Dynamic pricing: Valencia introduce ticket-pricing system
A spokesperson for the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which represents fans in England and Wales, said: “With impeccable timing after the Oasis fiasco, voices in football have started to float the idea of infecting football with dynamic pricing.
“Never underestimate the potential for the most greedy owners in football to try and import terrible ideas from other industries to exploit supporter loyalty.
“Matchgoers are already mobilising against the recent wave of price rises and attacks on concessions. Any underhand increases will be met with enormous opposition.”
The Premier League requires clubs to publish ticket prices at the start of each season, in theory preventing dynamic pricing.
About 70% of tickets sold by Premier League clubs are season tickets and not sold on an event-by-event basis.
But fan groups from clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves have protested against changes to ticket prices and procedures made this year, with 19 out of 20 Premier League clubs raising prices before the 2024-25 season, according to the FSA.
Revenue from ticket sales is crucial to the financial sustainability of the 72 clubs in the English Football League (EFL), and attendances across all fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two was a combined 23 million in 2023-24.
Dynamic pricing has not been discussed in any of the EFL’s regular forums with clubs.
Valencia, who are majority owned by Salford City shareholder Peter Lim said: “We understand the concern but we believe it’s more about fairness.
“It wouldn’t be fair for someone who planned ahead and bought a ticket early to pay the same as someone who waited until the last minute.
“We believe that the primary concern is not the concept of dynamic pricing itself, as it’s a common practice in industries like concerts or airlines.
“Instead, the frustration seems to stem from the uncertainty surrounding fixture schedules. Fans find it challenging to plan and purchase tickets in advance without knowing when the games will take place.”
Libertad VCF said: “What is not fair is that a fan, who loves his club, who went to the Mestalla for the first time when taken as a child by their father, who stuck by their club when it went down to the second division, is treated as a mere ‘spectator’.
“The fans are not just customers – they are the ones who created the club, who have followed it throughout its history, and are the most important element of a club.
“Maybe that doesn’t show in the financial accounts, but clubs without fans are nothing.”
BBC Sport has contacted the Premier League, the EFL and La Liga for comment.
