PREM CLUBS’ RIP-OFF TOURS
EVERTON have hiked the price of their VIP stadium tours by a whopping 400%.
That’s despite the club earning nearly £128million in Premier League prize money and telly revenue last season.
The wealthy Merseyside club is one of several to put up the costs – Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City have also raised prices for the 2018/19 season.
Just three years ago reports lauded Everton for charging just £20 for guided tours of Goodison Park, above, led by legends Graeme Sharp, right, Ian Snodin or Graham Stuart.
But prices for the coming season have soared to £99 “including VAT” for tours hosted by ex-player Mark Higgins alongside “two other Everton Legends”.
And in a further blow, tickets for under-18s are now £49 each.
Billed as “fascinating behind-thescenes tours”, the Goodison events include an, “intimate Q&A session with Legends” and “light refreshments served by award-winning chefs”.
Arsenal and Leicester have raised the cost of their standard stadium tours by £1, the Gunners from £22 to
£23 and the Foxes from £14 to £15. The latest price hikes follow earlier increases. Arsenal charged just £20 in
2015 while Leicester asked for £10 per adult. The increases come despite the north London club pocketing £142million in prize money last term and Leicester picking up £118million. Premier League champions Manchester City also took the chance to raise their rates with stadium tour prices increasing to £23.50. Tickets were just £16 each in 2015.
The price increases come despite Pep Guardiola’s side pocketing £149million in prize money and TV revenue. There is some good news for fans. Clubs including Chelsea, Huddersfield Town, Liverpool, Manchester United, Southampton and West Ham United have frozen their prices for basic stadium and Legends tours. Manchester United still offer the most expensive Legends tour in the Premier League at £120 a ticket, hosted by ex-stars including Sammy McIIroy, Norman Whiteside and Alex Stepney. Martyn James, of complaint handling group resolver.co.uk, said: “It’s a myth that football fans will pay anything their club charges them. “I’m constantly hearing from supporters priced out of tours and other events such as these.
“So while it’s great news that some of the big 20 are freezing prices, the rest of the clubs are on notice – don’t assume fans will stay loyal if you repeatedly rip them off.”