By Everton Football Club Fan Advisory Board, Everton Disabled Supporters’ Association, Everton Fans’ Forum, Everton Football Club Supporters’ Club Committee, Everton Heritage Society Everton International Supporter Groups, Everton Women Official Supporters Club, Everton FC Shareholders Association (16 December 2022)
On Friday 16 December, Everton supporter and stakeholder groups, led by the Fan Advisory Board, called on some of football’s governing bodies to cap the prices of tickets for domestic cup competitions. You can find the statement below.
Whilst we appreciate the generous allocation that will allow more than 9,000 Evertonians to support our team at the FA Cup Third Round tie at Old Trafford in January, we were shocked that Manchester United chose to raise the ticket price for away tickets to 150% (£30 to £45) of what the equivalent Premier League fixture would cost.
>Listen to the FAB’s Tony Sampson discussing the ticket prices with BBC Radio Merseyside
The fixture will take place almost a year to the day that one of their most prominent footballers was instrumental in raising £200,000 through the ‘Full Time Meals’ campaign (enough to fund 750,000 meals for FareShare) and against the backdrop of a national cost of living crisis.
Such a pricing policy is a slap in the face to everyone who has campaigned for sensible and affordable ticket pricing for visiting supporters, a campaign that resulted in the price of away tickets being capped at £30 for Premier League fixtures since the 2016/17 season. Earlier this year, all 20 Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to maintain this cap for the next three seasons, so it will not be revisited until 2025.
For many years, prices for visiting supporters for FA Cup fixtures had to be agreed by both clubs, but an FA rule change in 2017 has allowed home clubs to charge more or less what they like.
We’re now calling on the Football Association and the English Football League to introduce a similar cap for FA Cup and League Cup fixtures and put the interests of football supporters first.
More than 9,000 Blues will travel to our FA Cup fixture in January.
They’ve had to pay 150% above what it would cost for the same match in the Premier League.
That’s not right.
Join us in calling for a cap on prices for Cup fixtures and put the interests of supporters first. pic.twitter.com/rquJASSTld— EFC_FanAdvisoryBoard (@EFC_FanAdvisory) December 16, 2022
Welcome to the home of the recently established Everton Football Club Fan Advisory Board (FAB). We are an independent body established with the goal of ensuring that Evertonians’ voices are heard at the highest levels in Everton Football Club.
