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Leeds United's Ticket Price Disgrace

Despite national campaigns to reduce the price of football, Leeds insist on charging astronomical prices to visitors and their own supporters

By robilaz
Alex Livesey/Getty Images

National campaigns from the likes of the Football Supporters' Federation have been fighting to reduce the costs of watching football for fans.

Movements like The FSF's 'Twenty's Plenty' campaign, which calls for all football clubs to limit away ticket prices to £20, have been doing great work in drawing this to the attention of professional football clubs. The general reception has been positive with plenty of teams, including Premier League side Swansea City, meeting the Twenty's Plenty request, and others introducing lower prices for specific games.

However, there remain other clubs that seem intent on alienating supporters and ignoring the fact that many fans can't afford to watch their clubs. They not only continue to maintain high prices, but are actively charging more.

Case in point, is Leeds United. Leeds is a club that has tasted the highs of football - winning the final First Division title before the Premier League was introduced in 1992, and competing in the Champions League as recently as 2001.

Since then the club has been through some real lows, including administration, near expulsion from the Football League and four seasons in League One before promotion back to The Championship in 2010. Despite this the club and, more specifically, its owner Massimo Cellino insist on living the lie that Leeds is still a big club.

This weekend supporters of Bolton Wanderers - a club doomed for League One and on the verge of administration - are being charged £37 for tickets in advance and a staggering £42 for tickets on the door for the honour of watching their failing players take on the might of Leeds. Leeds apparently also charge their own fans exactly the same prices to sit in the South Stand. Frankly, it's an absolute disgrace.

To put this in context, Leeds is a club languishing in 18th in The Championship, just nine points off the relegation zone and 17 points away from the play-offs, having only won one of their last ten matches. In comparison, adult ticket prices to watch Leicester City - who are top of the Premier League - begin at just £26, while you can go and watch Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard as Everton take on Chelsea next Saturday (March 12th) for just £35. I know where I'd rather be.

We spoke to the FSF on this issue, and their spokesperson told us:

"Away fans are vital to the atmosphere in grounds as anyone who's watched a game without travelling supporters in the stadium can attest.

"Leeds United charge some of the highest prices in the Football League for both home and away fans - £37 is far too much and Twenty's Plenty for Away Tickets.

"These prices are unfair and will hit Bolton Wanderers fans hard - Leeds United fans will have sympathy as they're regularly hit with high Category A prices on the road too."

We asked Leeds United for a response on their ticket prices and, unsurprisingly, did not receive a response. We also asked Leeds United supporters for their thoughts on the situation and received the below:

The Leeds fans are angry, Bolton fans and supporters across the country are confused, and the prices that the Yorkshire side are charging are an absolute disgrace. Hopefully their owners will open their eyes to the fact that the club wouldn't exist without the fans and that they need to stop ripping off their own supporters. But I won't be holding my breath on that.

The FSF is organising another weekend of Twenty's Plenty action in two weeks' time, in which they are looking for fans to lobby boards of Premier League clubs. More information on this is here.

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