Supporter groups at Leeds United and Huddersfield Town are calling on the EFL to implement a league-wide cap on away ticket prices.
Their appeals follow the two West Yorkshire teams’ eventual agreement to a reciprocal £20 ticket exchange for away supporters of the derbies at Kirklees Stadium and Elland Road.
Fans of Leeds United will also be spared the highest category ticket for the return match in March, and Huddersfield Town will be shielded from a possible £47 ticket at Elland Road thanks to the agreement.
While the reciprocal agreement is the most recent in a string of ones observed around the Championship, the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust (LUST) and the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association (HTSA) are advocating for a league-wide regulation similar to that which is already in place in the Premier League.
The price of a Championship away ticket has been steadily rising in recent years, according to a statement issued today by both organisations.
“In certain instances, away supporters are paying up to 60% more than the £30 price cap that the Premier League imposed in 2016.”
“We have had constructive talks with our respective clubs about them a) formally endorsing an away ticket price cap in the Championship and b) lobbying the EFL to implement it in order to address this unfair trend.”
The Premier League’s away ticket price cap was implemented in 2016 as a result of demonstrations and supporter-led campaigns. It has been a huge success, saving travelling supporters millions of pounds overall and assisting in keeping away ends packed.
The Premier League was eventually compelled to implement a league-wide cap after months of agitation and pressure from the FSA’s Twenty’s Plenty campaign (you can learn more about the campaign’s history here).
Before the Premier League’s £30 cap was implemented, fans regularly pushed clubs to look for reciprocal pricing agreements with rival teams. Eventually, so many clubs made their own deals that a league-wide cap was imposed.
The cap is still a widely supported policy, and our National Supporters Survey conducted earlier this year revealed that the EFL had solid support for a cap on away ticket prices.
Of the 10,000 supporters polled, nearly nine out of ten (88.2%) supported the introduction of away price caps for the whole EFL competition.and similarly in the FA Cup with 83.3% in favour.
“HTAFC and LUFC deserve special recognition from LUST and HTSA for reaching a reciprocal agreement and shielding their respective fan bases from unjust pricing.
“Both trusts will not give up on this and will keep pressuring all Championship clubs to adopt an away price cap.”
Leave a Reply