Phil Sumbler
The Swans have today announced their season ticket pricing structure for next season with the headline figure being a 15% increase in an adult ticket rising for most stands from £322 per year to £370.
The price increase exceeds the current rates of inflation but reflects – as put by Chief executive Julian Winter – “A lot of clubs are still recovering from the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the industry”.
The early bird price of £370 is available from today until 17th February at which point th equivalent price will rise to £399. The club have also introduced an Under-21 ticket which matches student prices.
“We have prided ourselves on having one of the lowest pricing structures in the Championship for several seasons,” Winter added.
“The club has had to make informed financial decisions with the aim of bridging that financial gap, whilst also ensuring that our pricing structure ensures value for money.
“I’d like to thank you all for the support you continue to show for the club. We are now approaching the second half of what has been a really positive season, so please continue to give the Russell and the players the backing they deserve for the rest of the campaign.”
A statement from the Swansea City Supporters Trust added “We recognise that there will be different opinions on how any financial gap should be filled, but our view remains that the club should operate as efficiently as possible without sacrificing the quality of facilities (such as the Academy) or the quality of the playing squad and management structure. The club should be able to target new investment at improving the playing squad or facilities, rather than being used to fill holes in the operational budget – we know that the club has not yet achieved true financial sustainability, but we will continue to engage in meaningful and constructive discussions on how this can be achieved.
“The challenge of financial sustainability is a one that a majority of clubs in the football pyramid are grappling with, and is a core piece of the recommendations of the Fan Led Review, which we hope to see implemented in full in the coming year.”
EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICES 23/24
EARLY BIRD PRICES 22/23 (FOR COMPARISON)
Planet Swans Opinion: Whilst we recognise the balancing act of running a football club, the increase of 15% feels excessive given the other challenges that all our supporters are faced with in terms of increasing costs. It is appreciated that loyalty during the pandemic was rewarded but – as ever – spiralling costs of football are evident everywhere, none of which seem to take into account the impact it has on the everyday fan. The reality of this is the increases could have been significantly higher but a 15% increase, as mentioned earlier, is higher than any of us would have wished for and it remains to be seen whether there is an impact on that within the ground itself with ongoing sales not just of season tickets but also matchday sales themselves. Football remains at a crossroads position – particularly outside the riches (and subsequently increased costs) of the Premier League and at all levels below that the need to balance the budget of the average fan needs to be considered. I suspect the club has done what they can with this and the most pleasing aspect is that we end up remaining one of the most competitive in terms of Championship pricing although benchmarking against any club should only be done for information purposes and not to influence decision making.
