Liverpool supporters' group send open letter to CEO Billy Hogan over increased ticket prices

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Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly (SoS) has addressed an open letter to club CEO Billy Hogan, calling for fresh talks surrounding the decision to increase ticket prices. Club executives have pointed to the increased cost of Anfield’s maintenance, the decision to freeze ticket prices for eight of the previous 10 years and how Liverpool ticket prices are significantly lower than those of many Premier League rivals.

Much of this was outlined in an email from Hogan two weeks ago, sent to all season-ticket holders and members, in which he called for any fan protest to be “grounded in the facts.” “This increase to general admission tickets will not fully cover our increased costs and, given feedback from supporters, we have attempted to keep any increase to an absolute minimum, but it will help and thereby allow more investment back into the club,” wrote Hogan. Liverpool fans organized a pre-match protest ahead of the game against Fulham (Image: Getty Images) “We understand the importance of running the club sustainably, but don’t believe this should be at the expense of supporters,” the letter continued, with SoS highlighting that the increased 85 percent matchday revenue in the last decade should mitigate Anfield’s growing cost.

The letter goes on to question the price rises quoted by Liverpool, claiming that they are significantly higher. “I don't understand the ticket price thing in terms of how much they are bringing in from sponsorship and the revenue from the Premier League and when you look at wage bills, Liverpool's is right up there with the best,” he told the Liverpool ECHO.