FSA campaign : Stop Exploiting Loyalty
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has today formally launched its Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign, which aims to bring together supporters’ groups from across the Premier League to shine a light both on unacceptably high ticket prices and also on the erosion of concession pricing at some clubs, particularly for seniors.
As members of the FSA, the Fulham Supporters’ Trust is proud to have played a part in the formation of Stop Exploiting Loyalty and we encourage all Fulham fans to support the campaign.
As you know, we have been very vocal in recent seasons about ticket pricing under our own Affordable Fulham banner, including an open letter sent to the Club, the yellow card protest at our home game with Manchester United last season and formal representations made to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Our own season ticket prices rose by 4% this season for adults in the three older stands and not at all for concessions or seats in the Riverside, although of course significant rises in the preceding seasons lifted the base to a level that was difficult for many, hence our action last season.
Thanks to our regular formal meetings and other discussions with Fulham, the Club remains fully aware of our strong views on these prices and on the high price of match day tickets, particularly for games allocated to a higher pricing category. We have informed the Club of our support for the FSA campaign and, in line with other participating supporters’ groups, have today sent them a letter confirming this position which you can read below.
As part of the FSA campaign announced today, supporters’ groups from across the Premier League, who each have their own unique pricing challenges, will show solidarity with each other by coming together to display FSA #StopExploitingLoyalty banners at upcoming games.
With apologies for the short notice, which was due to agreement with the FSA for confidentiality until today, we will meet with Everton supporters to jointly represent the campaign at our televised fixture at Goodison Park this Saturday.
Members of the FST board will be in attendance to represent the Trust and we encourage as many of you as possible to join us and other Everton and Fulham supporters’ groups at 4:15pm at the Dixie Dean (Statue) corner located at the top of Goodison Road at the junction with Spellow Lane, L4 4DA.
Some fans also plan to meet before Premier League games the following weekend. After careful thought and in agreement with the FSA, we’re sure you will understand that the Trust board has decided that on this occasion we do not want to draw any attention away from the annual marking of Remembrance Day at our Monday evening fixture against Brentford. This in no way diminishes our strong support for Stop Exploiting Loyalty, which we will continue to show as the campaign progresses.
Stop Exploiting Loyalty is a very important campaign, as is Affordable Fulham, and as supporters’ groups we are at our most powerful when we work together, which we will continue to do.
Thank you for your continued support of the Trust.
#StopExploitingLoyalty
#AffordableFulham
FST Board
Letter sent to Fulham Football Club senior management
Thursday 24 October 2024
FSA Stop Exploiting Loyalty Campaign
Further to our previous conversations on ticket pricing and as part of a campaign coordinated by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), we are writing to you with the game at the top level reaching a critical crossroad, as many loyal supporters increasingly feel like our match going tradition is under threat.
Of all the issues impacting football supporters, the price of tickets has always been close to the top of the table, and in recent seasons we have seen price hikes across the Premier League on top of what were already some of the most expensive tickets in world football.
Supporters have long campaigned to keep football affordable and though there have been some areas of progress, such as the ongoing £30 away ticket price cap in the Premier League, anger has continued to grow as home ticket prices outstrip inflation. Coupled with the ongoing cost of living crisis across the UK economy, we agree with the FSA who feel this is putting loyal supporters at risk, with many being priced out of watching football.
All but one Premier League club have announced increases to their season ticket and matchday pricing this season, with 4%-5% increases across all categories commonplace. Some children’s, young adult and disabled categories across the league experienced 100%+ price increases. Concessionary prices are also under serious attack at some clubs.
We appreciate that not all of these points, fortunately, apply to Fulham and we strongly believe that this is partly due to the structured dialogue between the Club and the Trust. Indeed, we do not take it for granted and trust such a relationship is mutually beneficial as it helps both sides hear each other’s arguments and make the best decisions.
You will be well aware of our concerns about ticket pricing at Fulham, raised through our #AffordableFulham campaign last season, which included a yellow card protest at the Manchester United game. We appreciate the Club’s engagement with some of the points we raised, which was reflected in much more limited increases in season ticket prices for 2024/2025.
In particular, we think that the decision to freeze renewals for all junior and concession groups sets a great example, as it recognises their loyalty and the need to keep football accessible for all generations of Fulham fans.
We hope that our constructive dialogue on this issue will continue, and that we will be consulted again ahead of the next season.
As you know, we remain concerned about high prices for individual matches, which we fear could restrict some fans, many of whom had previously held season tickets, from attending home games. It is a live issue that we continue to monitor this season.
We understand that the Club strives to achieve financial sustainability, and we support your determination in reaching that goal. We also look forward to the Riverside opening fully, which should generate substantial revenues for the Club and benefits for the local community. We stand ready to engage with the Club to inform our fans of various opportunities they will have to visit the Cottage 365 days a year, not only on matchdays, and strengthen their relationship with the Club.
But we feel the need to stress that as clubs like ours in the Premier League generate enormous media and sponsorship revenues, matchday income represents a relatively small amount of that income. The potential revenue that a club can raise from squeezing normal fans will not make a huge difference to our Club’s bottom line, but it might be the difference for many fans between attending and supporting Marco’s team or having to pack it all in. Generating an extra million or two from season ticket holders will not solve football’s spending problem but unaffordable football will generate fan unrest and protests.
In solidarity with other fans across the country, we will be joining forces in the coming weeks to make our concerns known with a ‘Stop Exploiting Loyalty’ message around league matches. As such, we will be joining Everton fans in sending this message at this weekend’s game at Goodison Park.
However, we have decided against displaying similar banners during our home game against Brentford next month, recognising the importance of Remembrance Day commemorations going ahead without any distractions.
For the long-term health of our clubs, we call on all Premier League clubs to consult meaningfully with supporters on ticket pricing – ensuring supporter groups have genuine input into their club’s ticketing policy through strong supporter engagement structures.
Together with all fans of the beautiful game across the country, we say: We love our football club. Please, do not price us out.
Simon Duke
Chair
For and on behalf of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust
CC: David Claridge, Fulham Fan Advisory Board Chair
