On 9 March 2016 it was announced that football tickets for away games in the Premier League were to be capped at £30 for the next three seasons from 2016 to 2019, following negotiations between all 20 clubs and Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
A phone meeting with representatives of each club was arranged by Scudamore following the signing of the new lucrative TV deal, worth £5.14billion, which started in the 2016-17 campaign.
It is believed that there were opposing opinions during the ground-breaking discussions but the majority of the popularity swayed those negative voices and ultimately saw all 20 clubs agree to the Premier League football ticket price deal.
The change of price was so well-supported that the £30 price cap still would have been imposed through a vote, due to the backing of at least 14 different clubs making it Premier League policy.
Negotiations over the change were prompted by mass protests over the cost of football tickets in England, with many supporters backing to saying ‘football without fans is nothing’ with large banners in the stands during top-flight games.
In an official Premier League statement announcing the change, away supporters have been praised for buying football tickets for matches in other stadiums all over the country to distinguish atmospheres in England from those in other countries.
“Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed that for the next three seasons away fans will be able to attend Premier League matches and pay no more than £30 for each of their tickets.
“Clubs know that away fans have a unique status. They are essential for match atmosphere and stimulate the response from home fans that distinguishes Premier League matches from those of other leagues.”
The £30 away football ticket price cap still stands a just a compromise arrangement though, with fan groups such as the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) continuing to hassle the Twenty’s Plenty campaign to cap football ticket prices at £20.
Understandably, it’s fair to say the vast majority of clubs weren’t keen to agree to that when the key talks took place two years ago, but chief of the top-flight Scudamore was happy to drive £30 as the figure to agree on after months of the topic being debated.
“This unique status has long been understood by clubs, who currently provide away fans with a range of measures designed to assist them, including the Away Supporters’ Initiative (ASI), introduced in 2013,” the Premier League statement read.
“Away fans have additional travel costs and pay individual match prices, as season ticket and other discounts are not available to them and the responsibility for them is shared between Clubs and therefore it is right that there is a collective initiative to help them.
“At their last meeting on 4 February 2016, the clubs unanimously agreed that more should be done to help away fans and, after consideration of a range of options, have now decided to introduce the new £30 maximum price for away tickets.”
Different countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy and France which hold Europe’s biggest clubs have been charging much less than in England for their football tickets for years, and now hopefully this change in policy continues to have a widespread benefit for all supporters.