IPSWICH TOWN fans are now adding their voice to the growing chorus of protest against the withdrawal of concession tickets at West Ham.
They will be joining Hammers’ fans in a gesture of support outside the London Stadium before the two teams meet on Saturday, with the match kicking off at 3pm.
Ipswich fans have also been hit with higher prices — an 8 per cent hike for season tickets with individual games soaring by 26 per cent.
Organising the Tractor Boy protest is Elijah Aldridge who said: “Town fans will be standing in solidarity with West Ham fans fighting for affordable football for all generations.”
Ipswich supporters follow Liverpool and Everton fans in offering help to the Irons’s “Save Our Concessions Campaign.” The Scousers joined West Ham in holding aloft a giant banner declaring “Stop Exploiting Loyalty” outside Anfield before the Irons succumbed to Liverpool in a League Cup clash last week.
The rival fans will be meeting on Bridge 1 to the London Stadium — on the main thoroughfare from Stratford Station at 1.30pm to display enormous banners.
Paul Colborne, chair of fan group Hammers United, expressed thanks to opposing supporters for their solidarity.
He said: “Football fans have always been the heart of the game, but our loyalty is being increasingly disregarded in favour of pure profit. This isn't just about money; it’s about preserving the essence of football for future generations.”
West Ham shocked their fans in the close season with withdrawal of junior and Over 66 concessionary seats for new season ticket holders in most of the ground. Without concessionary discounts, the cost of becoming a season ticket holder for juniors and seniors rocketed for the vast majority of seats at the London Stadium.
There were no one-off tickets at all on general sale at concessionary prices for West Ham’s first two games in the 2024-25 campaign against Aston Villa and Manchester City, with disabled supporters also charged full cost. West Ham fans fear restriction of concessions is the first step to complete abolition.
Aldridge, who is also a co-founder of Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks, added: “We all have a duty to protect the next generation of fans, and to prevent the loyalty of so-called legacy fans from being exploited.”
Hammers United, along with other West Ham fan groups, are prepared for a long campaign including the release of black balloons as teams emerge from the tunnel in the “Black Bubble Protest,” organising further joint gestures with opposing fans and lobbying MPs and local councillors.
