Chelsea ‘losing ground on their rivals’ as fans hit by new bombshell
Chelsea’s inability to build a new stadium or redevelop Stamford Bridge may mean the club have to increase ticket prices to generate greater revenue.
That is according to football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley who has exclusively told Football Insider that it is a “possibility” Chelsea will increase their prices.
Chelsea’s plans to build a new stadium at Earl’s Court took a blow when the local council gave the green light for another project to be built on the site.
There are complexities in redeveloping Stamford Bridge, and it may not be until 2042 until Chelsea build a new stadium.
Chelsea ‘blow’ as prices could increase
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Plumley says that Chelsea may look at generating revenue elsewhere amid their difficulties in increasing stadium capacity.
“I mean, it’s a blow in terms of they will be losing a little bit of ground on rivals,” Plumley said.
“It’s always a possibility [raising ticket prices]. Because if you look at, you know, what you are doing with your stadium and how it generates revenue for you. There are only a couple of things you can do to increase that. It’s either expand, build a new one, or raise ticket prices.
“And, of course, raising ticket prices is a thorny issue at the minute across football. So they would rather not, but it’s always a possibility that you have to consider that if you’re looking at, you know, increasing the revenue line, especially, you know, with new squad cost ratios where revenue is an important factor of that calculation.
“So clubs will be looking to increase revenue anyway as a result of that.”
Chelsea’s rivals ahead in stadium plans
Many Premier League clubs have stadium plans amid a need to increase revenue and keep up financially with their rivals.
Tottenham and Everton have moved into new stadiums most recently, whilst Man United have plans to build a new ground.
Arsenal are looking into ways of expanding Emirates Stadium, although such work often comes with a temporary move to play home games elsewhere.