West Ham United‘s Premier League season opener against Aston Villa on August 17th is facing a potential attendance crisis due to a ticketing controversy.
Discontent among West Ham fans regarding season ticket price hikes has been brewing for some time. The situation escalated with the removal of concessionary pricing for new season tickets, making it more expensive for families to attend games.
Adding fuel to the fire, the club’s decision to classify the Villa match as a Category A fixture, with tickets ranging from £45 to a staggering £105, has infuriated supporters. This designation, possibly the first for Villa, is seen as unjustified by many fans.
This move contradicts a recent statement from West Ham reassuring fans of their commitment to “affordable family football.” Hammers United, a supporters’ group, has calculated that a family of four would pay £280 for Band Four seats for the Villa match. Now add in travel costs, programmes, hot dogs and drinks – the cost for a day out is bcoming untenable.
The combination of high prices and the lack of family-friendly ticketing options has led to threats of a boycott from fans. Many are considering watching the game on television rather than attending the London Stadium.
A half-empty stadium for the season opener would be a negative image for West Ham, the Premier League, and new manager Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham needs to address fan concerns immediately. Reconsidering the Villa match’s Category A status or implementing family-friendly ticketing options are potential solutions to prevent a disappointing start to the season.
And travel costs, we don’t all live in Stratford!
Brady and sullivan greedy..I had season ticket for first 2 seasons at London stadium but now refuse to go…£105 for a game against Aston villa what a joke…so much for affordable football…I rather go support Leyton oriented or just go away games…not the west ham I grew up with..£1.50 to stand up in North Bank..
I use to pay 0.30p for North Bank Upton Park and 0.50p for adult’s that was watching the likes off Clive best Trevor brooking Billy bonds. Frank lampard snr
Some fans are now just in it for themselves, no thought for anyone else. It wasn’t that long ago we were a community looking out for each other. The recent concession petition is proof of that, its embarrassing.
I’ve been a west ham fan for 50 years.Always got over several times a season but unfortunately haven’t been for a while.I live in N.Ireland with flights hotel and match tickets it would cost me over a grand just for one night in London. Not to have cheaper tickets for families and oap who are the life blood is just ridiculous.
Interesting who states stop moaning and support your team.
Many of my friends who went home and away in the 70’s and early 80’s when we got 11-12000 at home and 3-400 away just can’t afford it.
These guys are true claret and blue, kept the club going through tough times and our owners have turned their back on them.
The so called fantasy football fans who say pay up or bug off, don’t understand the true supporters, you are the typical I’m ok, stuff the rest.
The ones who are trying to fight the corner for the less fortunate are probably the older generation who knew what being part of West Ham was all about.
The selfish I’m all right jack are what it’s about now.
I hope one day you are not in the position of many who can’t afford to go, or actually maybe I do !
Totally agree with what you say.Loved going over meeting up with old friends. Having a few beers going to the match and supporting the team through thick and thin..But it’s getting Totally out of hand.
Thanks
So we pay for our season but we are gonna teach them a lesson and not turn up on mass. How brainless is that. That makes about as much sense as buying a brand new Ferrari which was really expensive. But as a dig at Ferrari you decide not to drive it.
I’m not keen on the head honchos but there are many of our fans with a complete agenda against them which overrides everything. New owners at any cost ask Everton fans how that works out. Oh you don’t need to we had some great benefactors from Iceland didn’t we?
Sorry but fans like you can’t see the bigger picture, blinkered and acting like lemmings. If we the fans want the club to survive we need to keep the owners in check not suppress those trying to do that.
So you think that as the board has decided a band 6 ticket for the Aston Villa game for a 5 year old child is £50 that’s ok and the fans should just suck it up? £200 for the worst seats in the house for a family of 4 for 90 minutes against Aston Villa, a game being shown live on TV, is an absolute scandal. You would have to be insane to think that’s affordable family football.
I find it really strange we have fans like Andrew and Jim that think it’s fine for the club not to offer any children/OAP discounts for the Aston Villa game. Happy just to sit back and take whatever Sullivan and Brady throw at them. Show me another club that treats its fans in this contemptable way? IF it was just a small minority then where are the majority of fans for the Betway Cup game? The FACT the club are only selling seats in two sides of the lower tiers shows the boycott is working.
Boycotting the game penalises the team and new management, not the owners.
We should be supporting the team if you are a real supporter !
Think about the impact of what you are proposing and get behind the team for the new season.
Like Jim says no one forces you to buy a ticket and if you feel that strongly then go and support someone else.
I’m sick & tired of a small minority of so called fans constantly having a dig.
We are supposed to be West Ham supporters- that should give you a clue on what we should be doing !
COYI
You tell him Andrew. If you’re a real supporter just bend over and drop trow like a good boy…
It’s the old ABBA adage yet again, money money money its sullivans world. Well we have had enough now. How can you continue to price hike when all you deliver is dross performances on the pitch now if we scored 74 instead of conceding 74 you may have had a, case but we didn’t did we. In my honest opinion it’s time for sullivan to sell up. We don’t want you.
Well said Pongo
I think your bottom and your mouth have changed places. Nobody forces you to buy a ticket. Are you a Millwall supporter in disguise