions to be available to every applicable supporter

● Continued dialogue with supporter representatives through Fan Advisory Boards and official supporter organisations with complete transparency

● Continued dialogue with the Premier League through the Football Supporters’ Association on ticketing and the rules surrounding it.

Liverpool supporters highlight the cost of tickets, compared to a pint (courtesy Spirit of Shankly)

How has the campaign been coordinated so far and what actions have been taken?

July 2024 - Football Supporters’ Association AGM

Motion passed: Co-ordinated action on the cost of football tickets.

A motion was passed at the FSA AGM in July that was submitted by Spirit of Shankly, backed by the Arsenal Supporters Trust, Manchester United Supporters Trust, Hammers United, Nottingham Forest Supporters Trust, Wolves 1877 Supporters Trust, 1894 Group, Talking Cherries.

The motion called on the FSA to:

1. To devise and a deliver a national education and awareness plan that promotes this issue across the football world and to key audiences.

FSA Activity: The FSA has published numerous articles and posts for social media since

the start of the campaign, including the Football Price Index, leading with the fact that football has a spending problem, not an income problem. This has led to multiple media appearances for both FSA representatives and individual supporter representatives.

2. To further devise and support the implementation of local campaign activity and match day protests on ticket pricing appropriate to the specific needs at individual clubs.

FSA Activity: The FSA made banners available to all twenty clubs for the weekends of action, which have been used beyond those weekends on multiple occasions both inside and outside stadiums.

3. To press for fan input on ticket pricing to be a key part of the fan engagement work undertaken by Fan Advisory Boards and for the Premier League to ensure these standards are met.

FSA Activity: The FSA has encouraged supporter representatives across the country to ensure the topic of ticketing is on the agenda at FAB meetings. In most, if not all cases this looks to be the case however the FSA are currently gathering more information and will release a framework for representatives to follow. We have raised with the Premier League the concerns about supporter dialogue on this topic and this has been fed back to clubs. We will continue our dialogue with the Premier League.

4. To call for the new independent football regulator to have involvement in ticketing pricing including reporting on this activity in its state of football report and ensuring that fans have genuine input in their club’s ticketing policy through the structured engagement it will oversee.

FSA Activity: The Football Governance Bill included ticketing in its draft release as a must for clubs to liaise with fans on following pressure from the FSA and fan reps.

5. To undertake a review of concessionary rates across the game including running a ‘league wide tracker’ and to bring forward proposals for the adoption of minimum standards across the game. This should keep concessionary ticket prices in most price bands across grounds, not in ghettos

FSA Activity: This is currently in process through data gathering via the Premier League, although gaining key data remains difficult due to commercial sensitivities. The FSA has called for more transparency on data released to supporter representatives on the make-up of how tickets are sold, including concessionary rates.

6. To seek the establishment of a minimum percentage of Season Ticket and General Admission tickets at all grounds.

FSA Activity: The FSA has pushed messaging both publicly and to the Premier League about the importance of season ticket holders to the Premier League product, and has held discussions with the Premier League on the leagues' rulebook, in which some rules relating to ticketing are 25 years old. More data and information is needed from fan representatives on the current state of play at their individual clubs, establishing minimum requirements requires a larger timeframe.

Stop Exploiting Loyalty - Weekends of Action

*Wolves and Brighton fans come together before our away fixture in October 2024*

During October and November 2024, it was agreed that the FSA would fund banners to be available at each Premier League fixture over two weekends, where each team had a home game. At the majority of the 20 fixtures, supporters from both sides joined forces and held banners outside the stadium (including inside the Emirates and Anfield). This heightened media attention raised the level of debate amongst supporters about the rising cost of attending football.

What are the next steps?

The campaign will continue over the coming weeks, months and years as we seek to change the direction that the Premier League,and English football now seems to be heading.

Supporters are fearful of the increase in foreign ownership and the potential willingness to remove the culture of English football fandom. Constant rumours of games being moved abroad, dynamic pricing, erosion of concessions and increased prices, erosion of season ticket availability and increase in corporate hospitality, and a concerted effort to encourage increased ‘football tourism’ by clubs are all continued fears.

Generations of supporters have followed Wolves since the club’s formation in 1877; we need to campaign to ensure that the next generation can have affordable access to matches, alongside protecting concession pricing for seniors and disabled supporters.