QPR's Price Increases: Compilation of QPR's Various Statements and Fan and Media Reactions

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QPR Official Site - MATCHDAY TICKET PRICES
Our ultimate goal at Queens Park Rangers Football Club is to reach the Promised Land of the Premiership and to compete with some of the biggest Club's in the country, and in time, across Europe.
As such, we are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future, upon which we can continue to build for what we all believe will be the most successful period in our Club's history.
As part of this financial restructuring, we need to increase our matchday revenues and as a result, we have introduced a new three-tiered category banding structure, whereby adult matchday prices are determined by the opposition, their league position, and the day of the fixture.
Matchday prices will vary depending on the part of the ground in which you choose to sit, namely the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze areas.
Our forthcoming home fixture against Derby County on Saturday 27th September will be a category A match, where tickets are priced £50 Platinum, £40 Gold, £30 Silver and £20 Bronze respectively.
Our fixture against Blackpool on Tuesday 30th September will be a category C fixture. Platinum priced seats will be available from £35, while Gold, Silver and Bronze priced seats are £30, £25 and £20 respectively.
In line with our ethos as a Family Club, children under the age of eight will continue to be able to purchase matchday tickets in silver and bronze areas free of charge, while concessions will continue to receive substantial discounts.
One-hundred per-cent of all matchday profits will continue to be ploughed back into the Club, allowing us to continue our policy of attracting some of the most exciting, young players from these shores and across Europe to QPR.
We are committed to continue building a successful, yet financially stable future at QPR and as supporters of our great Football Club, we want you to be with us all the way.
Category A v Derby
Platinum Gold Silver Bronze
Adult 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00
U-16 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00
U-8 n/a n/a FREE FREE
Seniors 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00
16-21 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00

Category C v Blackpool
Platinum Gold Silver Bronze
Adult 35.00 30.00 25.00 20.00
U-16 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00
U-8 n/a n/a FREE FREE
Seniors 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00
16-21 25.00 20.00 15.00 12.00
QPR


Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - All about the money?
QPR have denied that miscalculations in their budget prompted the controversial decision to raise ticket prices just six weeks into the new season.
Rangers supporters reacted angrily on internet forums this week after the club announced that the top seats for their next match at Loftus Road would now cost a whopping £50 each.
Unsurprisingly, the move appears highly unpopular - particularly after the club increased prices across the board in the summer, with some season tickets costing up to an additional 50 per cent.
But deputy managing director Ali Russell told the Times: "There are no errors. We're trying to build a football club which is sustainable and the board felt it was necessary to take the club forward.
"We need to increase revenue in line with other areas of the business and all areas have got to come together to hit our targets.
"We feel we're offering value for money and we want to give our season ticket holders the best value.
"The base price has not changed - you can still get a ticket here for £20, but we're making an effort to maximise our revenue for the best views in the stadium."
Under the new banding system, seats for Rangers' match against Derby on September 27 will range from £50 (platinum area) to £40 (gold), £30 (silver) and £20 (bronze) for adults.
But prices remain at the lower rates of £35, £30, £25 and £20 respectively for the Blackpool game three days later, which is designated Category C.
Future matches will be graded according to factors such as the day of the week and standard of opposition, while tickets for under-eights remain free in silver and bronze areas.
"I think there are always risks with prices," Russell admitted. "We've looked at prices both in the Championship and the Premier League and we believe we're providing a good entertainment product.
"Some games are going to be more expensive than others, but that isn't a new concept in football. Everything that's been spent has gone into running the team and that will continue."
QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore recently claimed that the club had not spent anything on transfer fees during the summer - yet they did recoup £500,000 from the sale of Simon Walton to Plymouth.
And it cannot have escaped anyone's notice that only last week Rangers handed a contract to a 34-year-old ex-international who plays in a position where - even after ditching Walton - the club already have several options.
Whatever Damiano Tommasi's pedigree, he is possibly the most illogical signing in QPR's history - and supporters must be wondering why they are apparently expected to help fund it.
While Russell declined to comment on specific team matters, he added: "It's difficult to know what players are going to be available and how your squad is going to be made up.
"The transfer window is now closed and we're trying to balance the books, but I certainly don't want to give the impression that this is to cover any individual player's salary."
If there were any doubts about the reasons for signing Tommasi, who made his first appearance in a QPR shirt in the reserves' 1-1 draw with Reading on Monday, they were dispelled by Rs boss Iain Dowie.
Asked whether he had personally wanted to bring the former Roma midfield man to Loftus Road, Dowie answered: "He was available and he was happy to come to London.
"The game's changing and you either resist it or you go with it - as long as I'm in charge of team selection, that's the holy grail for me."
It will be fascinating to see exactly how many hard-pressed Rangers fans reach into their pockets again to see Dowie's next home team selection a week on Saturday." Kilburn Times


BBC - QPR defend ticket price increase
QPR say their increased ticket prices will help maintain budgets previously set to provide a better standard of entertainment for home and away fans.
In a statement released to BBC London 94.9: "Since the takeover, the club has had massive investment, for both on and off the pitch activities.
"The board has considered it a necessity to increase match-day prices to maintain budgets previously set.
"We are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future."
There has already been protests against the rise in ticket prices.
Derby County are refusing to meet the demands and are not accepting the prices set by the R's for the game at Loftus Road on 27 September.
It is believed that QPR have already appealed to the Football League and a decision is expected by the end of the week.
The statement continued: "Our ultimate goal at Queens Park Rangers Football Club is to reach the Premier League and to compete with some of the biggest club’s in the country, and in time, across Europe.
"One hundred percent of all match-day profits will continue to be ploughed back into the club, allowing us to continue our policy of attracting some of the most exciting, young players from these shores and across Europe to QPR."
And despite objections from fans and other Championship clubs the Rangers believe they are offering value for money.
"We've looked at prices both in the Championship and the Premier League and we believe we're providing a good entertainment product.
"The base price has not changed. You can still get a ticket at QPR for £20, but we're making an effort to maximise our revenue for the best views in the house.
"Children under the age of eight will continue to be able to purchase match-day tickets in certain areas of the ground free of charge, while concessions will continue to receive substantial discounts." BBC


Loyal Soccer Association (LSA) Statement
The QPR Loyal Supporters' Association is dismayed and disgusted at the latest price increases for match day tickets. Many fans who were unable to afford to purchase season tickets due to the 50% plus increase in prices, now will be unable to afford a match day ticket. Is it a conscious policy to price out long standing loyal fans and replace them with a more well off section of 'fans'.
- The LSA stands against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on economic grounds. We feel the club is excluding a section of our fans who are no longer able to pay the very high prices asked. It may also be a very short sighted policy, given that the economy is in recession, people are losing their jobs and inflation is rocketing. People may make the choice in these hard times to stop paying high prices to watch a live match.
- We in the LSA came into existence to offer an independent voice for QPR fans and to protect and safeguard our beloved club. When the club was in dire straits we along with others organised collections and sponsored events, we even raised money to pay for a player. We welcome the fact that the club is safe financially and we are confident that there will be success on the field, but we want all the QPR family to be able to enjoy that success.
What is Queens Park Rangers? we believe it is ultimately the fans who make up the club, if we lose our loyal fan base, we lose the heart and soul of our club.
We urge fans to write letters of protest to the club, we also urge fans to peacefully demonstrate outside the main entrance in South Africa Road after the Derby County game.But get behind the R's and let us cheer them on to promotion.
QUEENS PARK RANGERS LOYAL SUPPORTERS' ASSOCIATION LSA


QPR1st join LSA in condemning the latest price increase.
BBC - QPR fans condemn price increases
The Queens Park Rangers supporters trust, QPR 1st, have condemned the club for further increasing ticket prices.
Admission to some areas of Loftus Road will cost £40 or £50 for some games.
In a statement, QPR 1st said the decision "is unjustified and will have a serious effect on the relationship between the club and its supporters."
The trust say they sympathise with Derby County, who have refused to accept the prices set for their fans for the game at QPR on 27 September.
The Rangers board caused dismay among many supporters by drastically increasing the cost of season tickets in the summer.
And this week the Championship club, owned by Formula One magnates Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore as well as Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, announced another hike in matchday prices.
The QPR 1st statement added: "We regret to say that the club's action is consistent with its policy towards the pricing of season tickets, which was also dealt with in an insensitive and brash manner.
"The board of directors claims to take pride in QPR as a family club whilst expanding a prohibitive pricing structure that will fail to encourage families and young supporters to the club.
606: DEBATE Your views on QPR's price increases
"In view of calls for protests from other supporters groups and on messageboards, we will be canvassing our members to find out whether there is majority support for the trust formally participating in such action."
QPR say the increase in prices is needed as part of a financial restructure.
In a statement to BBC London 94.9, the club said: "Since the takeover, the club has had massive investment, for both on and off the pitch activities.
"The board has considered it a necessity to increase match-day prices to maintain budgets previously set. We are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future." BBC


Dave McIntyre - BBC606 Trust condemn 'unjustified' price hike
The QPR supporters trust, QPR 1st, have issued a statement condemning the latest price increases announced by the club.
The trust describe the increases and “unjustified” and say they “will have a serious effect on the relationship between the club and its supporters."

Below is the full QPR 1st statement and as always, I’d like your views on the issue and what you think the fans’ reaction ought to be.
QPR 1st acknowledges the role of the board in improving our financial prospects and shares its aims in wanting the club to thrive. It has always been accepted among the fans that there would be ticket price rises as the club develops over the next few years.
Nevertheless QPR 1st believe that the recently announced rises are unjustified and will have a serious effect on the relationship between the club and its supporters, as well as the fans of other clubs. The decision to charge away fans up to £40 for their seats will sour the goodwill that QPR has with other teams' supporters.
We fully sympathise with the response of the Board of Directors of Derby Football Club who are acting in the interest of their supporters and will be writing to both the Chairman of Derby and the Chairman of Derby's Supporters Trust (as well as the Football League) making our feelings known.
We regret to say that the club's action is consistent with its policy towards the pricing of season tickets, which was also dealt with in an insensitive and brash manner. The Board of Directors claims to take pride in QPR as a family club whilst expanding a prohibitive pricing structure that will fail to encourage families and young supporters to the club.
QPR 1st will continue to work with other QPR supporters groups to bring our concerns to the notice of the management of the club. We also wish to maintain a constructive dialogue with the club that will benefit everybody in the QPR community.
We regret that the directors have so far chosen not to meet with the trust or as far as we are aware other supporters groups. We also regret that the meeting due to be held in August between Club representatives and supporters representatives was postponed by the Club and we await confirmation of the revised date of this meeting, which we understand will be early next month.
In view of calls for protests from other supporters groups and on the messageboards we will be canvassing our members to find out whether there is majority support for the trust formally participating in such action. BBC606


Ealing Gazette - Yann Tear - QPR ticket price probe
Rs could face u-turn pressure over pricing
QPR could be forced into an embarrassing climbdown over their newly-announced ticket price hike.
The club have chosen to categorise games in three bands according to the attractiveness of the opposition but the Gazette understands the move breaks Football League rules because you cannot re-price once the season is under way.
All clubs have to submit details of ticket prices before the first fixtures and they then need permission to make any alterations which Rangers do not have.
The Football League is looking into the matter as a matter of urgency, according to press spokesman John Nagle, who said Rangers re-pricing into different bands was Ôhighly unusual for a club outside the Premier League.
A test of the fans' reaction to the increases and there has been no consultation comes immediately with next weekend's home match against Derby County classified a top category match. QPR fan group LSA are planning a protest outside
Loftus Road before and after the match and want to collect signatures for a petition they intend to hand to chairman Flavio Briatore.
It is unclear what sanctions Rangers could face for breaking the rules but with tickets already on sale at the higher prices, refunds for fans may be an option the league board considers as well as an insistence that matchday prices revert to what they were at the start of the season for all future matches.
The club was criticised for summer price rises of 50 per cent for season tickets, which led to many fans deciding not to renew.
But if those fans opting out were hoping to pick and choose individual games to save cash, they are still being hit.
Tickets are going up from £40 to £50 in the main stand for the top games and from £30 to £40 at the Loft End.
John Reid, secretary of the LSA (Loyal Supporters Association) said he was dismayed and disgusted at the price increases.
He feared it might be a conscious policy to price out long-standing fans and replace them with a new breed of richer spectators with no real loyalty to the club.
"The LSA stands against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on economic grounds, he said. "We feel the club is excluding a section of our fans who are no longer able to pay the very high prices asked.
"It may be a very short-sighted policy, given that the economy is in recession, people are losing their jobs and inflation is rocketing. People may make the choice in these hard times to stop paying high prices to watch a live match.
"We welcome the fact that the club is safe financially and we are confident there will be success on the field, but if we lose our loyal fan base, we lose the heart and soul of our club." Ealing Gazette


Derby Evening Telegraph - QPR fans side with the Rams
QUEENS Park Rangers fans have backed Derby County in the ticket-price row between the two clubs.
Derby, who were still waiting on a final ruling on the issue from the Football League last night, are contesting the £40 away-ticket price set by QPR for the Championship clash on September 27 – an increase of £10 on the original agreement.
QPR fans have also seen their ticket prices increased to up to £50.
The Queens Park Rangers supporters trust, QPR 1st, said the prices were "unjustified."
"It is consistent with its policy towards the pricing of season tickets, which was also dealt with in an insensitive and brash manner," said a statement.
Derby Supporters Club chairman John Hemsworth sympathised with fans at Loftus Road.
"It would be like a Derby fan paying £40 to go and sit in the East Stand," he said.
"You just can't charge that amount for a Championship game.
"I've got every sympathy with QPR fans because it looks like they're going to be battling this problem for the rest of the season."
The prices for Derby's visit to Loftus Road had been set at £30 in the Upper Tier and £25 in the Lower Tier with the standard concessions. QPR want to raise them to £40 and £30. Derby Evening Telegraph

Tom Luntz - Guardian Blog
Long-suffering QPR fans forced to jump through financial hoops
With Rangers doing well on and off the pitch, it's galling for many fans that ticket prices have been hiked
There's always a price for success. For Julius Caesar it was a backstreet spinal tap, for a post-Croatia Theo Walcott it's the sour breath of a thousand hulking full-backs on his neck and for the Stereophonics it was, well, you've heard Just Enough Education To Perform, right? But the fans of QPR - currently fourth in the Championship - can put an exact figure on their stroll up the table: £40 for a home game against Derby.
Not too long ago, of course, QPR's supporters would have been happy to hear they'd still be paying to watch their team play anybody. Hoops fans had endured the humiliation of their side going from a team that often played the beautiful game at its most erotic – they finished fifth in the top flight in the early 90s too – to a side of League One also-rans. The fun didn't end there though; the club had a £10m loan they'd taken out from a mysterious Panamanian conglomerate hanging over its bowed head, was involved in a mass brawl with the nation of China, while the then chairman Gianni Paladini claimed he had a gun pulled on him by a fellow director (the allegation was thrown out in court). To top it all off the board even sunk so low as to appoint John Gregory manager.
But last year, with QPR just hours from administration, they were snapped up by Formula One supremos Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, who were later joined by Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, a man so rich he could probably buy a 0.32% share in Man City. Rather than Ridsdale-it-up, though, the new owners have invested in the club sensibly, paying off debts renovating the ground and bringing in good players on free transfers.
Last season was one of consolidation. Gregory departed in November and was replaced by Luigi Di Canio who got the team playing attractive football again. Unfortunately, he forgot to tell them to defend and they gave away leads again and again. This season, Iain Dowie has kept Di Canio's attacking ethos, but tightened up at the back – at Norwich on Wednesday QPR played 65 minutes with 10 men and still came away with a win.
So with the club doing well on and off the pitch, it's galling for many fans that ticket prices have been hiked. And it's happened more than once. "In the summer we were told season ticket prices would be going up by 10%," says Clive Whittingham of Loft for Words. "Many of the rises ended up being closer to 100%." This was compounded when prices for the Derby game went up too – a change that's set to be permanent for games against bigger sides (whether a side who set a host of new lows last season is a top club is an argument for another day). There's a bewildering array of tickets for games at Loftus Rd: Platinum, Silver, Bronze - chintzy names for what is essentially a plastic seat - but what it comes down to is that a good seat that cost £30 last week will now set you back £40.
"We feel like we're not being told the whole truth and we're being ripped off," says Whittingham. "£40 is ridiculously poor value to watch Championship football."
Derby County agree, and the Football League will rule today whether the price changes are fair. "We have stuck by our guns. We don't think it is fair to increase those prices," said Matt McCann, the Rams' head of communications.
According to QPR "the board has considered it a necessity to increase match-day prices to maintain budgets previously set. We are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future." They also point out that you can get tickets for as little as £20, although many fans will point out that you might not be able to see one of the goals from your seat.
And then there's Briatore's sometimes baffling quotes, which bring in to question whether he thinks he's running a football club or a swish hotel. "Step by step we have been putting money into facilities so as to create a unique brand and concept; in essence a boutique stadium," he said earlier this season. "It is an exclusive side of football that will rely on service, style, the ability to look after people and an insistence on playing the game the right way. It is all part of our plan, and we must make sure we do things the right way."
It's a shame that it's come to this – despite Rangers' encouraging start to the season crowds have only passed 15,000 once, and price rises are likely have something to do with that - especially as Whittingham acknowledges that the vast majority of fans are grateful for what the new owners have done for them. It just seems very little reward for a set of fans that have stuck with their club through thin, thinner and gossamer.
Tom Lutz Posted by Tom Lutz Friday September 19 2008 - Guardian Blog


When Saturday Comes - Price of success at QPR
In a week where the global economy has been veering towards the very real possibility of a severe depression, no-one at Queens Park Rangers has been reading the news. After significantly hiking season ticket prices over the summer, the club has decided to further raise the entrance price for any fans turning up on the day to as high as £50. Yes, that's for 90 minutes of football at Loftus Road, in the good old English second division. And it's not much better for visiting fans – Derby County were shocked to receive tickets for their upcoming game at QPR with a mark-up to £40 from the price of £30 the two clubs had agreed on prior to the season's start. Derby have refused the tickets, and now the west London side is appealing to the Football League, presumably for the right to be as greedy as they bloody well want.
It's odd that the wealthy captains of industry who've recently taken over the club have such a rudimentary understanding of economics. They are apparently oblivious to the consequences of recession, which dictate that as soon as times are hard, the first costs that people cut back on are leisure-related. Amazingly, people are prone to choose flippant purchases such as food and clothing ahead of essential pastimes like watching Fitz Hall and Adam Bolder gad about after Blackpool, Plymouth and Swansea on a Saturday afternoon. Had the well-minted trio of Bernie Ecclestone, Lakshmi Mittal and Flavio Briatore looked more intelligently at the team's attendances so far, they might have made the connection – despite a decent start to the season, QPR are well short of selling out their modest 19,100 capacity ground.
No doubt these men didn't get where they are today by giving anything away for free. And so despite the newly sound financial footing of the club, the fans are still being asked to pay exorbitant sums for the pleasure of following their team. QPR are strutting about like they're already playing in the Premier League, and if there's any kind of warped thinking at all behind these outrageous increases, it must be to the effect that the higher something is priced, the more valuable it will appear. It's the way the diamond market works, after all. Though it would be a brave fan who handed his loved one a fancy box on her birthday that contained two main stand seats for the crucial November 8 home clash with Cardiff City.
The option for disgruntled fans is to vote with their feet and stay away, either because they've had enough of being treated with such contempt, or because they simply can't afford to go any more. But it's an obviously unsatisfactory solution for supporters who love their team, unless they can stomach a drop in standard and develop a sudden affinity for Hendon Town. Meanwhile, it's hard to understand what the club's motivation is other than to test both the loyalty and the pocket depth of their fans. Right now, they look suspiciously like the nouveau riche trying to cast off their old friends in favour of mixing with a perceived elite. Maybe QPR and the Premier League deserve each other. Though charging palatial prices to get inside football's equivalent of a glorified garden shed may not win them as many new friends as they hope. Ian Plenderleith [When Saturday Comes



Mirror/James Nursey - £50 TO SEE RANGERS!
Qpr fans plan to protest at the club's "outrageous" ticket price hike as some supporters face paying £50 to watch the Championship side.
Rangers' costs have soared since being bought last year by billionaires Flavio Briatore, Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal, who have spent nearly £10million on new players.
But fans have reacted with fury after learning non-season ticket holders may have to shell out £50 for some home games - an increase of £10.
"This has caused outrage and there is talk of protests," said Howard Prosser, editor of a new book about the club, From Buckets To Billionaires.
"The club put their prices up in the summer by 10 per cent and have put prices up again just weeks into the season.
"This is a strange decision which will alienate fans further." Mirror


Daily Mail/Ian Gibb - As the credit crunch deepens, QPR come up with the first £50 Championship ticket
Queens Park Rangers have sparked an angry reaction from fans by becoming the first Championship team to charge £50 for a ticket.
It is all the more surprising considering their opponents for the game a week tomorrow are struggling Derby County, who have refused to accept their
allocation after Rangers also raised prices for away fans to as high as £40.
Dexter Blackstock scores for Rangers in front of rows of empty seats
The disagreement between the clubs is in the hands of the Coca-Cola Football League after an appeal from QPR.
But Rangers have come under fire from their own supporters who cannot understand why the billionaire owners who took over at Loftus Road last year, Lakshmi Mittal, Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, have sanctioned the £10 hike.
One angry season ticket holder said: ‘I’m disgusted with the pricing. I hope other supporters do not judge the fans and team of QPR by the greed of the owners. I hope away fans stay away in protest. It’s daylight robbery.’
QPR Loyal Supporters’ Association announced they were ‘dismayed and disgusted’ by the increase, especially after some season tickets went up by half.
The £50 ticket is still less than London’s Barclays Premier League clubs, with
Arsenal (£96), Chelsea (£65), Tottenham (£75), West Ham (£63) and Fulham (£70) charging more for top-priced tickets to category A games.
But it is more expensive than every other top-flight team, except Manchester United, who charge only £5 more for the best seats to top fixtures.
Ticket prices are usually set before the season and submitted to the League, with both teams needing to give their permission for any changes.
Derby refused to accept the rise, and a club spokesman said: ‘We think it’s too high and we don’t think that’s fair. We’ve stood our ground and QPR have exercised their right to appeal that to the Football League.’
QPR said: ‘Since the takeover, the club has had massive investment which has enabled us to increase our competitiveness in the Championship and provide a better standard of entertainment for home and away supporters.
'The base price has not changed. You can still get a ticket for £20. All match-day profits will continue to be ploughed back into the club.’ Daily Mail


Derby Evening Telegraph - League set to deliver verdict on QPR tickets
DERBY County will today find out if the Football League has ruled in their favour in the ticket price row with Queens Park Rangers.
QPR want to charge visiting Rams supporters up to £40 to attend the Championship clash on September 27 – an increase of £10 on the price originally agreed.
The Rams objected and the matter is now in the hands of the League.
"We have stuck by our guns. We don't think it is fair to increase those prices," said Matt McCann, the Rams' head of communications.
Clubs set their ticket prices before the start of the season and have to submit them to the Football League. Any change to prices for away fans has to be agreed between the two clubs.
The prices for Derby's visit to Loftus Road are £30 in the Upper Tier and £25 in the Lower Tier with the standard concessions. QPR want to raise them to £40 and £30.
The West London club has increased ticket prices for their own fans and defended the rise saying it will help maintain budgets previously set to provide a better standard of entertainment for home and away fans.
A statement read: "Since the takeover, the club has had massive investment, for both on and off the pitch activities. The board has considered it a necessity to increase match-day prices to maintain budgets previously set. We are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future." Derby Evening Telegraph


Football 365 -QPR CHARGE £50 FOR CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET
As purse strings around the world tighten, QPR have paid no attention to any global financial worries by charging £50 for a Championship match ticket.
The wealthiest team in the second tier have announced that the top price ticket for their forthcoming game against Derby will cost more than all but six of the Premier League's most expensive admission prices.
Only the five London clubs and Manchester United charge more, and Derby have refused to accept the new structure for the game on September 27.
A Derby spokesman said: 'We think it's too high and we don't think that's fair. We've stood our ground and QPR have exercised their right to appeal that to the Football League.'
However, QPR sought to justify the rise, saying that the better standard of play at Loftus Road meant the price was fair.
A club statement said: 'Since the takeover, the club has had massive investment which has enabled us to increase our competitiveness in the Championship and provide a better standard of entertainment for home and away supporters.
'The base price has not changed. You can still get a ticket for £20. All match-day profits will continue to be ploughed back into the club.' Football 365


- See Also:

- Perspective of Website "Can't Stop The Bleeding" - "QPR : Hoping Rival Fans Have More Money Than Brains

- Earlier Responses/Comments re Ticket Increases "Media Disparages QPR's Decision to Raise Ticket Prices - As Derby County Protest QPR's Decison"


The club's decision to raise ticket prices, critiqued by quite a few messageboard posters, attracts media attention (and criticism).
[See also: Official Statement Announcing Ticket Price Increases -- QPR's Ali Russell Comments QPR's Finances/Ticket Price Increases ----
Loyal Supporters Association (LSA) Statement ---- QPR Fan Reactions


Daily Telegraph/The Daily Bung - Mike Norrish The Daily Bung: Butch is back at the Bridge, while greedy QPR feel the pinch
All the news, views, gossip and rumours from the world of football you need to see you through the day, with hourly news round-ups and your chance to enter the debate, too....
So the backlash has begun over QPR's gruesomely greedy, penny-pinching, skinflint and downright wrong ticket prices.
Drawing themselves level with Mike Ashley in the Bung's new 'There's a credit crunch on, Stupid!' league table, the Rs are trying to charge Derby fans £40 for entry to Toff-tus Road.
Supposedly the world's richest club, owned by Lakshmi Mittal, Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, QPR still think it's acceptable to charge Premier League prices for Championship football, even at a ground which is poor by Championship standards.
And Derby aren't having it. The midlands club have refused to accept the prices and have complained to the Football League.
Deby spokesman Matt McCann said: "We think it's too high and we don't think that's fair. We have stood our ground and QPR have exercised their right to appeal that to the Football League. We expect a decision within 24 hours but either way, we will make sure our supporters aren't the victims of this situation."
Derby, the Bung salutes you... Telegraph


- Also: The Spoiler "Money Matter$ - Derby County refuse to accept inflated ticket pricing at QPR - West Londoners vastly overestimate value of watching their team


Mirror/Ann Gripper - QPR money men are Category A clowns
“We have introduced a new three-tiered category banding structure, whereby adult matchday prices are determined by the opposition, their league position and the day of the fixture,” QPR announced on Monday.
So how QPR can justify asking fans to stump up £50 for some seats in the main stand for the Derby match later this month is a mystery.
Unbeaten in two games and finally boasting a league win under Paul Jewell, Rams fans are hoping their team has turned the corner. But whether that is really enough to rate as a Category A side – the verdict of the QPR money men – is another matter.
Equivalent seats last year cost just £22.
With the economy in meltdown and money too tight to mention – a feeling QPR fans must be all too used to from the years of uncertainty before last year’s mega-money Formula 1 takeover – this pricing policy is a real slap in the face for fans. Mirror


Mail That's rich: Mega-rich QPR anger fans with ticket price rises
For the so-called richest club on the planet, the penny-pinching at Queens Park Rangers is surprising.
After a huge rise in season-ticket prices, the club have announced a hike in matchday tickets which will see pay-on-the-day fans charged £50 for a "Category A" match.
A QPR spokesman said: 'As part of financial restructuring we need to increase our revenues. One hundred per cent of profits will be ploughed back into the club.'
But fans are not happy and there is talk of a protest at the next home game with Derby.
Despite the arrival of mega-rich owners, QPR are yet to sell out a home game this season and only 13,770 saw them beat Southampton in a ground that holds 19,100. Mail


BBC - Derby turn down QPR ticket prices
Derby County have refused to accept the prices set by QPR for the game at Loftus Road on 27 September.
The club said a pre-season price of £30 for adults and £20 for concessions had been agreed but had been sent tickets priced £10 above those amounts by QPR.
Club spokesman Matt McCann told BBC Radio Derby: "We think it's too high and we don't think that's fair.
"We have stood our ground and QPR have exercised their right to appeal that to the Football League."
A decision on the prices is expected later this week.
"One of our biggest frustrations is the inconvenience it's causing fans," added McCann.
"With going to London supporters may want to book a weekend and make an occasion of it.
"We expect a decision within 24 hours but either way, we will make sure our supporters aren't the victims of this situation."
QPR have recently restructured their ticket pricing with adult tickets ranging from £20 to £50 for league matches. BBC


Derby Evening Telegraph - League to rule on QPR ticket prices for Derby County clash
DERBY County are waiting for the Football League to rule on their row with Queens Park Rangers over ticket prices for the Championship clash at Loftus Road.
QPR want to charge visiting Rams supporters up to £40 to attend the game a week on Saturday – £10 more than originally agreed – but Derby have objected and say the price hike is unfair.
Now the dispute is in the hands of the League, who are expected to make a decision in the next 24 hours.
Clubs set their ticket prices before the start of the season and have to submit them to the League.
If a club varies the pricing, then both participating clubs have to agree to any changes.
QPR contacted Derby and said they wanted to increase the prices from £30 in the Upper Tier and £25 in the Lower Tier with the standard concessions to £40 and £30.
Derby refused to agree and QPR appealed to the League.
The Rams head of communications, Matt McCann, said: “One of our biggest frustrations is the inconvenience it is casuing the fans.
“Tickets have to be with us four weeks before the fixture so we can get them on sale and supporters can make their plans for the game but we got those tickets 12 days before the fixture.
“We need it sorting as soon as possible because we want to get the tickets on sale as quickly as possible so Derby fans can follow their team.
“We have stuck by our guns. We have been very firm on this from day one, we don’t think it is fair to increase those prices.
“Hopefully, the Football League will rule on our side. We have just got to hope commonsense prevails.”
Derby say they have a contingency plan in place if the outcome does not go their way. They want to make sure supporters are not the ‘victims’ of the situation.
QPR want to raise ticket prices not only for the Rams game but other fixtures as well. The West London club’s decision has angered their own fans and top seats for home supporters could now cost £50.
John Hemsworth, chairman of the Derby County Supporters Club’s executive committee said:
“We are very happy the club is sticking to its guns on this and, hopefully ,commonsense will prevail when the Football League makes its decision.
“The hold-up is a logistical nightmare for fans because you have to get tickets out in the post and book coaches. Normally we have away tickets two or three weeks before a game.
“Some fans cannot afford such price increases in the current economic climate. Going to QPR could cost a fan almost £100 if you take into account £40 for a ticket, £20 or more for travel and something to eat and drink.
“My main worry over all this is that if QPR get away with it, other clubs might try to do the same.”
“The prices are going up for QPR supporters as well and apparently they are not happy because they are being stung also.” The Rams


See also: Clive Whittingham/LoftforWords Perspective

Fan Reactions can be viewed on the various QPR Messageboards:

- QPRdot.org

- LoftForWords

- We Are The Rangers Boys

- QPR.org

- BBC 606

- QPR Net

- QPR Fans Net

- Independent Rs

- LSA

- QPR Official Messageboard (registration required to view)


Copy/Pasted

***Agreed Protest***

From QPR 1st

Following discussion between representatives of the main fans groups, organisations and messageboards within the QPR Community, it has been agreed that we should call for ten minutes silence at the start of the Derby match.

This Silence will be symbolic of where our club is heading if fans continue to be priced out. At the end of the ten minute silence, we urge everyone to get behind our team at full volume, again to demonstrate the difference between a full stadium and an empty one.

Should QPR score in that 10-minute period, all fans will be encouraged to celebrate per normal but we hope they will return to silence after play commences for the rest of the ten minutes.

This is not a protest against our Board of Directors and certainly not against our squad but against a policy which we believe is misguided and harmful to our Club and its reputation.

We will be meeting with Ali Russell on Tuesday in the hope that common sense will prevail and this protest will be unnecessary. Nevertheless if he continues to refuse to offer any concessions or guarantees on behalf of the Board then the protest will continue as planned.

We would ask all fans to join in this protest and hopefully encourage a r on a policy which will eventually ensure that for the majority of the exisiting fan base going to matches becomes a luxury that we and our families can no longer afford.

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Follow up from QPR1st
The production of leaflets will be at personal expense although I will discuss with the rest of the trust management team whether the trust will donate from its own 'rainy day' fund. (You will remember this was discussed at our AGM)
We will require a team of volunteers to give out the leaflets. Please let us know if you can help out by contacting any of the main supporters groups.
Only one representative from each supporters group have been invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday. The trust will of course report back on the meeting as I am sure other groups will.
As chairman of the supporters trust, please forgive me for keep refering to QPR1st but please also appreciate this protest is not just about QPR1st but is also supported by the LSA, the OSC, Indys, WATRBs to name but some of the groups who are involved. - [As posted on WeAreTheRangersBoys]