In the lead up to this weekend of national actions on ticket prices, Spirit of Shankly and FSF representatives today met Barclays CEO of Sponsorship, Nathan Homer, and the Head of PR for the company, Andrew McDougall, in London. This was the third meeting between fans representatives and the Premier League sponsors. 

On the agenda was initiatives that would assist supporters, such as a return of of interest free credit cards which could purchase anything from season tickets, members tickets, to merchandise within the stadium,eradicating the “much maligned” booking fees for those with cards/Barclays bank accounts and other options that reward supporter loyalty.

A hardship fund was also discussed and that will form part of our next phase of negotiations. This fund would look to support in essence midweek, subsidising those suffering as a consequence of long journeys away from home.

Barclays again reiterated their endorsement for the Twentys plenty campaign within their “spirit of the game” initiative. We again broadly welcomed that stance.

A further meeting then took place in the afternoon which Barclays facilitated and discussions took place with representatives of the tv companies involved in screening matches.

The Union will update as and when these discussions result in solid outcomes and when further talks are proposed.

This weekend however is all about showing the cartel we are serious about making the game affordable for all.  In an unprecedented call to arms by supporters trusts the length and breadth of the country, every ground within the Premier League and a sizeable number in the Championship will see protests either inside the ground, outside the ground or both.

Our collective message is clear – #footballwithoutfansisnothing