The Clarets Trust warmly welcomes and supports the Football Supporters’ Association’s new Protect the Fans. Protect the Game campaign. The FSA has been a vital national voice for supporters for many years, and this campaign once again highlights the increasing pressures facing matchgoing fans across the Premier League. Many supporters at many clubs are being priced out, and the need for meaningful, structured engagement with fans has never been greater.
As a Trust, however, our responsibility is to represent the views of our own members. We recently surveyed our membership and held an emergency Board meeting to discuss both the FSA’s proposals and the ongoing season ticket consultation at Burnley FC. A clear majority of our members told us they believe Burnley’s current pricing is fair, and several indicated that a modest inflation-linked rise would be acceptable after two consecutive price freezes.
For that reason — and to remain consistent with the detailed feedback we have formally submitted to Burnley FC — we have not signed the specific element of the FSA statement calling for a two-season price freeze. Signing a freeze while acknowledging that a small increase would be reasonable at our own club would undermine the integrity of the consultation process and contradict the views of the members we are elected to represent. Equally, it would place an unreasonable demand on Burnley FC just for the sake of the Trust creating a bully pulpit. This, we will not do.
However, this must not be read as a lack of support for the FSA or for the broader campaign. Far from it. The Clarets Trust:
- Strongly endorses the campaign’s call for full transparency around ticketing data;
- Fully supports the push for open, ongoing engagement with supporter groups — not only Fan Advisory Boards;
- Stands shoulder-to-shoulder with supporters at clubs where pricing has become unreasonable, inaccessible, or exploitative.
The FSA is absolutely right to highlight these issues nationally, and we remain committed partners in that effort. Our position simply reflects Burnley’s specific context, where pricing has been comparatively fair in recent seasons. If the Club were to shift towards the more aggressive pricing models seen elsewhere in the Premier League, our stance would change immediately.
Burnley FC has a proud history of affordability in its ticketing approach, and we want that to continue. We will be using this campaign — and the principles behind it — to push for deeper engagement, clearer communication, and broader consultation that meaningfully involves supporter groups as well as the Fan Advisory Board.
Football must remain accessible to ordinary supporters. The principles at the heart of Protect the Fans. Protect the Game are vital, and the Clarets Trust remains fully supportive of them — even if we cannot sign the freeze component due to Burnley’s specific circumstances and the clear views of our members.
Why didn’t the Clarets Trust sign the FSA’s joint statement?
Because our responsibility is to represent the views of our members in our recent survey. Most members felt Burnley’s pricing has been fair, and to us, a modest inflationary rise after two seasons of freezes is not unreasonable. Signing a call for a further two-season freeze would contradict the position we have taken in the Club’s official consultation.
Does this mean the Trust doesn’t support the FSA campaign?
Not at all. We fully support the campaign’s goals around affordability, transparency, and proper engagement with supporter groups. Our decision relates only to the freeze element, which doesn’t align with Burnley’s specific situation.
Are you distancing yourselves from other supporters?
No. We stand in solidarity with fan groups at clubs where unfair or exploitative pricing has become the norm. Their fight is justified — and we will continue to support them.
Could the Trust’s stance change?
Yes. If Burnley FC moved towards the aggressive pricing strategies seen elsewhere, our position would change immediately.
