Liverpool supporters have warned the club’s owners that planned protests over ticket prices will ‘grow and escalate’.
Fans have been urged not to spend money at Anfield and to delay renewing season tickets until closer to the deadline on May 25 to ‘send a message’ to American owners Fenway Sports Group.
The Reds confirmed price rises for the next three seasons a fortnight ago, sparking widespread anger among supporters, particularly after the club reported record revenues earlier this year – around £8million last season after tax.
In announcing the decision, the club pointed to matchday operating costs rising by 85 per cent since 2016-17, as well as ‘continued rises in the cost of football operations in general’.
The increases mean adult general admission tickets will rise by between £1.25 and £1.75 per person per matchday, while adult season tickets will go up by between £21.50 and £27 next season.
The move prompted a furious response from Liverpool’s Supporters’ Board – established in the wake of the European Super League debacle five years ago – which had called for a two-year price freeze.
Liverpool fans hold up a banner which reads #Stop Exploiting Loyalty as they protest against the rising cost of tickets
Liverpool’s Spirit of Shankly Supporters’ Union has now confirmed it will step up protests at upcoming fixtures, beginning with Fulham at Anfield next weekend
Liverpool’s Spirit of Shankly Supporters’ Union hosted an open online meeting last week and conducted a survey before developing a coordinated response with other fan groups.
SOS has now confirmed it will step up protests at upcoming fixtures, beginning with Fulham at Anfield next weekend.
‘This is no longer about consultation,’ a statement from SOS said. ‘That opportunity has been and gone. This is about action.
‘Supporter groups are already organising a coordinated response. We are doing so at speed because time is against us. But the direction is clear: protests will take place.
‘If the club does not value supporter voices, we will make ourselves difficult to ignore.
‘The Supporters’ Board has formally informed the club that action is coming. Now it is on all of us to back it.
‘Protests inside and outside Anfield have been discussed. It is agreed they need to happen.
‘This will not be limited to one game. Action will take place across home and away fixtures, starting with Fulham at Anfield and escalating from there.
‘Details to follow. But the key point is simple: this will grow and escalate.
‘This isn’t just about price. It’s about direction.
‘It’s about what kind of football club Liverpool chooses to be. One rooted in its people, or one that sees them as a revenue stream to be pushed year after year.
‘Future supporters will live with the consequences of what happens now.’
A similar approach in 2016, when fans staged a 70th-minute walkout against proposals for a £70 match ticket, led to FSG performing a U-turn.
