Exactly six hours before kick-off for Tottenham’s home game against Luton this weekend, I was on the pitch for a stadium tour and “SkyWalk” with my nephew.
Even on a sleepy Saturday morning, the Spurs home looks like a money-making machine; turn left for the tour, right for the SkyWalk, straight ahead for the go-kart and chairman Daniel Levy deserves credit for effectively future-proofing the club while many of its rivals sweat over financial fair play rules.
They were even selling drinks to SkyWalkers on the roof of the stadium at 10.30am, mostly from the club’s “Official Craft Beer supplier”, and there was a long queue outside the club store as kick-off approached.
In fact, my nephew and I were behaving exactly as Levy and the club wanted from fans: Arrive early and enjoy the fun; Watch the match and then stay up late; Ideally, spend as much money as possible on food, drink and merchandise along the way.
This will be the future of matchdays, as Manchester United’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is determined to redevelop Old Trafford, announced last month.
“The fans are benefiting from it because there is work to be done,” Ratcliffe told the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. “The club benefits from this because they can get better players.”
Spurs are well ahead of average and it is no surprise that the club this morning saw its commercial income rise to £227.7m in the year ending June 2023, up from £183.5m in the previous 12 months. This ready cash flow makes it even more despicable that Spurs are among the clubs exploiting fans’ loyalty by jacking up ticket prices. The club last month increased the price of season tickets by six per cent and announced the end of all new senior discounts from 2025-26 and the phasing out of senior discounts.
If Spurs were hoping the backlash would die down once their accounts were released, they were wrong and today’s financial results come after fans returned to the pitch after 65 minutes to protest the decision to remove senior concessions during the Luton game.
Another protest is planned for Sunday’s match against Nottingham Forest and the issue threatens to spoil the high point of a promising season.
Spurs are not the only club to increase club prices and the “race to the bottom”, as one supporters’ group describes it, is a Premier League-wide problem: 17 of the top 20 clubs have so far announced season ticket increases for 2024-25.
While Fulham fans have long fought against rising costs, including 18 per cent for adult season tickets this season and 58 per cent for juniors, Arsenal have become the first team to cancel major future concessions.
One of the main complaints outlined in a letter to team owners by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust last month was the sharp rise in matchday prices.
Outside the capital, Manchester City fans unfurled a banner at the Etihad Stadium ahead of Sunday’s match against Arsenal that read: “Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty.” Clubs justify the raises with the need to survive in the constantly competitive top-flight environment and comply with financial rules.
But ultimately ticket sales make up a relatively small percentage of top-flight clubs’ revenues; While Spurs will earn between £2.5 million and £3 million per year from next season, Arsenal, which recorded £464.6 million in revenue last term, will earn approximately £2 million extra from the 4 to 6 percent increase in season tickets.
Clubs don’t actually need the extra money, while many fans affected by the cost of living crisis do.
Increasingly expensive matchday tickets are emerging as part of an effort to attract different types of fans to games, transforming matchdays from a sporting event into a full-blown entertainment experience of the sort I experienced at Spurs.
The balance for clubs is to continue to accommodate established fans, who often create the wild atmosphere that makes the top flight such an attractive broadcast product, and day-trippers, who often stay longer and spend more.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said it was unfair to describe new fans as “plastic or tourists” – and true enough.
But the Australian knows as well as anyone the roles football clubs can play in communities; He described his childhood team, South Melbourne, as a “sanctuary” for his family after emigrating to Melbourne from Greece.
There are fans who feel the same about Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham and City, who are increasingly in danger of being forgotten.
The obvious risk for clubs is that they will eventually pay the price for increased revenues by losing the identity and community spirit that are so important to their success.