Wolverhampton Wanderers locked in battle with fans over cost of season tickets
Wolverhampton Wanderers are locked in a battle with their own fans over the cost of season tickets. A petition signed by over 11,000 people has been sent to the club calling for them to re-think huge price rises.This is the latest development in a row that erupted last Thursday when Wolves wrote to fans asking them to renew their season tickets at a much higher price.On average, most fans saw a 17% jump on what they were paying and some children's tickets rose by over 100%.
It left the fanbase stunned. Supporters often grumble about rises but Wolves pushed theirs into an organised rebellion.Seven supporters groups united in calling for the club to rethink its decision. That is now backed by the thousands who signed their petition.In a letter sent to the club today, they write: "The recent announcement regarding ticket prices for the 2024/25 season has sent shockwaves through the fanbase of this famous old club."This statement is sent on behalf of a community that has been built around this club since 1877. A community that now questions how much this club values them."A particularly shocking element of the new pricing structure is the extortionate increase for disabled and junior supporters.
"While it no doubt makes commercial sense to yourself and the Wolves hierarchy, these excessive price rises only serve to marginalise our most vulnerable supporters and, indeed, our fanbase of the future.
"Fans are also confused and angry at the way the communication of the price rises played out and the subsequent radio silence. We would strongly encourage Jeff to open lines of communication and set out an action plan as to how this situation will be resolved."Finally, we would urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider your approach and pricing strategy to protect this club for future generations."Fans are the lifeblood of any club."It is an extraordinary souring of relations just a couple of weeks after the club was the toast of many match-going supporters for speaking up about the failings of Video Assistant Referees.The hope might've been that would soften the coming financial blow to fans, if anything it appears to have embolden them.They are now the ones making noise as Wolves go silent. The chairman hasn't spoken since his letter to fans last week where he tried to explain his reasoning.Shi wrote: “When it comes to setting ticket prices, we benchmark our prices against those of the other 19 Premier League clubs, especially those with similar fanbase sizes, stadium capacities and sporting achievements.“We do listen to fan feedback, and we understand that price increases are unpopular, but our aim is to ensure our prices are neither significantly higher nor lower than our peers.
"Our ticketing team has thoroughly researched and compared Wolves with other clubs, and I believe our pricing reflects a fair and reasonable balance based on our current position, past growth and future aspirations.“Commercial growth is vital for our club's sustainability and competitiveness. While Premier League broadcasting revenue is indeed a major source of income, it is also easily offset by the club's wage bills.
"This means that our disposable income largely comes from commercial activities, including ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship.
"This revenue is the key difference between us and the biggest clubs that we have to compete with in the Premier League and is an essential area for us to grow over time.“Our head coach, his team and squad have put in tremendous effort to ensure our club competes at the highest level on the pitch this season and, as we move into our seventh successive season in the Premier League, we will continue to keep progressing and supporting them as much as we can.
"Your support is invaluable to us, and we are committed to keep growing Wolves to make the club a strong and sustainable presence in the top tier of English football."It is important to look in more detail at the above mentioned benchmarking. In the Midlands, it could be argued they are the most expensive.There is an uncovered section at Wolves, which is a relatively cheap adult season ticket at £525. But this is Wolverhampton, not Malaga.So if you want to keep the rain off by having a roof over your seat, the cheapest Premier League season tickets in the Midlands are the following:
Leicester City £404
Nottingham Forest £550
Aston Villa £640
Wolves £735
We would like to ask the chairman about this but he has so far been unavailable for an interview.Like a child or pensioner who can now only afford the uncovered stand, Wolves are hoping the storm will pass.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...