SPIRIT of Shankly has joined 115 other supporter organisations – including the Liverpool Supporters’ Board – in calling for a two-year halt on ticket price rises across the Premier League.

Supporter groups from all 20 Premier League clubs have co-signed a letter shared by The Football Supporters’ Association under the banner: ‘Protect The Fans. Protect The Game.’

Our chair Paul Khan, alongside Supporters’ Board chair Jay McKenna, has written to Liverpool FC to emphasise the reasons for pushing for a two-year halt, supporting the national position and opening the door for discussions on the subject.

It reads:

We are writing jointly as the Chairs of the Liverpool Supporters’ Board and Spirit of Shankly to update you on the national supporter position on ticketing, and to set out the steps we hope Liverpool FC will take in response.

Attached is the Protect the Fans. Protect the Game. document, co-signed by more than 100 supporter organisations and Fan Advisory Boards across the Premier League. This sets out the collective national ask for a two-season halt on home ticket price increases and explains the rationale behind it – including rising costs for supporters, disruption caused by TV scheduling, and the unprecedented commercial and broadcast revenues now enjoyed by Premier League clubs.

We want to acknowledge Liverpool’s decision last summer to freeze home ticket prices for the current season, which was welcomed by supporters and taken alongside six other clubs. However, both locally and nationally, fans are now increasingly worried about the long-term direction of travel across the league.

Nineteen out of 20 clubs increased prices last season, and while there have been freezes at Liverpool and elsewhere this season, the overall trend is clear: match-going supporters are being asked to shoulder more and more of the burden. Loyal fans – many of whom have supported their clubs through every high and low – are feeling the pinch as football takes an ever-larger share of their disposable income.

From ticket prices to travel, from TV subscriptions to food and drink at the stadium, supporters are being hit at every turn.

From ticket prices to travel, from TV subscriptions to food and drink at the stadium, supporters are being hit at every turn. This week alone it was reported that UK fans will likely require another subscription to watch the Champions League, with Paramount joining a growing portfolio of football rights holders. We know many supporters are left starting to question whether they can continue to follow their club in the way they always have. It’s this very loyal and world-famous support that helps drive the team on and make the club what it is – and it needs to be protected.

These conversations are happening at a time when the Premier League’s domestic and international broadcast deals have never been higher. With three years left on the current UK deal, this period provides the perfect opportunity for clubs to agree a two-season halt on price increases and ensure supporter costs are properly aligned with the league’s growing revenues.

In line with the national position, we are asking Liverpool FC to commit to a freeze on general admission and season ticket prices, while meaningful and transparent dialogue takes place between clubs, supporters, Fan Advisory Boards, and the Premier League. We believe a club-by-club “arms race” serves no-one – and this moment offers the opportunity for a more balanced, sustainable approach.

As you know, we have put forward alternative supporter-related income ideas, including exploring a commercial partner for The Twelfth Man at Anfield – celebrating the contribution of supporters while generating revenue without pushing additional costs onto match-goers. We look forward to exploring this idea further in the spirit of Bill Shankly’s mantra: “Everybody working for each other and having a share in the rewards.”

We also want to highlight that a second document will follow shortly: the Stop Exploiting Loyalty Blueprint, which was launched in Parliament this month.

This Blueprint sets out the wider context behind the campaign – including concerns around concessions, supporter displacement, and the broader commercial pressures being felt across the game. When read alongside the attached national ticket-freeze document, it demonstrates the organised, unified, and constructive approach being taken by supporter groups nationally.

We hope Liverpool FC will listen not only to its own supporters, but also to the hundreds of thousands of match-goers across the Premier League who are raising these same concerns.

We believe Liverpool can once again show leadership on this issue, as it did last season.

We look forward to discussing this with you.

Best wishes,

Jay McKenna
Chair, Liverpool Supporters’ Board

Paul Khan
Chair, Spirit of Shankly