Some fans have been told to pay over £4k for the full package of games next season
Newcastle United have hiked corporate season tickets by 25 per cent – taking entry-level hospitality seats from £2600 to £3300 for the coming season.
The domestic package includes 19 league games plus one FA Cup and one League Cup match, while the four Champions League group games will add another £936 in costs, bringing the overall outlay to over £4200.
Club sources admit that while a “small number” of hospitality ticket prices have gone up by this amount, it is not across the board in the corporate sector, and those that have increased “correlate with improvements to the package and upgrades to some hospitality areas”.
However, fans have been left furious at what is seen by some as a blatant money grab by the club, alleging they are looking to push out season-ticket holders in favour of more attractive one-off visitors at an inflated price for a single match.
“We’re not big business, just a family of Newcastle fans looking to make each match a special experience,” one disgruntled supporter told The i Paper.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: A statue of Sir Bobby Robson sits outside the ground, seen ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Fulham FC at St. James Park on December 16, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images)
The hikes are on the back of Newcastle’s historic season (Photo: Getty)
“We’ve been attending St James’ park for decades but this is going to be our first season without any tickets as we simply cannot afford the rise.”
The i Paper understands that anyone unwilling to pay the 25 per cent rise will be offered no alternatives and are likely to have no loyalty points should a waiting list emerge for upcoming season tickets – effectively placing them at the back of the queue, regardless of whether they have had a corporate season ticket for many years.
It is not the first time Newcastle have angered their corporate match-going fans. Corporate box holders, who get 10 seats included in the expensive package which costs upwards of £50,000 for the season, only received four tickets for the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool in March.
Two years previously, corporate clients were given 10 tickets each for their Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester United.
The club insisted the situation was a complex one, as general admission season-ticket holders needed to be part of the cup scheme and needed to have bought tickets for a certain number of Carabao Cup matches in order to guarantee a cup final ticket.
Hospitality clients did not need to buy tickets in earlier rounds and were still entitled to a cup final ticket per seasonal place purchased, up to a maximum of four tickets.
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Demand for Newcastle tickets has increased tenfold since their takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the gulf state.
Supporters who would regularly buy tickets through the ballot and would ordinarily be successful, have told The i Paper that they very rarely get any now, with some not being able to attend any home matches all season.
Touting and the resale of tickets at an inflated price has become a real problem for the club. Ahead of their Carabao Cup final success, Newcastle announced they had banned 43 fans since the start of last season for reselling tickets.
Senior club staff recently met members of their officially appointed FAB (Fan Advisory Board), with the minutes from that meeting showing that when the club reviewed their 2024-25 statistics, they claim that they found 1,001 ticket touts on their ticketing system.
Newcastle are of course not the only club to have caused unrest among their fanbase over ticket price rises.
Supporters at Old Trafford hold up banners in front of the director’s box every home match in protest against price hikes, Manchester City fans have taken legal action against the club over what they say is a discriminatory new season-ticket policy, while Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton have come together to voice their concern over fan treatment.