Celtic can’t keep increasing ticket prices
Seems like we have seen an increase most seasons recently.
Modern football is not cheap and staying at the top of the league domestically comes at a price. The supporters understand that. However as the wages and costs at the club continue to rise, the transfer fees we pay over the last 20 years haven’t. A positive if you can pull it off, but to compete in Europe requires significant financial investment. The club are posting record revenues each year, helped by increased transfer sales, European prize money and record retail and sponsorship deals. With all that seemingly going in the right direction, you would think theres no need to increase the season ticket cost year on year.
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Current Capacity Keeps Demand High
No supporter expects the club to stand still. Quite the opposite. The fan base is desperate for the club to be the very best they can be. Does a small yearly increase get them there? I would suggest that it affects the supporters more than it helps the club. Yet for the last several years we’ve seen season tickets go up during a cost of living crisis. Yes the clubs costs will increase year on year with inflation, something most supporters might not take into consideration. However it’s relatively easy in business terms for the club to absorb those costs rather than put it on to the supporter base, some of which will be struggling to keep up. The club are in a strong position, they know that if someone is struggling to pay then there will be someone else behind them ready to take their place. Another reason the club are probably happy the waiting list is there. Where is the incentive to build the new stand when they can keep demand and prices high with the season ticket waiting list?
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The Cost of Supporting Celtic
The cost of supporting the club is constantly increasing during a difficult time for the general public. With travel, food, club merchandise all going through the roof, the cost of the ticket to see the club is an area that Celtic can control. If the clubs running costs go up by £1 million then it’s a lot easier for them to absorb those costs than it is to pass it on to the fans. Whether thats by raising the difference in sponsorship, merchandise deals or some other way to take off the cost, that should be their first priority. Instead, the first thought seems to be that if costs are going up, then recoup it from the fans. That seems the easy thing to do. The people running the club are paid a lot of money to manage things properly. Surely there must be creative ways to raise a million or two in revenue without passing that cost onto the fans every single season.
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Not Just A Celtic Problem
This isn’t an issue specific to Celtic. Club owners and boards are constantly pushing the limit on what they can extract from fans bases coming through the turnstiles. Just ask Liverpool fans who are having similar issues with their club around rising ticket prices. They have mobilised several times over the last few years to combat proposed increases and it may be time the Celtic fan base do the same if every renewal email keeps coming back with an increase. Where does it end? The Celtic fanbase will always be there for the club, you just have to look at the incredible support they gave during Covid, where they paid their season ticket money for a glorified Celtic tv link. The generosity and commitment of the fans should never be taken for granted. It shouldn’t be used against them. The fact that they wouldn’t get their ticket back if they gave it up is why they renew regardless. This isn’t a traditional business as theres an emotional connection involved. The club have a responsibility to manage that correctly. They need to resist the urge to move towards a supply and demand model and find ways to increase revenue elsewhere if needed.