Why City fans are unhappy

Last week Manchester City announced an average season ticket price rise of five per cent — with some as high as 11 per cent

During conversations between The Athletic and supporters’ groups, complaints about the club’s ticket costs have crossed over into other concerns, including:

Limited impact of fan feedback at the club
Increased ticket prices and controversial sales criteria for matches
Flat atmospheres at the Etihad Stadium
A boycott of the official ticket resale platform
Concerns about the new ‘flexi-gold’ season ticket initiative
Increase to a minimum-attendance clause on season tickets

All four main City fan groups — the Official Supporters Club, the 1894 Group, MCFC Fans Foodbank Support (FFS) and City Matters, the club’s fan engagement programme — voiced their opposition to the increases.

Justifying the decision to increase the cost of season tickets, City pointed out that they offer season tickets starting at £120 for under-18s, enabling younger fans easier access to matches.

The increase in prices is put down to rising operating costs connected to inflation and City say that, on average, the price increases amount to £2.30 per match for adult season ticket holders and under £1 for juniors.

That is a price that most fans are prepared to pay, begrudgingly or otherwise. Many believe that the quality of football — with the team winning three Premier League titles in a row, and a treble of trophies last season — justifies the rise.

It is a common view among the fanbase that, with those record profits in mind, City could have frozen ticket prices because the impact on supporters far outweighs the impact on the club.

A spokesperson for 1894 says: “They’re making a huge profit and this would have been an easy win to keep fans onside.

Some estimates suggest that even if every season ticket went up by £50, the club would stand to generate just under £2m in extra income, which represents about 0.25 per cent of total revenues and is deemed, by some fans, insignificant compared to the goodwill that freezing prices would generate.

In the boardroom, where executives are charged with growing revenues, that kind of increase would be welcomed, and the reality behind City’s decision is that they are running a business.

Despite income from prize money and sponsorships soaring, City still make less money from matchdays than their rivals. That is likely to be the case for some time yet given the London clubs can charge far greater sums due to the economics of living in the capital. As for United and Liverpool, they have massive global fanbases that City cannot yet rival.

The other reality of the situation is that many other Premier League clubs have announced price increases for next season, knowing that most fans will pay if they have the money. Those who can’t afford to go to City matches any more, or attempt to make a stand for better conditions, as demonstrated at Wembley last summer, will be replaced by those who can.

A week on from the decision to increase prices, there is also annoyance among supporters that City are yet to explain their decision or engage in further conversation about

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The Political Economy of Football V2

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