Liverpool supporters are set to protest ahead of their Premier League clash with Fulham at Anfield on Saturday after the club announced plans to increase ticket prices
PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 8: Liverpool FC CEO Billy Hogan attends the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final First Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at Parc des Princes on April 8, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Federico Pestellini/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Billy Hogan has written a letter to supporters(Image: Federico Pestellini/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has written to all of the club's season ticket holders and members in a last-ditch effort to quell protests ahead of Saturday's home game against Fulham. It comes after Liverpool announced last month that the cost of tickets will increase in line with inflation over the next three seasons.
Supporters' union Spirit of Shankly subsequently launched a campaign called 'not a pound in the ground', urging fans to spend their money at local businesses instead of Anfield for the Fulham match. On Thursday, fan group Spion Kop 1906 confirmed that they will remove their flags and banners from the Kop End for the 'remaining fixtures'.
Hogan has now issued a plea to supporters but doubled down on the club's stance. The chief executive of Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool's owners, wrote in a letter: "Liverpool Football Club fully respects the right of supporters to protest and we acknowledge those supporters who are opposed to this approach.
"But we would also ask one thing in the days and weeks ahead: that any protest, and any debate, is grounded in the facts - what is changing, why it is changing, and what it means in real terms."
Hogan added: "Our matchday operating costs at Anfield have risen significantly in recent years - up 85% including Anfield Road (or 57% excluding Anfield Road) over the past decade, with utility costs up 107% over just the past four years and business rates up 286% in that same period."
The American went on to explain that the three per cent rise would mean that for next season, an adult's general admission season ticket holders would cost between £1.13 and £1.42 extra per game. Hogan says that the current forecast predicts that the cost of an adult's general admission matchday ticket would rise by between £3 and £4.50 over the full three years.
He then defended Liverpool's pricing compared to their Premier League rivals, adding: "We have frozen general admission season ticket prices in eight of the last ten seasons. Today's cheapest Kop match ticket price is the same price now as it was 15 years ago, despite cumulative inflation across the UK economy of around 45% in that period.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Fans of Liverpool show their support during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Liverpool FC and Galatasaray SK at Anfield on March 18, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Liverpool's fans have planned a protest(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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"We are also operating in a league where other clubs have increased prices at a materially higher rate over the past decade. Since 2016/17, our competitors in the top six have increased ticket prices by an average of 17%, where we have increased our prices by 4% over the same period.
"No decision has been made post this three year approach and we will continue to meaningfully engage with our Supporters Board ahead of that time."
His letter has been met with fierce backlash from supporters. "Talk about not reading the room," one fan posted on X. "Lovely own goal, Billy," a second added.
Another supporter is standing firm and said: "After reading my email and understanding the increased costs, I'm still backing not a pound in the ground and further protests. I urge LFC to properly engage with the fan groups! Unity is strength. Ynwa!"
The mood at Anfield hasn't been lived by Liverpool's performances on the pitch. Arne Slot's side have lost four of their last six games, winning just one, and they'll need to overturn a two-goal deficit in their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.
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