FAI CEO David Courell has defended the decision to raise season ticket prices for international games, stating that there are costs associated with hosting games at the Aviva Stadium.
This month, the FAI announced that the prices of season tickets for its international games have increased. Regular season ticket holders renewing their tickets were required to pay 50% of the cost upfront within the next four weeks, despite not knowing the teams Ireland will play next year at the time.
The move has been condemned by many fans, who cite the cost of living as a reason not to increase prices. However, the FAI countered: "While the pricing model for the 2025 season ticket has been modified to reflect an increase in overall costs, this is only the second change to the adult pricing model in the last decade for our long-term season ticket holders."
The season ticket price rise will cover the Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Bulgaria next March and also include the yet-to-be-confirmed World Cup qualifying group games.
Courell spoke this week about various topics regarding the national team and was asked about the ticket price increases.
The FAI CEO praised the Irish fans for their unwavering support, but in the same breath, added that hosting games at the Lansdowne Road venue comes at a cost.
Getty Images“It would be remiss of me not to praise our fans, who have been fantastic—probably the most loyal in the world. We haven’t always performed in recent years, but they have stayed with us. We have the highest season ticket membership of any federation in Europe, with 24,500 last year. We don’t take that for granted, but equally, there are costs associated with hosting games in this fantastic facility (Aviva Stadium)," said Courell to the 42.ie this week.
Courell also added that despite the increase, the tickets still represented amazing value for eager fans of the Irish team.
“We have only increased ticket prices once (before this) in the last decade. It was merited that we had to increase our season ticket prices, but we wanted to reward the loyalty of those fans. So, if they’re renewing, there’s still amazing value there. You can still get an adult ticket for an average of €30 per game, which I think we’d all recognise, in this day and age in this country, represents good value for money."
The FAI boss added that he has sympathy for fans feeling the pinch but urged them to understand the reasons for the price hike.
“While no fan group anywhere in the world would ever countenance any price increases, I’m happy to see the interest in season tickets is in rude health. We’re now at over 20,000 sold already. While I understand there may be some disappointment, hopefully they can understand our cost base is increasing.”
