Liverpool risks upsetting its fans again with an initiative "that could see ticket holders' seats given away if they arrive late to matches at Anfield from next season," according to Alex Miller of the London DAILY MAIL. The club is reportedly "looking at ways to fill an average of 1,000 seats that remain empty during home games" -- many of them held by season-ticket holders who do not attend. Club officials are looking to "determine the feasibility of inviting a number of pre-registered fans to turn up on match days and be escorted into the ground after a certain amount of time" to use empty seats free of charge. Liverpool officials admit there are "a number of logistics to consider before a plan can be implemented," such as what to do if the fan "actually turns up after their seat has been occupied by one of the 'lucky' fans." While the initiative has been welcomed by supporters' groups, the club knows it risks "upsetting ticket holders who arrive late for genuine reasons only to discover their seats have been given away." Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre told a recent supporters' committee meeting, "Any trial will be initially restricted to approximately 150 local fans. This will ensure that any problems can be ironed out first before a full roll-out once the trial has proved successful." Spirit of Shankly spokesperson James McKenna said, "We support the club's initiative but recognize that there are a lot of issues that need figuring out to make it work" (DAILY MAIL, 2/13). In London, John Burn-Murdoch reported the Premier League "is synonymous with money, from its vast and ever-growing broadcast revenues to the enormous sums paid to its stars." But recent football finance headlines "concern a different topic:" the price of being a fan of a Premier League club. Sparking this debate was a protest by Liverpool fans, thousands of whom exited Anfield stadium in the 77th minute of a match against Sunderland, "voicing their anger" at proposals to charge a record high £77 ($112) for the most expensive seats at top category matches. The club has since backtracked on the £77 plan, "but a nerve had been touched among football fans, and opinions have since flown back and forth on both sides of the debate." A Financial Times analysis has shown that Liverpool -- the club that started this debate -- "are in fact the worst offenders." The most common season ticket price at London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham is higher than that at Anfield, but the area surrounding Liverpool’s ground is "among the most deprived in England." As a result the average local fan of the Reds pays more than 5% of gross annual earnings for a season ticket: "a relative cost far higher than that faced by local supporters of any other club in the league" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/14).
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| Source: FINANCIAL TIMES |
