West Ham are still facing scrutiny over its financial practices and ticket pricing policies. While the club has achieved some success on the pitch, concerns remain about the commercial aspects of the business.
Karren Brady, has been criticised for her handling of the concession ticket debacle as the war of words rages on. Whilst the current ownershio made significant investments in the club, there is a perception that they prioritise commercial interests over the needs of fans.
West Ham has faced backlash over its ticket pricing policies. Fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the rising cost of tickets and the limited availability of affordable options. The club’s decision to move concessions tickets to less desirable areas of the London Stadium further fuelled criticism and the release of black balloons as a statement against the ticketing can be seen regularly.
PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) has occasionally been cited as a reason why clubs across the Premier League need to raise ticket prices.
For West Ham, this is certainly not the case and I just don’t buy it.
They are one of only a handful of clubs to have more or less broken even in recent seasons, with the Premier League allowing losses of up to £105m over a rolling three-year period. It should also be noted that the Hammers rental agreement in Stratford more than compensates for any ticket revenue loss given that we pay a peppercorn rent. Whist other clubs have struggled with increases in utilities and staffing costs, West Ham have the luxury of leaving those expenses to the stadium operator.
The Hammers have achieved financial success as a result of the stadium move and the penny pinching would seem unnecessary. The club has earned significant matchday income, however, the lack of a lucrative naming rights deal for the London Stadium remains a missed opportunity for revenue generation.
Good article Simon
While no supporter of the removal of concessions this article does cherry pick its arguments. Yes, not having the upkeep of the stadium does save money but whether that offsets money from events that could be used against PSR if we owned it is debatable. Do Spurs pay more in ground running costs than they get in event income?
West Ham did price many tickets at a low price when we moved to Stratford and that was in part a necessity to raise the crowd levels from the mid thirty thousands at Upton Park to the sixties now at the London stadium. Comparing the cost of watching West Ham against other London clubs should at least be mentioned in the article. The club getting more revenue and leveraging the bigger stadium is probably something most fans will not have an issue with. How the board goes about it may be a bigger issue.
As for breaking even selling Rice was a big deal in achieving that. The time in Europe helped a bit (although the Conference league will never make you rich) but the recent transfer spend, even with the suggested lower wage bill, together with no Europe may make this year look less pleasant.
Yeah, nobody likes to pay more, but recent big rises in inflation means that EVERYTHING costs more. The bottom line at West Ham is that they are the cheapest season tickets in the Premier League.
Brady and Sullivan should concentrate on finding companies that will take on naming rights to the stadium.And reinstate concessions to the over 66 age group who have supported west ham for decades through thick and thin and moyesball !!!