Newcastle United fans join Premier League protest for Chelsea & Arsenal games - official statement issued

Newcastle United Supporters Trust have joined the ‘Stop Exploiting Loyalty’ campaign with fans holding up a banner near Stamford Bridge ahead of Sunday’s match against Chelsea. The protest will continue at St James’ Park over the next week with upcoming home matches against Chelsea and Arsenal.

The FSA has launched the campaign and invited fans of all 20 Premier League clubs to join in objection to ticket pricing and the overall cost of football for supporters.

A NUST statement issued ahead of the match read: “This weekend sees the launch of the FSA's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.

“Supporters have long campaigned to keep football affordable, and while there has been some progress-such as the ongoing £30 away ticket price cap in the Premier League-anger continues to grow over the rising cost of home tickets.

“In the coming weeks we will stand shoulder to shoulder with fans from every other Premier League club to make our concerns known as part of the Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.

“This season, 19 out of the 20 Premier League clubs announced increases in their season ticket and matchday pricing. Generating an extra million or two from ticketing will not solve football's spending problem, nor will it be a game-changer from a PSR perspective. It does however, impose a significant burden on supporters who have made our clubs an integral part of our communities for generations.

“On Sunday we and representatives from a range of NUFC fan organisations will join Chelsea supporters in a show of solidarity, as we will do next Saturday with Arsenal supporters before the match at St. James'.

“We strongly encourage all NUFC supporters, and football fans in general, to come together and support this campaign - whether by standing side by side with banners or simply sharing the message on social media.

“Together we must stand united and spread the word as supporters across the country tell all Premier League clubs to Stop Exploiting Loyalty.”

Newcastle will host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night (7:45pm kick-off) with tickets priced at £20 for adults before playing Arsenal at St James’ Park in the Premier League on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off) where tickets were priced from £50 for adults. Both matches are sold out.