The chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Federation has praised a scheme to cap the cost of Premier League away tickets to £20 for one round of fixtures this month and called on other sponsors to follow suit.
As part of the Twenty’s Plenty campaign instigated by the FSF in 2013, Virgin Media will reimburse the costs of supporters’ tickets above £20 for a single away fixture at all Premier League clubs, with the majority of matches taking place between 15‑23 April. Last year, clubs voted unanimously to introduce a £30 cap for all away tickets in the Premier League, meaning the telecom company will effectively subsidise £10 on every ticket.
“It’s a refreshing exception to see a sponsor involved with football genuinely doing something that benefits fans,” said Kevin Miles. “Many commercial sponsors pay lip service to the idea of fans being crucial to the game but in supporting the FSF’s work around away fans in particular, this initiative sets a new standard for actually doing something in practice. Fans up and down the country will now be asking what their own club sponsors can do to follow suit.”
The scheme applies to matches from 15 April, although the rescheduling of some fixtures owing to the FA Cup semi-finals means fans of West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Sunderland must wait until the new dates are announced to find out when they will benefit. Supporters can claim their subsidy after their team’s match by visiting www.virginmedia.com/twentysplenty, downloading a form, and posting it along with their ticket. A cheque will be sent to them in the following weeks.
Manchester City fans will not have to claim their subsidy as their ticket will already be reduced to £20 as part of Virgin Media’s existing Twenty’s Plenty arrangement with Southampton.
