Brighton & Hove Albion have announced their season ticket prices for 2024-25 with between a 4.2 percent and 7.8 percent rise in cost depending on where you sit in the Amex Stadium.
Those in the premium West Lower seats either side of the players’ tunnel face the steepest 7.8 percent increase, where an adult season ticket jumps from £895 to £965. Over a 19 game Premier League season, that makes each matchday ticket just shy of £51.
Next are those in the central areas of the West Stand Lower, East Stand Lower and the whole East Stand Upper. Their seven percent increase from £800 to £860 works out at £45 per game.
Adults in the North Stand, South West Corner and West Upper Wings will pay 6.3 percent more, up from £565 to £595 – or £31 per match.
Season tickets in the West Stand Upper Central and West Stand Lower Wings are going up from £675 to £710, an increase of 5.2 percent. That works out at £37 per game.
The lowest increase comes in the Family Sections, where an adult will now pay £620 rather than £595 – up 4.2 percent to £32 per match.
For some idea of how these price rises fit in with what is going on in the wider country, the rate of inflation in the UK in November 2023 was 3.9 percent.
A Brighton season ticket in a prime West Lower spot for 2024-25 is therefore increasing by nearly twice the rate of inflation. The average rise taking into account all areas is 6.1 percent.
It is the second year in a row in which the Albion have increased season ticket prices. From 2022-23 to 2023-24, the average increase was around four percent.
Brighton had previously frozen prices from 2021-22 to 2022-23 to help supporters still recovering financially from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For 2024-25, season ticket holders are entitled to share their seat with a MyAlbion+ member for free for one game per season which they cannot make.
Beyond that, they can pay a £20 fee for the right to pass on their ticket over the course of the campaign. Season ticket seats can also be shared on a game-by-game basis with an admin fee charged based on the opposition.
Whilst the above inflation price increase and the much-maligned season ticket sharing system remain in place, it is not all bad news going into 2024-25.
Most importantly of all, Brighton are maintaining the option to spread the cost of a season ticket over 12 months via an interest-free direct debit.
Many supporters might otherwise find themselves struggling or priced out if being asked for a lump sum in excess of £600 in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
The direct debit makes watching the Albion more affordable. Your correspondent barely notices the £56.25 – ironically the exact same amount Bill Archer paid to buy Brighton – leaving his account each month for a West Upper seat.
Were it to instead cost £710 in one payment, then it would be a very different story – especially when broadcasters butcher the fixture list at such short notice, often making it more difficult to attend every match.
Other Premier League clubs offer direct debits, but these often include admin fees or interest. None make it as straightforward as the Albion.
It also looks like free public transport on matchdays will continue to be included for season ticket holders.
There had been fears that the scheme would be stripped back or removed completely after the club sent out a matchday travel review survey last year.
Included in the survey were questions about paying for park and ride, whether the removal of free transport would impact on the decision to renew a season ticket and how supporters would get to and from games if bus and train travel were not included.
Although no formal confirmation of the continuation of the scheme was included with the season ticket renewal announcement, Paul Barber OBE said as much before the 4-2 win over Spurs.
“Travel to and from matches will continue to be significantly subsidised by the club for all fans although, as we have pointed out many times, we have little or no control over how trains, buses or the highways around the stadium operate or function,” Barber wrote in his programme notes.
To remove the travel subsidy would in effect add another £12 per game to the cost of a ticket for a supporter travelling by train from Eastbourne.
In the same column, Barber said: “We appreciate that, for many, the cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact, so your investment in supporting us is very much appreciated.”
“As such, we will continue to do our best to keep ticket prices as reasonable as possible although, like all businesses and households, the club’s own costs have risen considerably in the past 18 months or so and this is impacting us too.”
Those supporters who currently pay by direct debit will have their seats automatically renewed without needing to do anything. Those who pay by lump sum need to renew by 5pm on Monday 26th February.
Season ticket holders also have the option of paying an additional £15 for a welcome pack. This gets you a snood and some coasters.
