City justify 5% season ticket price rises - and extra £25 for a ‘physical’ card

‘WE CONTINUE TO BENCHMARK AGAINST INDUSTRY STANDARDS’

LEICESTER City season tickets for the 2024/24 campaign will cost supporters 5 per cent more after the club announced a price hike.

Following the increase, the cheapest season ticket at the King Power Stadium will be priced at £404, up from £385, with rises for every seat.

It is the second time in three years City have raised season ticket costs, albeit there was a seven-year price freeze prior to that.

Upon announcing the latest rise, on Sunday evening, the club said: “Ticket pricing for the season has been carefully considered in the context of ongoing inflationary pressures which, as we entirely appreciate, are a reality shared by both the club and its supporters with the rising cost of living.

“The club has and will continue to bear the majority of the increased operating costs to which we are subject, while recognising the need to operate responsibly and sustainably.

“The club continues to benchmark against industry standards.

“Season tickets at King Power Stadium continue to be priced at competitive levels and continue to reflect our commitment to keeping football accessible and affordable for our dedicated supporters.”

City are not the only club to have announced season ticket price rises for the upcoming campaign.

There have been increases at Liverpool (2 per cent), Tottenham (6 per cent), and Brighton (5 to 8 per cent), while there has been much anger at Nottingham Forest where the cheapest season ticket has risen from £465 to £550 - that’s an increase of 18 per cent, no matter what division the Premier League strugglers find themselves in next season.

As well as the price increase at City, there will be an extra cost of £25 for supporters who want a physical season card, rather than using mobile ticketing.

The club said the mobile format is now their default as it “aligns with our goals for a more sustainable and efficient stadium experience for supporters”.

However, fans were not happy on the Mercury’s social media.

One, Darren Hall, said: “They say they want all to use mobiles to be more sustainable, yet they create up to 20,000 clappers - of which half get wasted. How much do these cost every home game.”

Another, Kev Coley, added: “A lot of fans, particularly older ones, don’t have smart phones so why should they be discriminated against?

“Presumably, if you have a card then this will carry over to next season, just like it did last year, so the £25 charge won’t be applicable?

“Bear in mind that the price increases and card charge is coming from a club that wantonly overspends by £100 million-plus and breaches sustainability rules with impunity.

“I doubt that the extra revenue squeezed out of me is going to save us any penalty points!”

The 2024/25 campaign will be the third season in which mobile ticketing is in place, but the first in which season cards have come at an additional price.

However, they will remain free for over-65s, under-12s and supporters with a disability.

The club said that up to 7,000 supporters per matchday now use mobile ticketing, albeit fans group the Foxes Trust have said only 1,600 season-ticket holders opted for it last term.

The club said they will host a series of open days before the season to guide fans through the mobile ticketing technology, while they will also have staff on hand to help with any issues.

The season ticket renewal period opens this Friday, April 26, and runs until 5pm on Monday, May 13.

Supporters who renew have until 5pm on Wednesday, June 5 to apply for a physical season card.