Liverpool fans are living in the past with ticket price protests
Liverpool fans participating in protests against the club’s proposed ticket prices need to wake up
Liverpool fans have every right to protest the club’s ticket pricing for next season. The club also has every right to try to maximize revenue in an effort to compete for a Premier League title.
Fans at Anfield need to realize that bringing manager Jurgen Klopp to town didn’t come cheap. Perhaps if they wanted to keep ticket prices level they should have retained Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool’s passionate fan base wants a Premier League today on a budget from 2000.
I’m fully aware that many fans will consider this a vile suggestion on my part, but clubs who want to push their squads to the next level have to try to produce as much revenue as possible. One of the obvious sources of revenue they can manipulate is the cost of a match day ticket.
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Of course I have sympathy for Liverpool fans who might be priced out of season or match day tickets based on the proposed new pricing structure. It’s a terrible thing to lose the ability to support the club you love. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of modern football. There’s a reason why there are different tiers of football in England for fans to support.
Liverpool fans certainly wouldn’t be happy if the club came out and made a statement that they’d decided to limit their ambition. Imagine the protests at Anfield if they elected to stop spending money on transfers in an effort to reduce or maintain ticket prices. Fans who want to win would justifiably, riot.
There’s also a level of hypocrisy in Liverpool fan protests given the level of investment that Fenway Sports Group has put into the club. The Liverpool Echo reports that officials at FSG are particularly stunned at the fan protest considering their investment of 120 million pounds on the development project of the Main Stand that will open next season.
Did Liverpool fans expect that massive investment into their stadium to be free? Of course, FSG was going to look to recoup their investment somehow. Increasing ticket prices is just as reasonable a way as any other option they had.
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Again, Liverpool fans universally demand that their club compete with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. Most also expect their beloved club to challenge for Champions League glory as well. That type of success does not come without significant financial sacrifice. Some clubs’ fans see their owners take on that burden with their independent wealth, most clubs see the costs passed on to their most loyal fans.
I completely respect the right of all fans to make their voice heard. Liverpool fans who are protesting the proposed ticket price increase have every right to do so. They just need to do so with the full knowledge that preventing their club to produce more revenue severely limits their ability to achieve the competitive goals they hold dear. You may not like it, but that’s the reality of football in today’s global marketplace.