Liverpool have issued an incredible apology after bowing to fan power and binning plans to hike up ticket prices for Anfield.
Against Sunderland on Saturday around 10,000 fans showed their opposition to the price plan by walking out after 77 minutes- with the price of top tickets for next season announced at £77.
The walk-out was given world-wide publicity with Jamie Carragher among those that took part as Liverpool tossing away a two goal lead to draw with Sunderland.
Rather than indulge in a campaign to undermine the action and drive a wedge with the fans Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group, issued a detailed apology demonstrating that they are in tune with supporters.
Last night the club announced: “It has been a tumultuous week. On behalf of everyone at Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool Football Club we would like to apologize for the distress caused by our ticket pricing plan for the 2016/17 season.
“The three of us have been particularly troubled by the perception that we don’t care about our supporters, that we are greedy, and that we are attempting to extract personal profits at the club’s expense. Quite the opposite is true.
“From our first days as owners we have understood that serving as custodians of this incredible institution is a distinct privilege and as such, we have been driven solely by the desire to return LFC to the pinnacle of football.
“In the world of modern football, growing the club in a sustainable way is essential to realizing this objective.
“To that end, we have never taken a single penny out of the football club. Instead we have injected vast sums of our own money to improve the playing squad and modernize LFC’s infrastructure — exemplified by the £120 million advance from FSG to build the new Main Stand.
“This massive undertaking was made in order to provide more supporters access to Anfield and also to produce additional revenue to help us compete financially with clubs that have greater resources.
“When it opens in August this year the stand will accomplish those goals thereby fulfilling a promise we made upon acquiring LFC in 2010.
“We were strongly engaged in the process to develop the ticketing plan for 2016/2017. We met directly with representatives of LFC’s Supporters’ Committee and along with LFC management, wholeheartedly agreed with major concerns raised, notably: access for local and young supporters; engagement and access to Anfield for local children; access to Premier League matches for those in Liverpool most challenged by affordability.
“We believe the plan successfully addressed these concerns and are disappointed that these elements have been either lost or, worse, characterized as cynical attempts to mask profiteering in the plan as a whole. Rather, we prefer to look at them as the parts of the ticketing plan we got right.
“On the other hand, part of the ticketing plan we got wrong.
“In addition to the other elements of the plan we proposed price increases on a number of tickets. These pricing actions generated growth in General Admission ticketing revenue on a like for like basis exclusive of revenue from newly added GA seats.
“We believed by delivering a vastly improved seat offering in what will be the newest stand in English football, concentrating the price increases on those tickets typically purchased by fans least sensitive to affordability, and for LFC to begin repaying the £120million advance from FSG for the new Main Stand that these increases were supportable even in the context of growth in revenues from the new Premier League TV deal.
“However, the widespread opposition to this element of the plan has made it clear that we were mistaken.
“A great many of you have objected strongly to the £77 price level of our most expensive GA seats and expressed a clear expectation that the club should forego any increased revenue from raising prices on GA tickets in the current environment.
“Message received.
“After an intense period of consultation with LFC management we have decided to make major revisions to our ticketing structure for 2016/17:
•Removal of game categorisation– regardless of the opposition fans will pay the same price for matchday tickets.
• The pricing of tickets will be readjusted to result in zero revenue growth from GA ticketing on a like for like basis.
• Though individual ticket prices may move marginally from this season, we are freezing our 2016/17 GA ticket revenue at the 2015/16 level exclusive of newly added seats in the new Main Stand.
• The price of our highest General Admission ticket will be frozen at the 2015/16 level -£59.
• The price of our highest Season Ticket will be frozen at the 2015/16 level -£869. The lowest price reducing a further £25 from the 2015/16 level to £685, as well as all other tiers being frozen or reduced.
• £9 GA seats will be offered for each and every Premier League match, an allocation of more than 10,000 tickets across the season.
The walk-out by Liverpool fans has prompted calls from fans across the Premier League for clubs to freeze ticket prices in light of the increased television deal which will guarantee every club at least £100m from next season.