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

With further protests planned by fans this weekend, the subject of ticket prices is not going away, and Spirit of Shankly has called on executives to find a solution

Spirit of Shankly has written an open letter to CEO Billy Hogan regarding the ongoing ticket price increases

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.

The Reds announced plans to raise ticket prices for the next three years in line with inflation, and have cited several reasons for what are seen as unavoidable changes. 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.

The club also confirmed the freezing of several concessions and the raising of the junior concessions to 24, alongside the price rises.

However, SoS, which organized a protest ahead of the Fulham game two weeks ago, has responded to that email and quibbled over several points raised by Hogan.

The open letter expressed disappointment that Liverpool’s CEO had chosen to share his views publicly rather than explain them in meetings and stated that they had not published any misleading information.

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.

“Other costs that have received little mention are directors’ pay, up 8% to £4.2m and agent fees, which stand at £33m, according to the most recently released figure,” claimed the supporters’ group.

The letter goes on to question the price rises quoted by Liverpool, claiming that they are significantly higher. SoS also criticized how meetings have been arranged and called for the club to “get back around the table and find genuine long-term solutions that benefit the club and future-proof our support for generations to come”.

Fans displayed a banner in front of the Kop during the recent win over Fulham(Image: Getty Images)

The issue continues to create headlines, with further protests against the ticket prices planned for Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace.

In the previous home Premier League match, a decision was made not to fly flags and banners on the Kop End, while a sign reading “No to ticket price increases” was displayed.

Jamie Carragher has been among those to call for FSG to reverse the decision.

“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. “And this idea that they need to up ticket prices to pay for these players, it's absolute nonsense.”