Fulham announced that season ticket prices would be going up at Craven Cottage yet again – a move which Fulham Supporters Trust (FST) says places an “undue burden on loyal fans”. The Premier League club will impose an above inflation 3.5% hike on season ticket prices for the 2026-2027 campaign, the fourth consecutive season of price increases at Fulham. [Inflation is now likely to be above 3.5 per cent given events in the Middle East].
“The claim that the increase in season ticket prices is
required for the club’s sustainability or compliance with new financial
regulation simply does not stand up to scrutiny,” FST said. Matchday receipts account for less than 10%
of total revenue and that share is falling. A price hike will have no material
impact on the Club’s bottom line, which makes raising ticket prices a choice,
not a necessity.”
“Today’s decision to apply a uniform price increase
affecting these stands will regrettably contribute to the sense of disconnect
between the fans and the club’s management.”
FST are urging the club to rethink by freezing membership
and matchday ticket prices, while also addressing match going supporters’
concerns about facilities and infrastructure at Craven Cottage. “Watching football at Craven Cottage must
remain within reach for all fans, old and new,” they said. “No one should be
priced out of supporting the team they love.”
Fulham’s fan-led podcast, Cravenpod, has been looking at
the ticket price data and the increases over the last four seasons
have been eye-watering – season ticket holders have seen a +30.6% increase in
cost since 2022-23.
“The problem is that nothing in football exists in
isolation,” Cravenpod said. “The 3.5% lands on top of 2.8% last season, 4% the
season before that, and the gut-punch 18% in 2023-24 when the club came back
up. Compound those four years and a
Fulham supporter is paying roughly 30.6% more for their seat today than they
were in 2022-23. UK CPI over
the same period has run at roughly half that.”
Cravenpod have created a price calculator for Fulham season
ticket holders, to see how much their season tickets have gone up since
2012-13. Both Cravenpod and FST have
pointed out that other clubs in the division – most noticeably Crystal Palace,
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City – have been able to freeze prices for
next season despite the different financial challenges at each of those clubs.
“The argument that a freeze was simply impossible at Fulham
requires more evidence than the club has given us,” Cravenpod said.
It is worth noting that Fulham has been making a deliberate
move up market with the expensive facilities in its new stand.
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