Wolves defends ‘crucial’ season ticket price hike

Wolverhampton Wanderers has said its season ticket price increases are “crucial” in response to backlash from fans.

Supporter groups have joined to campaign against the hikes, which in some cases are by 190%, with an online petition which has amassed 14,500 signatures so far.

The Premier League club said the increase was a “crucial step” to continue to compete at the highest level. Wolves boss Gary O’Neil guided the club to ninth place in the league and to the FA Cup quarter-finals this season.

It’s created a frequently asked questions page on its website, defending the decision to increase prices “to align more closely with comparable clubs”

Owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun, Wolves recorded a loss of £67.2m for the financial year to 31 May 2023, which followed on from a loss of £46.1m for the previous 12 months.

BBC Sport says the club believes it avoided breaches of Premier League profit and sustainability rules, where clubs can lose a maximum of £105m over a rolling three-season period, or £35m per campaign, before facing sanctions.

Any clubs breaching those rules are at risk of a fine or a points deduction.

The Wolves 1877 trust said: “In a cost-of-living crisis and a city that has the second highest unemployment rate in the UK, these prices are offensive and will now force many to question if they can afford to renew – perhaps even putting some in financial difficulty to fund the one thing that they treasure.

“We encourage those at the club to reconsider the approach to ticket prices before irreversible damage is done to the fanbase and the local community.”