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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
James Pearce

Ticket gesture shows FSG are listening as Liverpool learn lessons from the past

Some will argue that it doesn't go far enough.

With Liverpool FC 's media and commercial revenues rocketing , there's a strong argument that the price of seats at Anfield should be coming down.

The latest set of accounts for the year to the end of May 2018 showed that the Reds pocketed £220million from media, £154milliion from commercial and £81million from matchday income.

With a sizeable chunk of that matchday money generated by corporate hospitality seats, the days of top clubs relying heavily on the cash generated by season ticket and general admission sales are long gone.

We're building up to Sunday's huge game against Tottenham HERE

However, the announcement that Liverpool freeze ticket prices for the fourth successive year shows that owners Fenway Sports Group have listened to supporters.

Many seasoned Anfield goers feared that the lengthy delay in releasing the pricing structure for the 2019/2020 season meant that a price hike was actually on the cards. It was January last term when a similar freeze was announced.

With Jurgen Klopp's side mounting a thrilling Premier League title challenge, some owners would have decided the time was right to cash in. After all there are tens of thousands of fans waiting to secure a seat on the season ticket waiting list. Demand at Anfield far exceeds supply.

Liverpool freeze ticket prices for the fourth successive year  

The FSG hierarchy have proved themselves to be shrewd businessmen with how they have transformed Liverpool's fortunes over the past nine years , but they have also shown that they don't just care about the bottom line.

Lessons have been learned. They knew that it would have been a spectacular own goal to dent the current feelgood factor around the club.

Engagement has been the watchword since the debacle of 2016 when FSG performed a major U-turn after an angry backlash to planned ticket price increases.

James Pearce explains Liverpool's record-breaking financial results

More than 10,000 Liverpool fans walked out of Anfield during a 2-2 draw with Sunderland chanting 'you greedy b*******, enough is enough’.

Back then principal owner John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and FSG president Mike Gordon issued an apology to fans through an open letter and ditched plans to bring in a £77 matchday ticket and a £1,029 season ticket. They have remained at £59 and £869 respectively.

Getting into Anfield in 2019/2020 will cost the same as it did in 2015/16.    

In recent years there's been a commitment to work with supporters to establish a strategy to ticketing through regular fans forums. Concerns and feedback have been taken on board.

There have been admirable initiatives with £9 general admission seats for local fans which accounts for around 10,000 tickets over the course of a season. Around 1,000 free tickets per season are now given to local school kids.

More can still be done to reconnect with those who have been priced out of top-flight football, but there have been welcome steps in the right direction. The latest prize freeze is another one.

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