The prices for the first season tickets at the new Everton Stadium have been announced
The prices for the first season tickets at the new Everton Stadium have been announced
Evertonians have been waiting for months, or even years, for this moment, with the first set of season ticket prices announced at the new stadium but the four-figure costs predicted by some have yet to materialise. No rise is a good rise at the time of a cost-of-living crisis, but the Blues’ claim they have maintained a commitment to affordable pricing for families is no platitude – so long as the team get through the current historic final campaign at Goodison Park with their Premier League status intact of course, and this has to be a must.
Ahead of a weekend when Everton supporters will stand shoulder to shoulder with their Manchester United counterparts ahead of their fixture at Old Trafford to protest against rising ticket costs, and an increasing scarcity, or indeed outright absence, of concessions under the Glazers and Jim Ratcliffe, before a similar gesture by Liverpool and Manchester City fans before their game at Anfield, later on Sunday, the Blues are rolling out Under-11s season tickets for £199 and Under-18s season tickets in the Family Stand for £256.
Given that, again with the caveat that it’s still top flight football on offer, that former price for Everton’s youngest spectators equates to just over a tenner per game, it’s a competitive option compared to alternative leisure activities on offer for those in that age group. At the other end of the scale, even the most expensive season ticket comes in at an average of just over £47 per match, which is still considerably less than the individual £66 a head, regardless of age, that followers of the Red Devils are complaining about, given their lack of consultation.
In contrast, Everton’s number crunching is the result of extensive work engaging with their supporters through various surveys and workshops and price increases at Goodison in recent years have helped bridge the gap to ensure this latest announcement does not feel like too large a jump. Whatever your personal views on the prices, there is – again after feedback from the fans – considerably greater breadth of price choices with 37 compared to Goodison’s 10, ensuring it’s far more tailored to individual requirements.
For the first time in a generation, Evertonians will be able to officially stand at home games and with national guidelines recommending you should be at least 14 to take part in this more physical experience in the rail seating of the South Stand Lower, a special youth tariff for 14-to-21-year-olds has been devised. Those who are younger but feel robust enough to be in this part of the stadium can do so, but must pay the same amount (£570), while those who remember terraces first time around but are now 65 plus, entitling them to a senior tariff in other parts of the Blues’ future home, must pay the standard adult tariff for those aged 22 and above of £760.
Another new feature that will revolutionise going to the game is the scope for mingling with friends and family from all other parts of the stadium (other than the Family Stand which will be self-contained) in the concourses, both before kick-off and at half-time, so long as they are on your level. As the club have pointed out, given that the move from Goodison means an end to any obstructed view seats, and a revolutionised matchday experience for fans that will include wide, expansive concourses, extensive wi-fi and mobile phone connectivity, and an unparalleled range of best-in-class food and drink offerings, it hopefully isn’t too much of a price to pay for loyal but long-suffering Evertonians who are now just hoping to be able to look forward to a bright new dawn by the banks of the Mersey in less than nine months’ time.