Newcastle United Supporters Trust stand side-by-side with fans from other clubs against clubs exploiting loyalty

If you're one of the many thousands of people who regularly attend football matches rather than watching them on TV then it will have not escaped your attention that the cost of going to a game is spiralling out of control.

When I were a lad I could get my ticket and travel to and from the ground (from Durham) and get well oiled in the process and still come home with change jangling in my pocket from £50. Nowadays you'll be lucky if that buys you the ticket alone.

It's not just at Newcastle United where costs are rocketing with 19 out of the 20 Premier League clubs increasing their ticket prices this season.

Now representatives from Newcastle United Supporters Trust have encouraged other NUFC fan groups to join them along with representatives from the other clubs to stand up and protest against clubs gouging loyal fans with the #StopExploitingLoyalty movement as led by the Football Supporters Association (FSA).

The Newcastle United Supporters Trust is standing with the FSA with their Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign

The NUST have already brought the rising cost of supporting Newcastle United to the club's attention with this letter to Darren Eales back in April to which the CEO responded in kind here with the club's defence of rising costs.

Fans aren't stupid, they know that the club costs will increase as the club's ambition grows, especially with PSR holding the club back, but at a certain point they're going to price out the loyal fans and only those with deep pockets will be able to attend.

We reached out to the NUST for an update given the FSA's campaign bringing pricing back into focus and Vice Chair Adam Stoker very kindly gave us the following statement which includes a call for fans to join them in a protest ahead of the upcoming fixture against Arsenal.

Adam Stoker - Vice Chair of the NUST had this message for fans

"Over the past few months we have been attending FSA meetings on the Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign. With 19 out of 20 PL clubs increasing ticket prices for this season and others pushing boundaries by modifying/removing concessions it is clear that action needed to be taken.

"The financial benefits these increases have for the clubs are far outweighed by the negative impact of these rises on supporters. NUST stand alongside our counterparts throughout the league in saying Stop Exploiting Loyalty.

"Earlier this week we approached every other NUFC fan group with FSA affiliations to invite them to stand alongside us and supporters across the league prior to the Arsenal game at St, James’.

"It’s great to see so many supporters putting aside rivalries on this issue and we encourage all football supporters to support this campaign and ensure that football does not price out those who have been so integral to the clubs and their local communities."