Wolves fans' anger over £45 tickets on supporters' return
Wolves stand accused of scoring a ‘complete own goal’ by charging adult supporters a minimum of £40 to attend this month’s visit of Manchester United.
The decision to set prices at between £40 and £45 per ticket for the first match open to fans at Molineux for more than 14 months prompted an outcry on social media, with many fans expressing their disappointment at the high prices.
An Express & Star online poll of more than 1,400 supporters found nearly half describe the pricing structure as a ‘complete own goal’ while fewer than a quarter thought it was fair.
It is understood the Wolves Fans Parliament has approached the club to express its concerns.
The Premier League match on May 23 will be the first at Molineux with supporters since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.
Both The Hawthorns and Villa Park will also welcome back fans this month. Though Villa are charging adult supporters up to £50 for the visit of Chelsea on May 23, Albion’s top price for next Wednesday’s home match against West Ham is just £23.
A reduced capacity of 4,500 – some way lower than the 25 per cent permitted by the Government from next week – has been set at Molineux following discussions with Wolverhampton Council’s safety advisory group, which took into account the requirement for socially-distanced seating and space available in the stadium concourse.
Around 10 per cent of the capacity has been put aside for corporate season ticket holders.
No tickets will be sold for the Billy Wright Stand, which will remain open only for players, officials, media and broadcasters.
More than 13,000 supporters entered a ballot for tickets and have been placed at random into four priority groups.
The sales window for the first of those groups opened at 10am this morning. Tickets in the Steve Bull Stand are priced at £45 for adults, £30.50 for over-65s/under-21s and £16 for under-17s. In the Stan Cullis, Sir Jack Hayward and Graham Hughes Stands, the prices are set at for £40 adults, £26 for over-65s/under-21s and £14 for under-17s.
When buying tickets, supporters will be required to make a health declaration for each member of their group and agree to the club’s code of conduct.
Each adult ticket will display the ticket owner’s name and matching photo ID must be produced to gain entry. Fans will also be required to complete a health declaration questionnaire within 72 hours of kick-off. Any supporter who registers a positive Covid-19 test ahead of the match will be entitled to a full refund.
