Doug King questions Coventry City’s’very weird and contentious’ choice, which has many fans angry.

This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, featuring personal thoughts from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more.

Coventry City has recently faced criticism over the prices of their away tickets for some games this season.

Some West Bromwich Albion fans are even planning a boycott of the game after learning that adults will be charged £45 and under-18s would be charged £35 each.

Baggies fans have hailed the decision, with other fanbases banding together to show their support and empathy, since they, too, are paying what are seen to be exorbitant rates to watch the current Championship leaders.

Given Coventry’s financial difficulties in the past, as well as the fact that the Sky Blues own their stadium, which means that profits from concourse sales and global concerts help the club financially, Doug King’s decision to charge above the odds for away tickets has raised concerns.

As Doug King faces criticism for ticket prices, a Coventry City fan commentator sides with the protesters.

This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal comments from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more.

Coventry City has recently faced criticism over the prices of their away tickets for some games this season.

Some West Bromwich Albion fans are even planning a boycott of the game after learning that adults will be charged £45 and under-18s would be charged £35 each.

Baggies fans have hailed the decision, with other fanbases banding together to show their support and empathy, since they, too, are paying what are seen to be exorbitant rates to watch the current Championship leaders.

Given Coventry’s financial difficulties in the past, as well as the fact that the Sky Blues own their stadium, which means that profits from concourse sales and global concerts help the club financially, Doug King’s decision to charge above the odds for away tickets has raised concerns.

As Doug King faces criticism for ticket prices, a Coventry City fan commentator sides with the protesters.
Doug King
Chris Deez, FLW’s Coventry fan pundit, agrees with the protestors that his club charges too much for away tickets at the CBS Arena.

He found the criticism humorous at first, but later wondered why Doug King would raise the fee for a Championship match.

“It’s been a fun few days on Cov Twitter — West Brom fans raging, Birmingham and Swansea fans getting involved, but I don’t blame them at all,” he told reporters.

“There’s been some amazing headloss on social media, with people going back 10-15 years to locate people’s tweets almost as a gotcha moment, and I’ve joined in by taking the mick out of them a little, but I don’t think there’s a single sane Coventry fan who agrees with the new pricing structure.

“£45 for an adult is ridiculous. There are Premier League clubs that do not charge that. And £35 for under-18s is completely unacceptable. I don’t see why Doug King is doing this.

Doug King has done a lot of good in the eyes of Coventry supporters. After years of uncertainty and ground sharing, the Sky Blues now own their stadium, and under Frank Lampard, they appear to be on track to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2001.

However, stadium ownership should result in considerable revenue, thus this decision has harmed his reputation because it appears virtually unnecessary.

“We have over 25,000 season tickets, and we own the stadium.” The money is there from beer and food purchases, as well as performances like Ed Sheeran and Take That, so I don’t understand the reasoning,” he added.

“It was obviously going to cause problems and make a lot of people angry, because football is already very expensive.” If I want to go with my wife and two children, it will cost between £120 and £130, which is insane.

“I love Doug with all my heart, but it’s a very, very strange and controversial decision.”

Coventry City fan commentator sends message to disgruntled opposing supporters

Deez does not believe his club should charge these charges, even if opponents have charged comparable prices for Coventry fans to attend games at their venues.

Fans of clubs that have not been charged these costs are also protesting the decision.

The fan pundit does not want the team to appear embarrassed and back down, but he recognizes that this is a choice that must be reversed sooner rather than later.

“Other teams may have charged us high amounts in the past, but it’s not like two wrongs make a right here,” remarked the manager.

“And now we have the problem of, if we back down, we’d look silly, because we’re already receiving a lot of flack from these different fan bases — even teams that aren’t being charged a fortune are getting involved and dumping on Cov.

“If any of them are reading this, I guarantee you that very few Coventry fans are defending this decision and Doug King by claiming that £45 is reasonable, because it is not.

“The amount of financial problems we’ve had over the last decade…it would be very hypocritical for any of our fans to be taking the mick.”

Finally, many Coventry fans see this as the source of most of their disappointment. It was just 12 years ago that the club threatened liquidation after entering administration.

Those inside The CBS Arena have experienced a great financial struggle to get to this stage, having previously had to travel to Northampton and Birmingham for home games. Now that the club is on the rise, this decision appears disgusting to those who have worked tirelessly to restore Coventry City to its former glory.

Finally, something has to be done about these transactions, and time will tell if the reaction will force Doug King’s hand.