The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Fans’ warning to NUFC: put people before profit
DARREN Eales has been urged to “resist the temptation to prioritise profit over people” by the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust (NUST).
The NUST have written a letter to the Newcastle CEO expressing their concerns over the price of football. The trust feel it is vital to protect the club’s loyal supporter base from Premier League wide price increases.
Spurs announced season ticket prices will increase by 6% next season, which left the Tottenham Supporters’ Trust “dismayed”, and thousands of fans turned their backs during a home game against Luton in protest to the Londoners no longer offering new senior concession tickets for fans aged 65 and over from 2025/26.
Elsewhere, following a rise in season ticket prices at the Etihad by an average of 5%, Manchester City fans displayed a banner before the title clash against Arsenal, which read: ‘Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty.’
The NUST have called on Newcastle to be the club that goes against the grain and does everything possible to drive down ticket prices.
“We understand the financial pressures and challenges faced by modern football clubs in the form of profit and sustainability rules (PSR),” an excerpt of the letter read.
“However, we urge you to resist the temptation to prioritise profit over people.
“While ticket prices and match day expenses may seem like mere figures on a balance sheet, they have real-life implications for fans; and those implications for fans are far greater than the benefits they provide for clubs.
“For many, attending a match is a significant investment, requiring careful budgeting and sacrifice. By keeping ticket prices affordable, you are not only showing appreciation for the loyalty of existing fans but also welcoming new supporters into the fold.”
Peter Silverstone has previously spoken about that “really sensitive subject” as the club’s chief commercial officer warned “we have to make sure that we don’t price them out of their passion”.
Newcastle are currently awaiting the findings of the club’s stadium feasibility study as the Magpies, in the words of Eales, attempt to “grow match day revenues” through a future expansion of St James’ Park.
Eales has stressed the need to be “smart to try to grow our revenue streams”, at a time when a sevenday-a-week fan zone is currently being built at Strawberry Place, and Newcastle have a huge gap to bridge on the established order.
Newcastle made £37.9m in match income and £43.9m in commercial revenue last season. To put those figures into perspective, Spurs took home £117.6m in match receipts in the same period plus a whopping £227.7m in commercial income.
Chairman Daniel Levy said the club’s record turnover of £549.6m had been “driven by increased stadium revenues from both football and non-football events”.
Spurs, for instance, announced an expansion of the club’s partnership with the NFL through to 2030 as well as 15-year agreement to host F1 Drive-london, which is the first F1 branded electric karting experience in the world.
Away from sport, Beyonce’s five gigs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were the highest-grossing concerts ever staged by a female artist at the time, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Afropop star Wizkid also performed at the stadium last year.
Spurs’ revenues only look set to increase further in the coming years. Planning permission has even been granted for a 180-room hotel on site, which will include 50 private apartments, to support Spurs’ conference and events business.