West Ham fans hit out at 'DISGRACEFUL' ticket prices for Man City game (2024)

West Ham fans have voiced their outrage on social media over the eye-watering ticket prices for home league matches at the London Stadium next season.

With the club releasing ticket information for their home fixture againstManchester City next month, fans have criticised that prices top-out at £120 for some seats – which even applies to Under-18s, OAPs, and those eligible for accessibility tickets.

The Hammers take on champions City at their 62,500-seater ground on 31 August with a 5.30pm BST kick-off, meaning it will be a live televised match - and this, fans insinuate, may be the only way they can watch the game.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, one fan expressed their anger, saying: 'Driving families out of the game, absolutely disgusting from [Karren] Brady and the club.'

A pricing table from the official site shows the cost of tickets in zone bandings one to six, as well as club class tickets, '1966' and '1966 West'.

Categories for adult, 'O66', 'U21', 'U18' and 'Accessibility' cost the same across all brackets, with the club offering no concessions for any ticket type.

The data shows the lowest-priced ticket is in 'Band 6', and will set fans back £55 across all categories when on general sale. Excluding premium '1966' and '1966 West' tickets (which cost £120), the highest-priced 'Band 1' tickets cost £100.

Club executives have drawn most fan criticism, including the well-known vice chairman Baroness Brady and owner and chairman David Sullivan.

West Ham fan-affiliated action group, Save Our Concessions, posted a screenshot of general admission pricing table with the caption: 'No kids prices, no OAP prices, no shame from @WestHam @WestHamHelp @karren_brady'

Another fan pointed towards the previous West Ham execs' previous pledge that their 2016 move to the London Stadium from their old home, the Boleyn Ground, would help keep football inclusive for fans, especially from the local area.

He posted: 'Shameful from @West Ham… "Affordable Football" they said when we moved.

'In the middle of a cost of living crisis and they decide these prices are affordable! I'll be surprised if we sell out many fixtures this season as a result with this pricing strategy.'

Last year, a report said the club were 'open to turning their rental of the stadium into a permanent purchase.'

It laid out the original terms of the 99-year lease the club agreed to with London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and Newham Council, in 2016.

It says the Hammers paid £15million towards the overall conversion of the stadium into a dual-use arena, plus a basic rent of £2.5m per year.

'The amount needed to convert the venue into a multi-purpose site would soar to £323million, which was largely covered by the taxpayer,' the report added.

However, the report also points towards comments by Lyn Garner, LLDC's chief executive, who claimedin 2018 that West Ham's rent 'does not cover the cost' of staging matches and that 'a lack of commercialisation' means the organisation faces 'losses for the next 97 years'

These claims will only fuel speculation as to why prices have been increasingly hiked over the years, regardless of standing in the league or participation in Europe.

The Hammers famously won the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League, beating Fiorentina 1-2 on 7 June, 2023.

Fans have hoped European success would spark a new age of investment in the club, but consternation is growing that any cost will be passed off onto them.

Others simply can't identify with the club's current direction, with one fan on X saying: 'This is not the club I’ve supported all my life. Shame on you @WestHam.'