For Premier League elite, the sky really is the limit

Alan Hudson, the former Chelsea, Stoke City and England midfield player, called his autobiography “The Working Man’s Ballet.” But some Premier League clubs are charging supporters far more than they would pay for a night out at Sadler’s Wells. 

And the fans are far from happy.

Last weekend Tottenham Hotspur supporters turned their backs to the pitch in the 65th minute of their home game against Luton Town as a protest against the club’s plans to remove concessions for new senior season-ticket holders aged 65 or over next season, and reduce the discount for those already holding such concessions.

Manchester City’s 1894 Group of supporters held up a banner before kick-off in their home game against Arsenal reading: “Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty.” City responded by removing the group’s accreditation for the midweek home game against Aston Villa, so their protests clearly hit a nerve.

The point about record profits was well made. City are the world’s second-richest club according to Deloitte, with revenues of around £706m last season. Yet they felt the need to increase season-ticket prices by an average of five percent this season.

Tottenham are the eighth-richest, bringing in around £540 million, perhaps partly because their season tickets are the second-most-expensive in the Premier League, their cheapest at £807 and most expensive at £2,025. In the circumstances, did they really need to make pensioners pay more?

Arsenal, another member of the rich list top ten, will also remove the concession for new senior season tickets from next season — so as to operate, they said, “in the most financially sustainable way possible”. Tottenham mentioned increases in prices of “utilities, rates and