Email From Billy Hogan in regards to Ticket increases

As a season ticket holder or member of this incredible football club, I wanted to personally write to you to provide you with further clarity on our general admission ticket price approach, following our announcement last week. It’s important to us that you have all the information and rationale directly from the club regarding this new approach, hence the length of this email.

We know that some supporters will be against an increase regardless of the scale of it, and some may wish to protest against it, while some will be understanding of an inflationary price increase in this economic climate.

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.

Why we have taken this decision

No one at Liverpool Football Club takes decisions on ticket pricing lightly.

We have a responsibility to run the club sustainably, and to do so with an ambitious vision: to compete for all major trophies, to win trophies, and to keep winning trophies. That requires strength on the pitch, and it also requires that we compete in every way possible off the pitch. The landscape around us is relentlessly competitive, and many costs that are rising across the club and the industry are outside of our control.

Like households and businesses across the country, everyone is feeling cost of living pressures — and the club is not immune to those cost rises either. 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.

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. We also want to give supporters clarity and predictability over time, rather than sudden or unexpected annual changes.

What this means for next season

We know that the cost of attending football matches for supporters is far from insignificant.

We are aware of some commentary following our announcement that the amount of revenue the increase will generate is insignificant, so why do it?

This increase to general admission tickets will not fully cover our increased costs and, given feedback from supporters, we have attempted to keep any increase to an absolute minimum, but it will help and thereby allow more investment back into the club. As you may have seen from our financial accounts over the past years, every pound that’s generated after costs is reinvested back into our playing squad and infrastructure. Record revenue does not equate to profit given these ever increasing costs and that’s borne out by the losses the club has reported over the years.

We want to set out the key facts clearly.

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.

Adult general admission season tickets will increase by between £21.50 and £27 across the season.

Please see the table below which shows the increases in every category across Anfield.

Why a three-year approach — and what it means in practice

We have set out a multi-year framework because it provides supporters with certainty and clarity over a number of seasons, rather than unexpected annual changes and limits any increase for the next three seasons to inflation. It will use official UK CPI inflation from January of each year as the basis for pricing, using the latest available official figures while giving supporters adequate notice.

Based on current OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) forecasts — 2.3% in 2027 before dropping to 2% in 2028 — the total three-year impact would be around 7.3% at this time. However, we do recognise how world events can impact inflation, which is why the club has capped any increase to a maximum of 5% for season two and three, should inflation increase beyond this number.

Using those current forecasts today as a three-year illustration:

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.

Engagement with the Supporters Board

It is important you know how this decision was reached and the valuable contribution from our Supporters Board.

Since representatives of the Supporters Board met with the LFC Board in October, there have been four meetings in February and March between our most senior leaders and the Supporters Board, to solely discuss pricing. The views were heard, discussed, and carefully considered throughout the process. Agreement wasn’t reached on all points. To be clear, the Supporters Board did not think any increase was warranted, which they confirmed in the meetings and in writing to us. They were open to a multi-year arrangement if prices were frozen over that period. Based on sharing the financial realities noted above, we felt an increase limited to inflation was the most sustainable path forward.

As a direct result of the Supporters Board engagement, the following elements were adopted:

Junior and local general admission matchday tickets remain frozen at £9.

The Young Adult age range has been extended from 21 to 24, significantly increasing the number of supporters eligible for a 50% discount on adult general admission prices.

The senior concession age range remains unchanged, despite the club initially exploring options to increase the upper age limit in line with the state pension age.

We will also continue discussions with the Supporters Board on the commercial ideas they have raised to help potentially cover future ticket price increases.

We remain committed to continued, meaningful engagement with the Supporters Board on ticketing policy, the matchday experience at home and away fixtures (including Europe) and other important matters.

The wider context over time

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.

Moving forward

We will continue to listen, engage and work with our Supporters Board to ensure supporters’ voices are heard, while making decisions that allow the club to operate sustainably and competitively.

Every decision the club’s leadership makes is taken in what we believe are the best long-term interests of running a sustainable and successful football club, while competing at the highest levels.

Thank you, sincerely, for your continued passion, commitment and support of Liverpool Football Club.

Billy