Wanderers Fans Face Prices Increase

Last updated : 30 December 2003 By Mark Heys
Bolton Wanderers delivered a kick in the teeth to their fans today when they announced that their increasing costs would mean that season ticket prices would be increased for the next season in a bid to help the club balance its books.

Chairman Phil Gartside announced at the clubs AGM that costs would go up including the prices to watch Wanderers in what is quite frankly gearing up for the upper class to watch the games and the middle class being forced to reside in their armchairs......eventually.

Mr Gartside looked at the prices charged by the likes of Chelsea and Spurs and compared them to the current prices which Wanderers charge.

"Compared with prices in London of between £35 and £40, we are way down the list. We're not too out of kilter with Blackburn or Manchester United, but we are with the London clubs like Chelsea and Spurs."

"Our current capacity is 28,723 -- and the fact that the last couple of crowds have been over 28,000 is a great credit to the fans who are supporting us. In fact, there were more Bolton fans in the stadium for the Leicester game than ever before because the police allowed us to remove the segregation nets on the lower level (of the South Stand.

"We could take the capacity to just over 30,000 but the economics of it -- the cost of the work, measured against the extra income per seat -- is marginal.

"I'd much rather us have a queue for season tickets and a waiting list!"

So the reality is the tickets go up in price but there are factors to consider, such as how much more will they go up and for what type of market are the club aiming for now. Mr Gartside claims the fans need to share the financial burden but it wasn't us who got the club into this mess, look closer to home.