JUST THE (SEASON) TICKET
Football has brought fans anxiety since its inception but previously that was about whether a team won or lost, lifted a trophy or got relegated. Nowadays, the tension is brought about by how ludicrously expensive it is to support a Premier League club. Football businesses (because they are not clubs anymore) might pretend they have some interest in the good old “legacy fans” who have been turning up for decades regardless of the ownership. Many have no choice in who they support, whether through geography or blood, and feel compelled to keep attending regardless of the cost of tickets, gas, electricity and food.
Sadly, the old chap that used to run the local biscuit factory does not own your club anymore. Nation states, billionaires and other folk you’d never consider having a pint with are in the boardroom and they want your money. It is not enough that people are forced to pay for oodles of TV subscriptions to fund the signing of 16-year-olds from Reading; those that make the effort to actually go to stadiums are constantly targeted for their hard-earned cash in a period where every penny counts at home. Wolves wanted those pesky kids to pay 176% more for the privilege of a fortnightly trip to Molineux, understandably pricing out many families. To be fair to Wolves, when the club actually spoke to some of those fans who were quite irked by the prospect of never being able to take their children to the game, they did scrap the dreadful idea. Who knew that speaking to real-life supporters might result in sensible decisions?
Tottenham are removing concessions for senior fans from 2025-26 because, frankly, people living longer really is not helping the club make enough money to sign another Bryan Gil. How could this organisation possibly survive when 86-year-old Alf is getting 25% knocked off? Maybe James Maddison only performs at his best when people are paying full whack? Discounted tickets presumably mean discounted effort levels and the darts celebration not being thrown in for free. Maybe some will stop coming and the club will be able to charge even more for transient attendees. Wouldn’t that be the dream?
“This is a very delicate issue for sure,” cheered Manchester City chief suit Khaldoon al-Mubarak. Fans will be rinsed on average 5% more if they want to head to the Etihad next season. But do not worry, because all money made from season tickets will be reinvested into the squad – and not on any legal eagles – which is reassuring, because the estimated additional £2m that the hikes will bring into a club which recently boasted of £80m profits should allow for the youth team to have a new right-back. That will surely turn the naysayers. The suits seem to think fans are nothing without football but as Jock Stein would tell you, it is the other way round. Hopefully some realise before it is too late.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When I took over the first team in May on an interim basis, I had hoped that it wouldn’t just be a short adventure. With every moment that I spent with the team after that, my wish to be allowed to stay long-term in this position grew stronger” – Sabrina Wittman gets the Ingolstadt gig on a full-time basis, becoming the first female coach given the role with a men’s team in Germany’s top three divisions.
WIN A DAVID SQUIRES PRINT!
Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we’re giving away one more David Squires cartoon on Friday. To enter, just write us a letter for publication below. We will choose the best of our letter o’ the day winners at the end of the week and that worthy winner will then be given a voucher for one of our top, top cartoonist’s prints. It could even be of this one. And if you’re not successful, you can scan the full archive of David’s cartoons here and buy your own. Terms and conditions for the competition can be viewed here.
If I was Luke Littler, I’d be more than a little worried now that James Maddison has a whole summer to practice his darts” – Antony Train.
I was fascinated to see last week that Red Bull have bought a stake in Leeds United. Now every tyke down at Elland Road will be able to exclaim: ‘Well, RB’” – Stephen John Rankin.
With the exciting news that David Gray is the new incumbent of the Hibs hot seat, we have to ask will he find Babylon or just sail away?” – Tom Connolly.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Stephen John Rankin, who now has the chance to win a David Squires cartoon from our print shop at the end of the week. Terms and conditions for all this can be viewed here.