Away tickets in the Premier League will be capped at £30 for the next two seasons
Premier League clubs have unanimously voted to retain a £30 cap on away tickets for the next two seasons in a measure that will benefit supporters of Sunderland and their top flight rivals.
The cap has been in place for a decade, and ensures that travelling fans in the top flight pay no more than a set price when watching their respective sides on the road. Thursday’s decision means that the limit will have been in place for 12 seasons by the time the current mandate expires in the summer of 2028.
In a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82 per cent to 91 per cent. The Premier League and clubs also acknowledge the additional costs associated with travelling to follow their teams around the country.”
For their part, the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) welcomed the decision, with chair Tom Greatrex explaining: "The extension of the away cap is great news for travelling top-flight fans - the cap was an FSA idea which wouldn't have happened without our members' campaign work. Credit to the Premier League and clubs for listening to supporters on the importance of away supporters and keeping the cap in place for the previous 12 seasons. Long may it continue.
"We all know how much away fans add to the atmosphere in our stadiums and anything which helps them is welcome. Over the past 12 years this has saved supporters millions of pounds in total. We'd also encourage owners to listen to the voices of supporters' groups at their clubs who are telling them that home ticket prices are often unaffordable and are pricing out loyal fans."
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join ourSAFC WhatsApp channel.
Sunderland address Tyne-Wear Derby ticket breach
Elsewhere, Sunderland issued a statement earlier this week confirming that a number of tickets for Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United had been returned to sale following what the club described as a “large-scale” breach of ticketing rules.
The Black Cats announced on Tuesday that a limited number of additional tickets were to be made available to the public once again, after action was taken against a supporter found to have misused their allocation. In total, 65 tickets were released back onto the market for the clash at St James’ Park, but have now been resold.
A Sunderland statement read: “A limited number of tickets for Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United will be on sale at 12pm today [Tuesday]. A total of 65 tickets have been returned to sale following action taken by the club to address a large-scale instance of misuse of away tickets. Following a recent review, the club cancelled tickets that had been purchased by a supporter who was found to be in breach of the club’s ticketing policies regarding away ticket usage.”
Continue Reading