Fellow Hammers United members and West Ham fans everywhere,
The Independent Supporters Committee wrote to the Club on March 11. See link below
ISC statement on Season Ticket Prices and proposed changes to Concessions.
You will note that the ISC called upon the Club to reduce proposed Season Ticket prices and to confirm that fundamental changes to age and accessibility concessions would not be put into place.
You will further note that the Club confirmed that it would not make any change to its ticketing policy and would be sticking with the planned price increases and fundamental changes to terms and conditions of concessions.
The ISC did subsequently write asking that the Club reconsider and the Club reaffirmed its previous decision.
The Club claims that these measures are necessary to enable it to compete and deliver success on the playing field. We suggest that the Club is spinning an illusion here, akin to the ‘world class team for a world class stadium‘ illusion manufactured for the stadium move.
These measures would in fact make very little impact as the majority of the Club’s income derives from TV money (63% last season), gate money (17%) and the remainder coming from a range of other diverse commercial activities.
It should be noted that these figures were obtained following a meeting between Hammers United and football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
Hammers United recognises that the Club’s latest ticketing strategy affects all supporters in a variety of different ways, none of which are positive. It certainly seems that working class people in general are being priced out of football.
Families and Friends
However, there is one group of fans for whom the changes to concession tickets are especially hard hitting: Families and friends.
As is the natural order of things, there comes a time when our oldest and most loyal supporters are no longer able to attend matches. We cannot think of a time when it was anything other than the norm that their place would be taken by younger members of their family and friends, children and grandchildren, and thus new generations would continue the tradition of supporting West Ham.
That’s the natural progression. The way it has always been and always should be. However, the Club has taken a wrecking ball to this tradition.
From now on, families and friends in bands 1-4 who would have liked to continue to add the next generation of West Ham Supporters by purchasing a young persons’ season ticket (who previously would been offered a concession rate) to add to their group, will no longer be able to do this.
Instead, the new concession rate season ticket would only be available in bands 5 and 6 which will see the disintegration of families’ and friends’ groups supporting West Ham together.
There is no doubt that many parents and grandparents simply won’t be able to afford a season ticket for the next generation of fans and thus West Ham United will, knowingly and by its own design, sacrifice the new generation of supporters tomorrow in favour of its greed today.
The Club’s proposals do not end there!
Over 66 and Disabled Supporters
New over 66 and disabled supporters must sit in bands 5 and 6 or pay full price. It is simply not acceptable that those supporters who are, in the main, less able to get to these seats due to their location at the very top of the upper tiers are being forced to make a choice between paying extortionate amounts of money for a season ticket or not attending.
The choice really is as stark and uncompromising as that.
It should be noted that before announcing its decision to press ahead with these changes the Club did not consult the ISC, which represents many thousands of West Ham fans. There are plenty of progressive ideas and solutions which could have been discussed and we are sure that a fair and equitable compromise could have been reached.
Instead, the Club chose to ignore its responsibility to consult and engage meaningfully with the ISC.
By way of contrast, Hammers United notes that following negotiations with its own fans’ groups, Arsenal has withdrawn its proposals to remove the family enclosure and end the option for senior fans to buy a discounted season ticket.
Arsenal’s announcement was made on May 21, the very same day that Hammers United presented its recommendations to the ISC to be put to the Club. These were unanimously endorsed by the ISC and sent to the Club along with a request for an urgent meeting.
Recommendations to West Ham
Here is a brief summary of these recommendations:
1. Improvements in the way the Club communicates on its website ticketing pages.
2. Improvements on payment plan information on the Club’s website.
3. Allowing groups to relocate without losing the right to an existing concession rated seat - this would apply to all seat bands
4. Allowing current season ticket holders to add a “new member”( aged under 18 and/or 21), to their group for whom a concession priced season ticket would apply regardless of the seat banding.
Points 3 and 4 are aimed specifically at ensuring the tradition of families supporting West Ham United through the generations is continued.
The club have acknowledged receipt and have promised to come back to us.
Premier League Clubs Collaboration
In the meantime we should point out that West Ham United is not alone in this. By “sheer coincidence”, Premier League Clubs are all following the same path of inflation-busting price increases, with a number of those clubs going even further by reducing or removing concessions from higher-priced seat bands. This was revealed at a meeting between all Premier League fans’ groups which was organised by the FSA.
Unsurprisingly there is a clear appetite for co-ordinated and sustained protests against these despicable actions being taken by Premier League clubs and Hammers United will work closely with its counterparts up and down the land.
Fans must stand together
At a local level, we cannot stress enough the importance of fans coming together and standing side by side in opposition to the changes West Ham United is hell bent on driving through.
We believe this is the most serious issue to hit our fan base since the move from the Boleyn Ground to London Stadium. If these changes are implemented the negative impact on our fan base will be immeasurable - we risk losing some of the most loyal fans who are still among us plus future generations who will never see West Ham United play at home.
This is what is at stake and we cannot stand by and allow this to happen.
