Nottingham Forest correspondent John Percy has delivered his verdict on the club’s decision to hike up the price of their season cards for next season.
Football at the top level has quickly become a business. Supporters are viewed as little other than customers – and Forest haven’t even tried to hide that.
Evangelos Marinakis has done a lot of good during his time at the City Ground but this decision might be the final straw for some supporters.
The club have increased prices of their season tickets by almost 50% in just over a year and in this day and age that simply won’t do.
Now, the club faces a fan backlash at a time when ultimately, need their fans firmly behind them as they try to stay in the Premier League.
Following the decision of the club – and the outcry of the fans – Percy has now thrown his opinion into the mix.
John Percy delivers opinion on Nottingham Forest season card prices
Well, Percy has a strong reputation with the Forest fan base – and he’s now delivered his take on what the club has announced this week.
For some – younger – supporters they will see their season cards go from £195 to £800 and that is frankly ridiculous.
It seems baffling at this stage too given that Forest don’t yet know what division they will find themselves playing in next season.
Percy doesn’t condone the actions of the football club and he’s now extremely worried for the Reds in their fight for survival.
He said on X: “#nffc have struggled with set pieces all season but the season card increase is a huge own goal. At a time when the club needs its supporters more than ever, after such an excruciating season (PSR/VAR etc), this could seriously damage their survival chances. Urgent rethink needed.”
Forest tone deaf over past 24 hours
Football clubs are masters when it comes to PR. No sooner had the club announced an increase to the prices for next season, a message that safe standing was coming was announced hours later.
Things got worse though.
Last night as X went into meltdown, Forest decided to post an update on the sales claiming ‘record sales’ and urging people to get signed up and ready for next season.
Forest isn’t just a football club. In Nottingham – where things have been a real struggle for lots of people – it should act as a pillar of the community.
Instead, fans will feel seriously ripped off and gone are the days when fans were valued for their loyal support until the end.
Okay, winning promotion to the Premier League was always likely to see an increase in costs but this feels rather excessive.
With fan group Forza Garibaldi issuing a statement – and now Percy getting involved – it will be fascinating to see if a rethink will be on the cards.
