There’s something particularly telling about what Everton haven’t said.
On Friday, Everton revealed costs for 2026/27 season tickets.
In response, the Everton Fan Advisory Board issued a formal statement expressing deep disappointment, accusing the Friedkin Group of prioritising short-term financial gain over the loyalty of the fanbase. The FAB – a body that exists specifically to represent supporters in dialogue with the club – have gone on record to say that despite consistent advice, insights and feedback, many of the concerns they raised on behalf of supporters were not reflected in the final decision.
And from the club’s ownership? Nothing.
That silence is a statement in itself.
The FAB’s statement noted that Everton fans now face rises of up to almost 10%, close to three times the current rate of inflation, adding to an already challenging financial environment and having a real impact on overall affordability. The FAB had lobbied clearly and publicly for a three-year price freeze, arguing that the increased capacity and commercial opportunities at the new ground should be sufficient to sustain the club without asking more from the match-going fan.
That request was ignored.
What makes the lack of communication so infuriating is that there wasn’t even the pretence of explanation. The club announced what prices would be, and that was it. Done. Take it or leave it.
Not even the bare minimum of acknowledging another price hike. No acknowledgement that supporters might have questions. No assurance about what comes next year, or the year after. Just a number, a renewal window, and silence.
At least a few words from the clubs owner’s or CEO, – however hollow – signals some awareness that you owe fans the common courtesy of an explanation. The message from the Friedkin Group, whether intentional or not, is clear: we don’t feel we need to justify this to you.
That should concern every Evertonian as much as the price itself.
Whenever season ticket holders express any discontent, you’ll hear muttered in certain corners –“If they don’t want it, someone else will.”
It’s the most dismissive thing you can say to a supporter who has given years, possibly decades, of their custom and their loyalty to a football club. It reduces a relationship built on genuine emotional commitment to the logic of a queue management system. There are names on that waiting list, the argument goes, so why worry?
Here’s why you should worry.
That waiting list was not compiled last week. People on a list, who say they’d like a season ticket – particularly from 5+ years back, signed up for an entirely different product than the one they’d get today.
The novelty of getting to Goodison before it’s gone, has gone. The novelty of a new stadium and being the first, also gone. The reality of infrastructure issues. People realising that actually, you can cherry pick almost any game you like – you don’t need a season ticket for access now like you did at Goodison. The cost too, has rocketed.
I don’t doubt if a significant number of season tickets become available, they’d be snapped up. Demand exists. But in two years’ time? Three? I’m not confident that trend would continue as prices continue to rise, as the novelty continues to fade, as the cost-of-living reality bites ever harder.
If the assumption is that they’re the same motivated, hungry prospective season ticket holders they were five years ago, that assumption may be wrong.
Evidenced by almost every home game this season having 2-4 tickets you can purchase in any stand. Empty seats. Why haven’t the ever growing season ticket waiting list been snapping them up?
The Soul of the Club vs. The Bottom Line
Clubs that treat their most committed fans as interchangeable, as simply bodies in seats who can be swapped out for the next name on a list, tend to find that approach comes back to bite them. Fan culture, atmosphere, identity – these things are not maintained by a rolling door of new attendees. They’re built over generations by people who keep showing up, who bring their kids, who care about more than just being there for the occasion. You don’t just replace those people. You lose something when they go, and you often don’t notice it until it’s gone.
Just compare the response of the Goodison crowd to Everton’s relegation fight to Tottenham now.
The FAB’s statement said this decision “fails to recognise the growing sentiment amongst supporters that our game is moving further and further away from its core values, identity and soul.” They’re right. And the club’s decision to say absolutely nothing in response suggests that, for now at least, the Friedkin Group either don’t understand that sentiment – or simply don’t care.
Neither is acceptable.