As the price of watching top-flight football continues to rise to astronomical proportions, Liverpool supporters planning on boycotting tomorrow’s trip to face Hull City has been backed by the managers of both clubs.
An adult match-day ticket for Tuesday’s meeting at the KC Stadium came at a cost of £50 for any Reds fans choosing to make the trip. This, as it’s been pointed out by supporters union Spirit of Shankly and fan group Spion Kop 1906, stands in stark contrast to the price charged to both Stoke City and Burnley FC fans of £16 earlier in the campaign. If that’s not bad enough, looking back to last season, this fixture, though still quite a bit more expensive in comparison to other clubs, would run the travelling supporter £35 for an increase of 31% for this campaign.
“Like everything in modern football I respect the supporters right to protest. Supporters work very hard to earn their money to go to football games so they have a right to protest,” said Reds boss Brendan Rodgers with the same sentiments ecchoed by Hull City counterpart Steve Bruce. “I feel sorry for the supporters of big clubs who have to dig deep every week and I hope when the new TV money comes into play the Premier League can remember football does belong to supporters.”
The gigantic incoming £5bil TV rights deal will see the Premier League awash with even more cash than before which has raised concerns on how the money will be re-distributed. In an age where players, agents and managers make more money than ever before, the everyday fan — the lifeblood of the game — looks to be getting lost in the mix. While this boycott may not turn the tide on its own, there’s little doubt that there’s more to come — and not just from Liverpool supporters.
