Clubs will keep £30 away-day price cap

THE price cap on away tickets in the Premier League, which was due to expire at the end of this season, is to be extended. Premier League officials will strongly recommend at tomorrow’s shareholders meeting that the restriction, which stops clubs charging away fans more than £30, remains for a further three years. The agreement was introduced in March 2016 following outcry over the cost to supporters of travelling to watch their team. It also came amid a slight drop in the numbers of away fans at matches. The introduction of the cap has seen those figures stabilise. So far this season, the average visiting support is around 2,300, a small increase on last season. The Premier League will tell their clubs a decision to end the cap entirely or increase the £30 level would risk damaging the reputation of the competition and its clubs. The expected extension has been welcomed by the Football Supporters’ Federation. A spokesperson said: ‘We have always argued that away supporter attendance needs to be encouraged if the atmosphere and spectacle of a live match is to be sustained. ‘There had been a rapid rise in away ticket costs for many supporters and the cap put a halt on that. ‘However, we still believe more can be done and we call on the Premier League to look at ways to further reduce concessionary ticket costs and subsidise travel costs when games are moved for TV.’ Meanwhile, the number of no-shows at Premier League matches has risen to 9.3 per cent, leaving thousands of empty seats at games. That is a rise of 0.8 per cent on the same stage last season. At one club, the average figure of those with tickets who do not turn up is 18.4 per cent. At one match, the no-show level was 30 per cent. Average attendances are similar to last season’s record of 38,255.