The cost to go to the match is ridiculous. I remember years ago when my mum was still alive and she heard how much it was to go to a Liverpool game. I think she somehow had a model in her mind that went back to the 1960s and paying a modest sum on the turnstiles, leaving plenty left over for a pint and a fish and chip supper.
For years the price has been too much, but what are you going to do? A widespread reset, to give us something like what they have in Germany, would be welcome. But it’s not happening.
So within the context of the crazy economics of Premier League football, a price increase in keeping with inflation is not such big news, even if it squeezes the match going fan, and might even price some out who have been hanging on until now.
Supply and demand will come into it. If there’s empty seats, the price will come down to fill them. If it’s hard to get a match ticket because so many people want one, there’s not going to be a lot of pressure to keep prices down.
Part of me would love the club to be different, but that’s not the world we live in. Alonso, Olise, Diomande and Bastoni are going to cost a pretty penny this summer as it is.
The club statement said that the Matchday costs had increased considerably over the last 10 years. What do they include with that?
I’d assume that it doesn’t include player and coaching staff costs. Much of the rest will be ground staff, often part time and on lower wages. I don’t begrudge them getting a rise and that has to come from somewhere. I suppose there are extra staff needed with the additional ground security.
I’m in two minds about this. It’s always a shame to see the ticket prices go up, but they have been frozen for 8 seasons, while other clubs have kept them in line with inflation. They can’t be frozen forever.
It was bound to happen with costs and prices skyrocketing thanks to the orange idiot, but at least they’ve raised the age profile for young adult tickets, which is a smart move.
I don’t know about the wages the club pays to those staff but the government has been increasing costs for businesses such as the increase to the minimum wage and we are obviously facing higher energy costs etc so it should be no surprise that the club seeks to at least keep matchday revenue in line with the rising costs on the business.
As for the record revenues, we don’t know how permanent those are. If they are truly sustainable then the club can reverse these raises in subsequent years or re-introduce price freezes.
£3.50 to £6.00 when I stood at the Kop back in the mid-80s. Damn that inflation!
(With a Bobby stopped me and warned me of not having a working taillight for my bicycle.)
Fairly silly argument and makes you understand why the club prefer to do this than sit down with these guys all the time. Prices increasing in line (probably below for next season at 3%) with inflation for 3 years after 8 years of being frozen is hardly exorbitant. Perhaps the model needs looking at to ensure younger fans and season ticket holders can still afford things - the club is doing a little by increasing youth ages but maybe formalising season ticket holder reselling where STH can release tickets for matches back to the club at a discount for the club to resale which can make them more affordable for younger fans alongside ensuring no ‘unofficial’ ticket swapping happens could help.
End of the day the club can sellout regardless, it would be nice that this is done in such a way that maximises passionate local support as well as cashed up day trippers. SOS and the like make it look like it’s easier just to profit maximise as they will moan regardless.
I can see both sides of the argument. Compared to other clubs, Liverpool is reasonably priced, and and inflation increase is not that bad. I imagine the way it works is that matchday needs to pay for itself - the cost of putting on a game is huge, and I would think FSG keep this separate.
On the other hand, the club do need to engage with fans because, as it’s often pointed out, the clubs USP to everyone’s try to sell it to is the support - the flags, the songs, the culture, the passion. That’s what the sponsors pay the big money to engage with, and if you piss off the local match goers you drive a stake through the heart of that. I think it’s crazy that the club don’t do more to protect the match going experience. This increase is worth a couple of million to the club, and there is a legimate question of is it really worth it?
Yeah it’s all the costs to the club for each home game that I’m more interested in.
I’m thinking that they want match day revenue to cover certain costs to the club. Things like ground maintenance maybe, electric bill which includes flood lights and so on.
As you said the price now is way above a direct inflation increase. I’m just wondering if there’s thing behind it driving to this level.
I think that would require a deep dive into the club accounts. It’s possible that there are more stewards today, particularly as they now search everyone. How do police numbers compare? The ground itself must require much more maintenance as it was little more than a series of sheds in the early 80s.
FSG are guided by the sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, chief executive of football for FSG, whose own futures have become blurred as each has just over a year remaining on their contracts.
Al-Hilal have targeted Hughes, but there would be surprise from some at the club if he was to leave this summer. That is not to say, however, he is at Liverpool for the long term.
Similarly Edwards, who has been frustrated as far back as last summer by the lack of progress with regard to the purchase of a second football club for the FSG empire, does not appear likely to sign a new deal as it stands. Sources close to the ownership declined to comment.
I don’t think so. If the footballing environment has changed so much that it makes no sense to buy another club then I’m not sure Edwards has a role here any longer, so it would be natural for him to move on.
Hughes for his part seems to have relatively well so far. I’m not sure why he would be interested in going to SA and assume that is just paper talk. We’re not having a great season, it’s not yet clear how much of that falls on him - and in his role, you are probably only one or two bad transfer window or seasons from being asked to move on anyway - so probably has to see how things pan out in the summer and across (at least the first half of) next season to be judged properly.
Don’t worry it’s Nikola, he thinks the skies falling in every other week.
It’s been 8 months, in that time Hughes has attracted one of the best talents in European football, we made our own mistakes to be fair rather than being forced to.
If Edwards pulled the idea of secondary club then let’s see what his role is. If they see the same 2 months of the previous 7 and expect Slot to turn it around then we probably will. I would expect if they all go then they will go.
