Arsenal fans are not happy with increases in ticket prices and having to use touts
Arsenal fans are still hopefully anticipating their team’s possible triumph in the Premier League this season. Despite being viewed as underdogs in the race, supporters remain hopeful that the Gunners can snatch the title from current leaders Manchester City. The excitement is palpable as fans are rushing to secure tickets for Arsenal’s final game of the season against Wolves, with many hoping to witness the team lift the trophy.
However it is nearly impossible to get tickets for except at vastly inflated prices, with high demand for tickets causing prices to skyrocket, with some being sold online for as much as £53,000.
This has sparked criticism from some Arsenal fans who feel that this pricing scheme is unfair and favours the wealthy over the working class. Supporters are calling for action against those reselling tickets at such exorbitant prices.
Although it is highly unlikely that tickets can be obtained through the club, many supporters are turning to resale sites in hopes of securing a chance to see the Gunners potentially win the Premier League title.
Despite the fact that Man City, who are looking incredibly invincible at the moment, will have to drop some points before the end of the season, Arsenal fans remain optimistic and confident that their team can pull off an upset and claim the coveted trophy.
Meanwhile, Arsenal Football Club has announced a hike in its season ticket pricing for the 2023/24 season. The number of games included in the season ticket package will be reduced from 26 to 22, while prices will see an average increase of 5%. The move came after the club consulted with season ticket holders who expressed their desire for more flexibility around attending games and making more tickets available to the club’s growing membership base.
The club has guaranteed that season ticket holders will retain the right to purchase their seat for any additional home cup games on a match-by-match basis. This move is expected to create up to 150,000 extra match tickets for members to purchase in the next season.
The price increase is expected to be below the current rate of inflation, and the funds generated will be redirected to initiatives that will benefit the supporters.
Some of these initiatives include investments in Emirates Stadium, enhancing the matchday experience, improvements to the ticketing system, a 25% discount on season tickets and match tickets for those aged up to 24 years (up from 21), continued discounts for Cannon members aged 17 and 18, and continued 66% discounts for the Family Enclosure for Junior Gunners.
The club has also promised to continue its efforts to clamp down on ticket touts, but whatever they say, the touts seem to be the only ones that have any spare ones…
This shows starkly the immense harm that GREED does to society. The major problem is that players wages are obscene and need to be reduced across the board by at least 90%. How that can ever happen though, God alone knows, as there is no groundswell intention of fans worldwide to take the concerted action that would, IF ENACTED, force this vitally needed sea change.
Pointless fans moaning about it, UNLESS they are prepared to take the action, – a total strike against attending any matches at all – that WOULD enable decades overdue change.
REALITY but ahopeless one, given fans refusal to take action but only to moan, hopelessly.
In life, you reap what you sow and if you refuse to stand up to bullying corporations and grossly greedy players, even our own “loved” ones, then you pay the price, in more ways than one.
I think Cold War 2.0 will come next year between the Western alliance, Russia-China-Iran alliance and their supporters, which could be followed by the Great Depression 2.0
If that happens, Arsenal and other EPL clubs would have no other choice but to lower their ticket prices
There are three of us with season tickets, and when I want to take a mate we work it out, I don’t believe fans are using resale as they will be more expensive. Where we sit, if we find out that someone has paid over the top we let the stewards know, we had one Swedish couple who paid £400 each for a ticket for a grade C game, it is not on, I have been going since 1973, and if you know enough people at Arsenal you will always get a game or two. It’s the same on away games, we just turn up and start asking for any spare tickets going, you will be surprised how well it works, the same overseas. We get tickets for away games, but when we can’t we turn up
Season ticket prices have not increased for three seasons, I believe.
Meanwhile, we have all seen the cost of living go up, year after year and, yet, we expect our club to sign world class players, offer our own players £300,000 a week to keep them and expect the owners to buy anything tbat moves!!
It is disgraceful that I walk out of Holloway Road underground station and am immediately offered tickets for the game… however, aren’t we all given a choice??
The two fans who paid £400 to watch the game, did it because they wanted to and, obviously, could afford to do it.
Every season, when my s/t comes up for renewal, I decide if I can justify, not only that cost, but everything that goes with it and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing when the club asks me to renew again.
They are also tightening up on the way season tickets are being used… as of next season (if I’ve read it correctly) one will only be able to enter the stadium by using their mobile, having entered the s/t details and, if one uses the said ticket less than ten times during the season, they will lose it.
The club is trying to get s/t holders to use the system of giving up their seats for every game they cannot attend – and the s/t holder will be reimbursed against next years s/t.
This will enable more tickets to be available for red and silver members on the waiting lists.
Can I also say that I would love to go to the theatre more, go on holiday more, buy a new car for my wife and I every year, but I simply can’t afford it.
Thats life and we all have to make choices within our budget.
As for this being a footballing problem, give me a break.
Does anyone know a poor banker, politician, royal family member, actor / actress who’s careers are much longer than any top professional footballer?
Of course salaries are obscene in the world of top professionals, but boycotting The Arsenal, with a waiting list of a reported 50.000 for season tickets is such a nonsensical idea… and it always seems to be put forward by those who don’t have s/tickets and / or don’t attend games anyway.
This season, my ticket cost me £389 as a “senior member” and my daughter and grandson’s north bank lower tier cost about £980…just to put some perspective on the debate.
Well said!
No one likes paying more, especially during these difficult times of inflation, but as you say, it’s down to your individual choice.
Is it still within your budget? How much do you want this? Do you make cuts in other areas of your spending to continue watching the Arsenal?
And to be fair to Arsenal, they have heavily invested over the last few years, and will probably do again this summer. We’ll be treated to CL football once again next season.
In the past, when the club was not spending, and were not even competitive, whilst we were paying the highest prices around, I was angry as a fan. Now I can at least say, we’re heading in the right direction, the football I am watching is really entertaining, and the club are spending.
So as much as I don’t want to see a small increase in ticket prices, at least there’s a trade off now.
Jen, glad you agree.
Just one point I want to make regarding your thoughts about paying the highest for season tickets.
I did an article for JA a few years back and proved we didn’t pay the highest prices – unless one wanted too of course.
What fans forget, was that The ARSENAL s/t were for 26 games…. clubs like spuds, chelsea and many others made their fans pay extra for cup games….. and that was when we were appearing in the CL season after season.
Ken what you and Jen ignore is the wider longer term picture.
Of course we all make financial choices in life. That is a given, but as a theatre person who made my living in that world let me tell you that ordinary professional actors singers dancers, musicians andmany other types of performers who would be,in football terms, many of them, equivalent to lower reach Prem players, get if they are lucky, no more than the average wage, when looked at in the round. Prem footbalers in START CONTRAST earn HUGE AND GROSSLY INFLATED SALARIES which damage the past , present and more importantly, tth FUTURE chances of ordinary averagely paid fans to actully watch their team. It is ntrue that many foks in OUR generation have a nest egg put by and despite travel andither costs can STILL afford to watch matches And yes, our club DOES HAVE some concessions for juniors amnd olde rfolk, a sdo most clubs Byt the WHOLE is still far too expensive for th majoity of working clas filks to watch the ir team in person.. Its easy and lazy thinking IMO, to say its a small career for players , given that even run of the mill Prem players can afford to retire after five years and never have to worry about money ever again, unless they choose to “do a Gazza” and p..s it up the wall, so to speak.
It strikes me as odd, that while I believe in a capitalist system but a “FAIR AND JUST ONE”, you, as a confirmed lifelong socialist, seem to support the filthy rich players, at the expense of the ordinary working class fan!!
I also agree with some of the points you are making jon.
I am all for a free market economy, I am pro capitalism, but I do feel American companies and American owners take capitalism to the extreme.
Ideally you need three things to work in tandem in football:
1 – Less greedy owners. Almost impossible to solve that solution, but I would like the idea of no American owners in English and for that, European football. That would partially solve the issue.
2 – Less corrupt politicians, meaning a better economy and public services for the people. Again, almost impossible to solve that one. There has always been corruption in politics, but it’s gone off the charts in recent times because outside interests and lobbying. Shutting down the economy for the best part of two years just sums that all up, and is a huge reason as to the ticket increase.
3 – The easiest of these options would be some sort of cap on wages, transfer fees, or something along those lines.