Two Labour MPs are the latest to speak out on away ticket pricing, calling for the expansion of the £30 price cap to the EFL and beyond.
Luke Charters MP (York Outer) and Amanda Martin MP (Portsmouth North) are calling for the Premier League’s £30 away ticket price cap, in place since 2016-17, to be rolled out in the EFL and National League.
Away ticket prices remain an issue in parts of the EFL with some clubs charging more than £30 for some fixtures as match categorisation continues to sting travelling fans.
The issue made headlines at the start of this season when Coventry City charged Birmingham City fans £45 for adult tickets and £35 for under-18s for their Championship fixture.
“No club from the Premier League to the National League should be charging more than £30 for an away ticket,” Charters said. “Fans work hard all week, saving their money to follow their teams, often spending significantly on travel, food, and drink.
“Clubs higher up the pyramid don’t need the extra revenue; but it’s also important that those lower down consider the financial burden on local supporters.
“We need fair play for fans – so it’s time to end rip-off away ticket prices.”
Back in June the Premier League announced that it would be extending its £30 league-wide cap on away ticket prices into the 2025-26 season.
The top-flight cap on away ticket prices was introduced at the start of the 2016-17 season, following sustained campaigning by supporters across the country led by the Football Supporters’ Federation (one of the FSA’s predecessors) under the “Twenty’s Plenty” banner.
Since its introduction, the Premier League say attendances at away games have risen from 82% to 91% with a total of 953,420 away supporters at 380 top-flight matches during the 2024-25 season.
The practice has collectively saved supporters millions of pounds since its introduction.
Championship: Pain points persist
Over the last 12 months the FSA and its member supporter groups across its EFL network have been collating away ticket prices and the data shows that problem areas remain.
Away ticket prices in the Championship vary significantly and there are too many clubs – almost half the division – that charge over the Premier League’s £30 cap at certain fixtures.
Bristol City (£32.61), Burnley (£31.57), Coventry City (£32.00), Middlesbrough (£31.30), Millwall (£30.13), Norwich City (£30.52) Queens Park Rangers (£34.36), Sheffield Wednesday (£35.35), Sheffield United (£35.04), Sunderland (£30.52) and Watford (£33.48) all had an average away ticket price above £30 last season.
While some of these price points are not significantly above £30, there is a worry from supporters that ticket prices will only head in one direction – so a cap would be welcomed.
Beyond the average, there were also individual matches priced extremely highly for away fans – notably Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday charging away fans at the Steel City derbies £43 and £45 respectively. Wednesday would also charge Burnley and West Bromwich Albion away fans £39 for their trips to Hillsborough.
Other lowlights include QPR charging away fans £38 for eight fixtures at Loftus Road and Coventry City charging fans of eight clubs £37 for their visits to the Coventry Arena.
Martin said: “Premier League fans already enjoy a £30 cap, and there’s no reason supporters in the Championship, League One, or League Two should pay more.
“Football belongs to the communities that support it, and we need to make sure it stays accessible to working families who’ve been the backbone of this sport for generations.”