John Swinney to 'actively consider' Scottish football ticket decision that'd impact Hearts and Hibs fans
Swinney was asked about an issue regarding ticket prices during First Minister’s Questions.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney claims he will ‘actively consider’ capping Scottish football away tickets at £25.
In the same week where it has been revealed that Scottish football fans contribute over £800 million to the economy every year, the First Minister was asked whether Scotland will follow countries around Europe by putting a cap on tickets. A section of Falkirk fans are threatening to boycott their trip to Celtic Park next month, with tickets being sold at £36. Despite prices generally increasing across the board, a number of clubs have experimented with reducing their prices of late with relative success.
For Hibs’ clash with Motherwell a fortnight ago, they reintroduced their ‘Football For a Fiver’ campaign, where both sets of supporters were able to watch the match at Easter Road for £5, which sold out. Aberdeen are set to follow suit this weekend for their weekend showdown with Livingston at Pittodrie, where all adult tickets are capped at £10.
Ticket price disgruntlement ‘unites football fans’
While these initiatives have been put in place and welcomed by supporters, they are only one-off fixes to a much wider issue. Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Gillian Mackay put this to the First Minister, she said: “There is often very little that unites football fans, but in recent weeks, supporters of Celtic, Falkirk and Motherwell have displayed banners backing my calls for a £25 cap on away tickets, a call that has also been backed by the Scottish Supporters Collective.
"Football is meant to be for everyone. At a time where the cost of living is ever-rising, there are fans being priced out of attending. There are already price caps in place in England and in many other European countries. We know how important attending games is for people. It reduces loneliness, not to mention the wonderful work the trust that these clubs do for the wider community, clubs would be nothing without their fans. Will the First Minister join me in the calls to cap away ticket prices?"
To which, Swinney responded: “I am very happy to give consideration to this particular issue, I think for all the reasons that Gillian Mackay indicates, it is important that individuals are able to engage in watching their football teams, in being able to enjoy that experience and to appreciate the solidarity of being together with fellow football fans. I certainly will give active consideration to the proposal that Gillian Mackay has raised."
Government plan to ‘democratise’ Scottish football
The First Minister was also asked by the Greens co-leader, how football in the country can be more democratic. He answered: “The Government has already held discussions on many of these issues about fan ownership and fan engagement in football.
"There are a number of very good examples around the country of fan ownership and leadership of football clubs, which has delivered significant results for participation in sport. I am very happy for the sport minister to be involved in those discussions. She is very actively involved in all of these questions about fan engagement. If that helps to advance a sense of collective purpose within Scotland, then the Government will support that in every way it can."