Kieran Maguire: Leeds United trying to ‘protect their fanbase’ as deal agreed
The Leeds United board are trying to ‘protect their fanbase’ from being overcharged for away tickets by striking reciprocal agreements.
That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the pricing of tickets in the EFL.
Leeds have announced their ticket prices for the upcoming 2023/24 campaign, with eyebrows raised as the Yorkshire club revealed away fans will be charged as much as £47 on some matchdays.
However, Leeds have offered all Championship clubs a ‘reciprocal agreement’ to lower prices for away fans if the same is done in the reverse fixture.
Leeds face Cardiff City on the opening weekend of the Championship season and the Welsh club are the first to agree to the deal, lowering ticket prices to £21 for their August 6 showdown.
Maguire praised Leeds for finding alternative routes to lowering ticket prices but believes it is ‘awkward’ that there is no cap on pricing in the EFL.
“It is awkward that you could be paying far more as an away fan in the Championship compared to the Premier League,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“It is, however, good to see that Leeds are at least trying to alter that.
“It is difficult to justify £47 for away tickets, and they are looking to protect their fanbase from being squeezed for the same prices.
“The reciprocation agreements certainly have benefits although they certainly won’t come to fruition at every match.
“Leeds will always sell out their away ticket allocation, but other clubs may only send a modest number of fans and will look at the potential financial gain of charging higher.“
In other news, Tyler Adams wants to quit Leeds United after major development