Chelsea have moved to keep disgruntled fans onside by freezing the price of general admission season tickets for a 12th successive year, despite the club’s Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital owners spending £600 million on new players.
The announcement will offer supporters some consolation for what has been one of the club’s worst-ever Premier League seasons and may relieve some of the pressure on co-controlling owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who are preparing to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new permanent head coach.
Chelsea Supporters’ Trust wrote an open letter to Boehly and Eghbali, warning of “irreversible toxicity” between fans and the club should prices rise after £600 million had been spent in the past two transfer windows.
Their concerns have been taken into account and Chelsea fans in general admission areas of Stamford Bridge will continue to pay significantly less than rival supporters at Arsenal and Tottenham, who are charged the highest prices in the Premier League.
The cost for Chelsea’s cheapest adult general admission season ticket will remain at £750, less than the £807 charged by Tottenham, who have also frozen prices for next season, and lower than Arsenal, who have announced an average general admission rise of five per cent to their season tickets which were already over £900. Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa have all announced increases for next season.
In one of their first moves after taking control of the club last year, Boehly and Eghbali froze season ticket prices and scrapped the unpopular booking fee.
Discussions took place about whether or not to increase general admission prices for next season, but there has been recognition that the majority of supporters should not be asked to pay more with Chelsea failing to qualify for Europe and set to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The general admission price freeze also takes into account the cost of living crisis that has impacted households across the country.
A Chelsea statement said: “This season has not produced the results that any of us want. We know what we are working towards, but equally we know that will require hard work, determination and commitment. We all want to see Chelsea back where we belong and to share many more winning moments together at Stamford Bridge.
It added: “Equally, we are acutely aware of the rise in cost of living and the impact that has on our supporters. Looking at all of these factors, the board has decided to freeze GA season tickets for the 2023/24 season.”
Dom Rosso, Chelsea Supporters’ Trust vice-chair, said: “The Trust would like to place on record its thanks to Mr Boehly and his board for putting supporters first.
“We have campaigned vehemently that prices should be frozen to reflect the impact of the cost of living crisis, and the Trust is delighted that the club has responded positively to our representations on season ticket prices.”
Boehly and Eghbali have come under fire for sacking two managers, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, and spending huge sums of money in the transfer market which has contributed to Chelsea being left with an oversized squad.
But freezing general admission season ticket prices should win back some goodwill from frustrated fans and ensure that the relationship between the club and supporters is not in danger of turning toxic when Pochettino takes over.
There will be an increase to the price of Chelsea’s hospitality season tickets, believed to be less than the rate of inflation, and the price of tickets in the premium Westview area of Stamford Bridge will go up in line with what was contractually stated at the time of the renovation.
The letter from Chelsea Supporters’ Trust in March said: “The Trust believes that, from April, our members and all Chelsea supporters will be forced to make significant sacrifices simply to afford existing ticket prices. It is our duty to protect the interests of our members and all Chelsea supporters on this critical issue.
“In light of this, we regard any increases to ticket prices as unconscionable and in direct contradiction to CFCs efforts to strengthen community ties and strengthen supporter relations. The Trust will not accept any such rises and requests further dialogue with the club over the issue of pricing to provide sustainable and practical solutions going forward.
“The men’s first team is currently having one of the worst seasons since the 1990s. We currently sit 10th in the Premier League and are 11 points off fourth place. This is despite enormous investment in players, management, and additional personnel.
“We strongly urge the board to read the sentiment of supporters. The current disconnect between the team and supporters would only be amplified by increased prices – this could lead to irreversible toxicity.”