Two Labour MPs, Luke Charters MP (York Outer) and Amanda Martin MP (Portsmouth North) have today called for a £30 ticket price cap for away fans across English football.
The MPs, who support York City and Portsmouth, say this is part of a wider package of football reforms they’d like to introduce to ‘give back to the grafters’ across this country.
The Premier League introduced a £30 cap on away ticket prices in the 2016/17 season, a policy that was unanimously extended for the 2025/26 season this summer. However, no such cap exists for away fans across the other divisions in English football. Currently, some Championship and League One clubs charge £30 or more for away tickets.
This issue gained renewed attention this week after it broke that Coventry City were going to charge Birmingham City fans £45 for adult tickets and £35 for under-18s for a Championship fixture. That means a child attending a second-tier match could pay £5 more than any away fan in the Premier League.
EFL clubs are required to allocate either 2,000 tickets or 10% of the ground’s capacity to away fans if the stadium holds fewer than 20,000 people. The MPs argue that the marginal financial gain from inflated ticket prices does not justify the added strain on fans.
This marks Charters’ second intervention in football policy within six months. Earlier this year, he called for lifting the long-standing ban on alcohol consumption in view of the pitch, a restriction in place since 1985. He has now teamed up with Amanda Martin, the MP for Portsmouth North to launch a broader campaign aimed at “fixing football for fans.”
Luke Charters MP said:
“No club from the Premier League to the National League should be charging more than £30 for an away ticket. Fans work hard all week, saving their money to follow their teams, often spending significantly on travel, food, and drink.
“Clubs higher up the pyramid don’t need the extra revenue; but it’s also important that those lower down consider the financial burden on local supporters.
“I first called for a price cap earlier this year and wrote to both the EFL and the National League urging them to follow the Premier League’s lead. This is about protecting fans’ finances and giving something back to the grafters of this country.
“This isn’t about interfering with clubs’ commercial models, it’s about supporting the fans who keep clubs alive and make football in this country so special. We saw during COVID how empty stadiums, and the absence of away fans changed the game. We must ensure fans aren’t priced out of the sport they love.
“I’m proud that my constituency is home to York City, who, like many National League sides, charge well below these inflated prices. But this campaign is also for my constituents who support other clubs, where ticket prices are creeping up.
“We need fair play for fans – so it’s time to end rip-off away ticket prices.”
“Just a few months ago, this Labour Government passed the Football Governance Bill which puts fans first and fixes lots of historical issues that have blighted fans for too long. While these ideas are out of scope of this legislation, it shows that only Labour is on the side of hard-working football fans.”
Amanda Martin MP said:
“I am delighted to join Luke in campaigning and pressing this issue. Many Portsmouth fans travel the length and breadth of the country to get to away games, and hitting them with expensive ticket prices on top simply must stop.
“I think fans are rightly frustrated, and as MPs, we want to show a bit of leadership to bring clubs to the table for a solution. Portsmouth supporters are incredibly loyal – they’ve stuck with the club through administration, relegation, and countless challenges. The last thing they should face is being priced out of supporting their team.
“Premier League fans already enjoy a £30 cap, and there’s no reason supporters in the Championship, League One, or League Two should pay more. Football belongs to the communities that support it, and we need to make sure it stays accessible to working families who’ve been the backbone of this sport for generations.
“Luke and I will continue pushing for this until we see real change across all levels of English football.”
