On Thursday morning, Liverpool FC announced a minor increase to ticket prices at Anfield, effective from the start of next season.Liverpool tickets are among the most sought-after commodities in world football, with demand far outstripping supply even with the Reds’ famous stadium seeing its capacity increase to just over 61,000 throughout the past decade.In explaining the ticket price increase, the club stated that the cost will rise corresponding to inflation over the next three years and insisted that the decison was was necessary ‘in the highly competitive environment it operates within, with matchday operating costs at Anfield soaring by 85% since 2016/17.However, the announcement was met with strong criticism from the Liverpool FC Supporters Board, who felt ‘extremely disappointed’ that their requests for a freeze to ticket prices for the next two years weren’t met.The Board also rejected LFC’s explanation over rising operational costs, arguing that the club has been generating greater revenue ‘on the backs of supporters’ who don’t get to ‘share in those rewards’ and have also had to contend with a vastly increased cost of living overall.The decision from Liverpool becomes harder to justify when two other reasons are considered. One is the club’s enjoyment of a record revenue of £703m for the 2024/25 season, with plenty of money piling into the Anfield coffers.The ticket price increases aren’t earth-shattering – general admission for adults will rise between £1.25 and £1.75 per person, per matchday, while adult season tickets will increase between £21.50 and £27 – but the principle alone represents a reputational own goal by the club.(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Also, fans are being asked to pay more money for what has become an inferior product compared to 12 months ago. Yes, there’s an acceptance that football supporters sign up for the good times and the bad, but it doesn’t help that the increase to ticket prices comes at a time when the team on the pitch has fallen well short of expectations.It’s not quite a repeat of FSG’s notorious £77 plans from 2016, which sparked a walkout protest against Sunderland at Anfield that year, but it’s another case of loyal fans receiving a kick to the teeth, on top of the top-heavy costs of TV subscriptions to watch the Reds in action, and the instability of kick-off dates and times to suit broadcasters’ schedules.Liverpool supporters are among the most devoted in the world and will continue to flock to their temple despite the added expense in doing so, but it’s wrong by the club to exploit that loyalty for financial gain.The post Fans kicked to the kerb yet again as Liverpool announce ticket price increases from next season appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.