A large number of Spurs fans will be priced out of watching the team at our new stadium and attendances will eventually drop, an influential supporters’ group has warned club chiefs.
The club announced season-ticket prices on Monday for our new 62,000-seat ground, which the club hope open in the 2018-19 season.The overall project is expected to cost more than £800million, and the cheapest season ticket is expected to cost £795, and the most expensive £1,995.
The £795 option is a £30 increase on the least costly seat at White Hart Lane, but the priciest represents a £295 increase on the equivalent at Tottenham’s former home.
Now according to an article in The Daily Mail the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust are concerned that the general increases across the board will make it too difficult for many followers to attend. In a statement published on Tuesday, the Trust’s board wrote: “Some fans are facing increases of 25, 40 or 50 per cent in their usual seating areas which, even taking into account the improved facilities, will be beyond many, whether they are longstanding season ticket holders or whether they signed up for the first time for the year at Wembley.
It added: “The vast majority of fans go to football for the football, not for the facilities. There are 15 different price points, an over complex system that allows attractive headline claims to be made but which mask the price rises many will now face. Fans are genuinely worried about the availability of tickets at prices they can afford in the later priority windows.
The trust went on to say: “We are pleased the club listened to our argument for concessions to be available all around the ground, although we would have preferred this offer to have been made available at all price points rather than to just those seats priced under £1125. This still provides a far wider choice than the historic policy of only offering concessions in the North Stand. The introduction of a Young Adult category is a very positive step.
It adds: “The club believes it will fill the stadium with this pricing policy. That may well be the case in our first season with a successful, entertaining team but the novelty may wear off after the first season, particularly if performance on the pitch falls short. With fans already contacting us saying they are priced out, we cannot view this as anything other than a missed opportunity.”
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