Wolves 1877 Trust urges club to freeze ticket prices for next season

Last July, ahead of the current campaign, Wolves announced an increase in season ticket prices for all stands.

The biggest rise came in the central section of the upper tier of the Billy Wright Stand, where supporters saw an increase of £105 on the 2019/20 season.

Adult match day tickets this year range from £28 to £46 and the Trust is calling on the club to freeze both match day and season tickets for the 2022/23 season.

Trust board member, Neil Dady, said: “It’s no longer reasonable for football clubs to expect supporters to continue to subsidise the excesses that exist within the game.

“Wolves increased prices last season without supporter consultation, under the guise of comparative price matching, increasing prices again for next season is unnecessary. Particularly at such a difficult time for so many supporters.”

At the time of the price hike last summer, Wolves’ general manager for commercial operations Vinny Clark said the club carefully considered the move and it was made after months of data analysis.

He said: “Our data showed that our average prices across all categories were somewhat lower when compared to clubs in and around us in the Premier League table, and we have been clear that we would look to realign pricing for the coming season to reduce the commercial disadvantage this gives us.

“We have also given a commitment that any price increases would be fair and reasonable so that Wolves remain accessible to our core fanbase and future generations. I believe that this pricing structure achieves all of this.”

The trust has referenced the increased cost of living regarding energy bills, mortgage rates and inflation in their statement.

They also confirmed that they have contacted Wolves to ‘seek assurances’ that ticket prices will be frozen, while also expressing concerns about the club membership scheme.

Trust chairman, Sam Payne, added: “It’s time the club scrapped the ‘members pack’ and replaced it with a voucher scheme for the club shop. The club need to consider if members are now getting ‘value for money’ with the changes introduced last season. I would hope to also see a favourable offer to season ticket holders as well.’’

Meanwhile, the trust is backing a survey into the women’s game launched by the Football Supporters’ Association.

The survey is canvassing supporters’ views on their match day experience, the new broadcast deal, club engagement with the fanbase, on the pitch issues and the overall structure of the women’s game.

The trust works closely with the FSA and was formally recognised by them when they launched last summer, giving the trust representation on a national level.

A Trust statement read: “With the Lionesses playing at Molineux next week this is an exciting time for all those involved with Wolves Women. Wolves 1877 Trust has further strengthened its support for the women’s game with trust member Nick Andrews-Gauvain joining the FSA’s women’s game network as the Trust’s representative.”

More information on the survey and a link to take part can be found by visiting: thefsa.org.uk/news/comprehensive-survey-into-womens-game-launched/.

Those that complete the survey will also have the chance to win one of the FSA’s ‘Over 100 years of fans supporting women’s football’ banners which has been signed by the England Lionesses squad.