About: Fans

23 Jun 2020

Fans

Matchday experience
Fixture list and amendments
Attendances and ticket prices
Accessibility
Work with fan groups

Matchday experience

Premier League stadiums are the stage where supporters create the special atmosphere that inspires players to produce their very best.

We work with clubs to ensure their staff and venues provide a warm welcome for all fans and the very best in facilities, services and design.

Away supporters play their part by bringing colour and character to our matches and we recognise and reward their contribution with initiatives including the £30 Away Price Cap, plus Rules that determine the size and location of areas for visiting fans.

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Fixture list and amendments

The compilation of the Premier League fixture list is a complex process that takes into account FIFA’s international dates, UEFA dates, and dates for the FA and EFL Cup.

Traditionally in March each season, clubs supply the Premier League with completed “fixture questionnaires” that allow them to make the Premier League aware of challenging dates or circumstances that might affect their fixtures in the following season.

A fixture list is then traditionally published in June each year, with fans reminded that matches will change to live broadcast selections and participation in domestic and international cup competitions. For this reason, matches are always advertised as “subject to change”.

Most clubs will have a partner club who they cannot clash with, such as Manchester United with Manchester City, and Liverpool with Everton, as well as clubs in the EFL.

Christmas period / fan travel

During the busy Christmas period, efforts are also made to try to reduce the travelling times to matches for supporters on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Teams playing at home on Boxing Day will be away on New Year's Day or the equivalent date, while efforts are made to maintain a Saturday home-away sequence throughout the season wherever possible.

In an attempt to avoid having various “pinch points” on the rail and road networks, fixtures are checked across both Premier League and EFL schedules for fans travelling on the same trainlines.

Rise in UEFA dates

The complexity of compiling the fixture list has risen with the significant increase in UEFA club competition dates over a season, while the Premier League has remained a 38-round competition since 1995.

For example, in 1995/96, the UEFA Champions League featured two qualifying-round dates and 11 main competition dates. By 2010/11, this had increased to eight qualifying-round dates and 13 main competition dates.

Similarly, in 1995/96, the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League) had two qualifying-round dates and 12 main competition dates. By 2010/11, this had increased to eight qualifying-round dates and 15 main competition dates.

Change in fixtures

Match dates can change for a variety of reasons, including live TV broadcast selections and to accommodate matches in European and domestic cup competitions.

For this reason, Premier League fixtures are always advertised as being subject to change and fans are reminded of this via Premier League channels and of any amendments as soon as they are confirmed.

UK live broadcast selections

The broadcast selections process is conducted by Sky and BT in conjunction with the Premier League Football Department and clubs and looks to provide fans with sufficient notice to plan their travel.

Each season the Premier League publishes the approximate dates for when the announcements on matches that have been selected for live TV broadcast are made to help fans with their planning.

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Attendances and ticket prices

The loyal and passionate support of attending fans is hugely appreciated by clubs, their managers and players, and the Premier League.

Premier League stadiums were 95 per cent full in 2018/19 and this rate of occupancy had been at least 95 per cent for seven consecutive seasons (all percentages are tickets sold).

In contrast, in the Premier League’s first season (1992/93), stadiums were 70 per cent full (ie, tickets sold).

This is because clubs have a range of ticket prices and there is some excellent value on offer.

A comprehensive study into club ticket prices for 2019/20 made by the Premier League alongside EY before the season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic found that the cost of attending a Premier League match was £30 or less for the majority of fans. The average ticket price was £32.

More than half of the total number of tickets were sold at less than the full listed price due to concessionary pricing and discounting.

Season-ticket holders in 2019/20 made a total saving of more than £16million because of early-bird deals, renewals, or long-term purchase offers.

From 2016/17, away tickets in the Premier League have been capped at £30, but in 2019/20, the average price was £29. Nearly a quarter of these tickets bought were priced below the cap, with one in eight costing £20 or less. Some were available for as little as £5.

More than half of fans (52 per cent) paid between £20 and £40. Some 20 per cent paid between £40 and £60, while only six per cent paid more than £60.

There were nearly 65,000 junior season-ticket holders across the 2019/20 Premier League who paid £7 per match on average.

When taking both individual matchday ticket and season-ticket prices into account, the average cost for junior fans was £9 per match, with junior tickets accounting for about 12 per cent of all tickets.

There were close to 800,000 seats made available across Premier League stadiums in 2019/20 before the season was suspended. They were allocated as follows:

73.4 per cent standard
9.2 per cent family
6.6 per cent away fans
8.9 per cent hospitality
1.4 per cent disability seating
0.5 per cent unavailable for use on match-days due to segregation of home and away fans, broadcast requirements, etc.

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Accessibility

We are committed to creating an open and inclusive atmosphere for all fans.

Premier League clubs have a long history of welcoming disabled supporters to their grounds.

Each employ a Disability Access Officer who works to ensure their club are leading the way in providing modern, inclusive accessible facilities and services for disabled supporters.

All Premier League clubs now work to standards set by Accessible Stadia, a good-practice guide for the design of sport facilities.

The Premier League supports the work of the Disability Advisory Group, an independent body led by representatives from Disabled Supporters Associations, using their feedback to develop matchday experience and stadium infrastructure and other key services, including accessible ticketing systems and websites.

Our clubs are leading the way by introducing innovative new facilities, including sensory rooms and amenity seating.

The Premier League strives to achieve AA accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1) on our digital platforms and we work with independent online accessibility consultants DigInclusion to recommend further developments where needed.

Through the work with DigInclusion, we also offer support to Premier League clubs to improve the accessibility standards on their own digital platforms.

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Work with fan groups

We want supporter engagement to be at the heart of everything we do.

We meet regularly with the Football Supporters Association, Level Playing Field, Kick It Out and many other organisations that represent the interests of fans.

Supporter Liaison Officers provide a regular point of contact for fans at their own clubs and they liaise with senior management to share feedback and ideas.

The Premier League provides detailed guidance to clubs on the structure of their own meetings with fans, designed to maximise the value of meetings by ensuring they are representative, constructive and provide a voice for fans.

Senior executives at the Premier League formally meet with national fan representatives on a biannual basis to discuss major issues and to help shape the work of our Policy & Supporter Relations team.