A recent survey undertaken by The Times found that Liverpool’s board of directors was the second most unpopular in the Premier League. Only Portsmouth’s directors, who brough the club close to extinction, got a lower rating. The directors at Sunderland and Stoke got the highest rating.
A recent survey undertaken by The Times found that Liverpool’s board of directors was the second most unpopular in the Premier League. Only Portsmouth’s directors, who brough the club close to extinction, got a lower rating. The directors at Sunderland and Stoke got the highest rating.
Given recent turmoil at Liverpool, one might question whether this was the best time to hike season ticket prices by 7 per cent. One newspaper described it as ‘a public relations disaster’. Seats will now cost between £680 and £785 a season if fans renew online. Turn up at the ticket office or renew by post or phone and it will cost you another £52.
Liverpool defend their decision in terms of the higher VAT rate compared with last year and the fact that the retail price index is now running at 5.3 per cent. If everyone pricing their goods and services adopted that logic, we would soon be in an inflationary price spiral.
A typical season ticket at Arsenal would cost £893, but that covers 26 matches a season rather than 19. A standard season ticket at Old Trafford would cost £931, although it is possible to pay as little as £531. At Wigan Athletic you can get away with £250 which is less than I pay for my League 1 season ticket even with an over 60 discount.
Demand for season tickets at top clubs are relatively price inelastic, that is to say demand does not diminish much in relation to price increases. However, the composition of the crowd may change with better off fans replacing those on more limited incomes.
The Liverpool board may feel that they are so unpopular already it doesn’t matter much what they do. Many Liverpool fans would probably put up with the increase if it was used to bring success on the pitch. However, until the ownership of the club is sorted out, it is difficult to see how the club is going to progress.