Premier League to cap cost of tickets for away fans at £30

16 minutes ago
From the sectionFootball
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Premier League clubs have agreed plans to cap away tickets at £30 for the next three seasons.

The cost of watching football has been a hot topic of debate, with supporters at Liverpool organising a high-profile protest over proposed increases in season ticket prices.

Now the top flight's 20 clubs have "unanimously agreed" that more should be done to help away fans.

The £30 away ticket cap will be introduced from next season.

In a statement, the Premier League said away fans were "essential for match atmosphere" and helped make the league unique.

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It also recognised that away fans often had travel costs to pay on top of the price of a match-day ticket.

The Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) has long campaigned for cheaper tickets and wanted prices for away fans capped at £20.

FSF director of communications Michael Brunskill welcomed Wednesday's announcement, calling it "good news for fan groups around the country".

He added: "This shows that clubs will listen to reasonable, well articulated mass movements."

Eight of 18 Premier League clubs who took part in the BBC's latest Price of Football study already offer away tickets for less than £30 for some matches.

But the study, published in October, also found that nine clubs charge more than £30 for their cheapest away ticket.

The change is likely to see travelling supporters paying more to watch second-tier football than top-flight games next season. The Price of Football study found 13 clubs in the Championship charge £30 or more for their most expensive away tickets.

The new measures will replace the Away Supporters' Initiative.

This was introduced in 2013 and saw clubs individually implement a range of measures, including travel subsidies, reciprocal pricing and reduced admissions as well as improved facilities.

The away ticket price cap was announced on the same day Arsenal and Tottenham announced ticket price freezes for home fans.

Arsenal also said they would provide a further £4 discount for away supporters, meaning Gunners fans will only pay £26 to go to away games.

Liverpool fans group Spirit of Shankly, who helped to successfully lead protests against a proposed price increase at Anfield earlier this season, said the away ticket cap was "a very good step in the right direction".

Spokesperson James McKenna credited the Premier League's new £5bn television deal, which starts next season, as the driver for the cap: "We have been saying the price of away tickets was too much and this new TV deal presented them with an opportunity to lower them."