Debate over SPFL away-ticket prices intensifies after BBC Sport analysis published on 2026-10-07
Fans, clubs and the Scottish Professional Football League are debating the cost of away tickets in Scottish football following a BBC Sport analysis published on 2026-10-07 that catalogued current charges across all 42 SPFL clubs. The article highlighted a range of adult away prices and the question of whether a formal cap should be considered.
The BBC listed specific examples for top-flight fixtures, including an adult Kilmarnock supporter being asked to pay £34 at Ibrox, Hibernian fans facing £30 for Tannadice, and Dundee and St Mirren followers each paying £28 at Falkirk and Tynecastle respectively; it also noted lower-league examples such as Morton £24 at Arbroath, Hamilton £21 at Alloa in League 1 and Kelty Hearts £18 at Stirling Albion in League 2. The piece recorded that the SPFL regularly cites Scotland's top flight as the best attended in Europe per head of population and pointed out that these ticket prices sit alongside travel, food and other matchday costs.
Supporter voices featured throughout the report. Aberdeen fan Glen Schreuder said: "I'd like to see an away ticket cap. One of the reasons I don't do much away travel anymore is because it is becoming unaffordable with the rise in not just ticket prices but general prices." Celtic fan Paddy Loughran said: "Fans should be in unison in trying to put this argument to the league. I think there should be a bit more of a unity here and making sure we are holding the right people accountable." The article noted that clubs provided the ticket figures after being asked by BBC Sport.
Other fans expressed concern about affordability and inconsistency between venues. Dundee fan Ethan Hampton said: "I really like how there is an away-day culture in British football. You want it to stay intact but how much more can you ask of supporters when they are bleeding themselves dry to follow their team? In England, they can maybe take the hit on ticket prices, but Scotland is not the same." Dundee United fan Paul McNicoll said: "The cost of away tickets is borderline scandalous - some of the venues are a lot higher than others. It would be good if there was standard price, but it feels like we are miles away from that." Falkirk fan Grant Heaney said: "Away ticket prices are excessive. I think there definitely has to be some sort of cap introduced. I can see both sides of it - everything is going up in price and clubs are obviously affected by that as well."
Several supporters raised the practical and ethical tensions around any cap. Hearts fan Greg Playfair said: "If you cap away prices home supporters will say 'hold on, why is that supporter paying less than me? '. It is a tricky one." Hibernian fan Matty Fairnie said: "Some clubs try and keep the price down, but I think others just see the fans as a commodity to milk. Gate receipts are a huge part of the income for Scottish clubs so they would almost be turkeys voting for Christmas." Kilmarnock fan Sandy Armour said: "In the big wide world, everything else is going up in price. I would say try and limit it to £20. Maybe you could get six or seven clubs - the non-city clubs, shall we say - together and say 'how about we have an agreement between us?'." Rangers fan Jamie Currie said: "As someone who goes home and away, I find away pricing vastly overpriced given the product. It should be capped at £20 but it's the biggest earner for clubs so it's a catch 22." St Johnstone fan Sam Miller said: "It seems more expensive than it needs to be for what you are getting in return. I would suggest fans like myself don't understand the finances needed by a club to run it on a day to day basis. Maybe if that was made clearer, we would maybe be more understanding of why ticket pricing is what it is." St Mirren fan Mark Jardine said: "St Mirren mostly make our money from people coming through the door, so I understand why prices go up. But I think it will get to a point where you are putting people off. I do find myself siding more probably with the Twenty's Plenty, £25 cap side of things."
The piece compared the Scottish debate with a decade-long £30 away-ticket cap in the English Premier League, noting clubs in England voted unanimously in March to keep that cap for another two seasons and that it was introduced in 2016. The BBC reported that away attendances in the Premier League rose from 82% to 91% since the cap's introduction and cited the league's view that away fans were "essential for match atmosphere." Michael Brunskill of the Football Supporters' Association told BBC Scotland: "The money clubs lost is minimal and the reason the Premier League engaged is that executives understood the arguments we were making. They came to the conclusion that marginally lower prices means full away ends. That means stadiums look fantastic on TV and more pies and pints sold as well, so it all added up."
The article recorded the SPFL position as rejecting a similar measure at present: a cap on away ticket prices is not on the SPFL's agenda and has not been discussed by the clubs any time recently. It noted Scottish clubs' heavier reliance on matchday revenue given smaller broadcasting deals, that attendances in Scotland are continuing to rise despite cost-of-living pressures, and that the SPFL prevents clubs charging visiting supporters more than home fans for equivalent seating; the report also recorded that a number of clubs offer concessions and that away fans can attend some SPFL matches for less than £25. Political interest was referenced, with the Scottish Greens calling for a £25 cap prior to the Holyrood election in May.
The article concluded that, while supporters and some political figures have urged limits on away prices, the SPFL has no active plan to introduce a cap and that campaign momentum appears limited unless fan attendance patterns change.
