Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s decision to raise ticket prices at Anfield for the next three seasons has sparked a furious reaction on the Kop and beyond.
Supporters’ groups, including the Liverpool Supporters Board and Spirit of Shankly, have condemned the plan to increase general admission by three per cent next year and then continue to link prices to inflation through to 2028, arguing that a club posting record revenues should not be asking fans to shoulder more of the burden in a cost‑of‑living crisis.
With organised protests already planned around upcoming home games – including no flags in the Kop – chief executive Billy Hogan has now issued a detailed public response setting out the club’s rationale for the price hikes and addressing the anger from the terraces,
In an email set to season ticket holders, Hogan said (as quoted by James Pearce):
“Liverpool Football Club fully respects the right of supporters to protest and we acknowledge those supporters who are opposed to this approach. But we would also ask one thing in the days and weeks ahead: that any protest, and any debate, is grounded in the facts – what is changing, why it is changing, and what it means in real terms.”
“Our matchday operating costs at Anfield have risen significantly in recent years – up 85% including Anfield Road (or 57% excluding Anfield Road) over the past decade, with utility costs up 107% over just the past four years and business rates up 286% in that same period. Over the last decade, we have increased ticket prices by just 4% to keep any rise in ticket prices to a minimum.”
The Liverpool chief then substantiated the rise with plenty of facts and figures around how it would practically look and maintains it’s a “fair and transparent” way to cover the rise in operating costs:
“Against that backdrop, we believe linking any increases to inflation, confirmed as a 3% rise for the 2026/27 season, is the fairest and most transparent way to attempt to cover some of those uncontrollable costs.”
“For the 2026–27 season, the 3% increase for adult general admission season ticket holders will be between £1.13 and £1.42 per game.
“Adult general admission match-by-match tickets will rise by between £1.25 and £1.75 per matchday next season. Using current forecasts, adult general admission matchday tickets would rise by between £3 and £4.50 over the full three years. The most expensive adult GA match ticket in 2028–29 would be £65.50.”
“Adult general admission season tickets would increase by between £53.50 and £67.50 over three years — equating to £3.55 per game. The most expensive adult GA season ticket in 2028–29 would be £971.50.”
Finally, the Liverpool executive added that the prices over the last ten years have been very low compared to the inflation rate and other Premier League sides:
“We have frozen general admission season ticket prices in eight of the last ten seasons. Today’s cheapest Kop match ticket price is the same price now as it was 15 years ago, despite cumulative inflation across the UK economy of around 45% in that period.”
“We are also operating in a league where other clubs have increased prices at a materially higher rate over the past decade. Since 2016/17, our competitors in the top six have increased ticket prices by an average of 17%, where we have increased our prices by 4% over the same period.”
“No decision has been made post this three-year approach and we will continue to meaningfully engage with our Supporters Board ahead of that time.”
It feels like Hogan’s words will do little to dampen the strength of feeling on Merseyside, with fan groups adamant that multi‑year rises are “wrong and unfair” and vowing to keep up the pressure on Fenway Sports Group to reverse course. What happens next may hinge on how visible and sustained the protests become.
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan has written to all season ticket holders and members ahead of planned protests at Anfield tomorrow over ticket price increases.
“Liverpool Football Club fully respects the right of supporters to protest and we acknowledge those supporters who are…
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) April 10, 2026
