Tottenham to Subsidize Supporters’ Travel to Away Matches
Tottenham haven’t confirmed if they’ll scrap their plans to reduce ticket prices, but they’re looking to subsidize supporters’ travel to away matches instead.
After a 77th minute walkout at Anfield that home supporters staged because of increased ticket prices which rose to £77 due to Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners. Tottenham had originally thought about increasing their own ticket prices by 2 percent for next season — already the second most expensive in the Premier League behind Arsenal — but have yet to confirm if they’ll go through with it or not.
The correct move for Tottenham of course would be to quickly scrap their plans of increasing ticket prices since they’re expensive as is. However, what Spurs and Daniel Levy and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) were able to get out of their latest meeting was that there were no commitments to do such a thing.
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Instead though, Daniel Levy and Tottenham were thinking about a way to ease traveling supporters burden with regards to away matches: by lowering costs and working with a voucher system and rail providers.
It’s not much by any means, because away fans would of course be paying less as a whole (travel costs included plus ticket prices) than home fans. But it is something at the very least and Tottenham should be commended for thinking of such an idea. Even if it seems implausible for the time being.
“DL [Daniel Levy] said he questioned the principle of prices being set centrally, asking for an example of another industry where there was a central control over pricing,” read the minutes of Wednesday’s board-to-board meeting between the club and the THST (quotes taken from ESPN FC).
“There was concern that once a precedent was set with away pricing, home pricing would be next and given THFC’s position with the stadium build, a ceiling on ticket revenue would be very harmful to financial modelling.”
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“DL also explained that he was concerned that away fans visiting WHL [White Hart Lane] should pay less than home fans. There was a feeling home fans would be angered by away fans sitting across the divide from them having paid less money.”
“DL stressed that he did recognise the cost of attending matches was too high — as expressed in previous meetings — and was in favour of heavily subsidising travel.”
“There were logistical issues to overcome to make that work but THFC would support a heavy subsidy on travel to matches through a voucher system [including petrol] and through work with the rail providers.”
Again, this meeting between THST and Daniel Levy didn’t settle on what to do with ticket prices for next season, but it’s a positive outcome regardless. Because both sides voiced their concerns on how to handle the situation.
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Whether Tottenham will outright cancel a 2 percent increase for next season remains to be seen, but if prices do happen to increase then it wouldn’t be surprising if certain fans staged their own walkout at White Hart Lane.
It’s one thing to be passionate and devoted to your club, but at some point in time fans have to consider their financial stability if clubs and owners continuously raise prices even though they’re expensive from the get-go.