The four main Manchester City fan groups -- the Official Supporters Club, the 1894 Group, MCFC Fans Foodbank Support (FFS) and City Matters -- "voiced their opposition” to the Premier League club’s decision last week to implement an average season-ticket price rise of 5-11%, according to Sam Lee of THE ATHLETIC. On Friday afternoon, the 1894 Group and MCFC FFS called for supporters to “boycott City’s official ticket exchange platform.” The increase in prices is “put down to rising operating costs connected to inflation.” Manchester City has said that, on average, the price increases amount to $2.90 per match for adult ticket holders and under $1.26 for juniors. Some estimates suggest that even if every season ticket went up by $63 the club would stand to generate just under $2.5M in extra income, which represents about 0.25% of total revenues and is “deemed, by some fans, insignificant compared to the goodwill that freezing prices would generate.” City announced "record profits" of $101.4M last year. One senior exec told fans at a recent meeting that prices “had to go up so supporters would not feel that their season tickets were becoming devalued.” Lee: “It is logic that might make sense in boardrooms but not so much in the stands.” The other reality of the situation is that many other Premier League clubs have announced price increases for next season, “knowing that most fans will pay if they have the money” (THE ATHLETIC, 3/27).
