Group of Newcastle United season ticket holders hit with 186% price increase

When it comes to revenue, Newcastle United are chasing the 'Big Six' to try to bridge the massive gap between the 'legacy' clubs and the rest of the league.

The correlation between a club's success and its wage bill is well documented, and under the current financial regulations, you literally have to make money to spend money; no longer can an owner just pump money into the club.

Newcastle are desperate to close the chasm and is trying all different ways to generate revenue for the club, including landing new partnerships and, of course, contemplating a new purpose-built stadium with an increased capacity.

The stadium will obviously take years to build if they ever make a decision on the next steps, so for now, the club is having to work hard to bring in commercial partners and find other creative ways to bring money into the club.

One way seems to be to fleece the loyal fans for every penny they can. Whether that be endless merchandise launches or ticket price increases.

The fans foot the bill again

The latest price increase planned for next season is eye-watering. According to The Chronicle, as part of the refurbishments planned for St James' Park over teh summer, the corporate areas are going to receive a makeover and a rebrand, and along with that will come a hefty price increase.

Tickets for the Magpie Club, which bridges the Milburn Stand and Leazes Stand, will see season tickets rise from the current £3,500 a year to an unbelievable £10,000, which is a 185.7% increase. It's okay, though, because patrons will have access to a free bar as part of the package.

The Magpie Lounge in the Leazes Stand will undergo a rebrand to Tidings, a nod to the collective noun for Magpies. The report doesn't mention if there'll be a crushing price increase to go along with that change, but we wouldn't be surprised.

At least it's the corporate fans, eh?

Many fans hate the idea of there being so many corporate tickets on sale as it robs real fans of the opportunity to attend games and is seen as a big contributor to the dying atmosphere, but if corporate partners are mental enough willing to pay £10k a year, then that's great for the club's bottom line.

That's not us saying we agree with such an egregious price hike. We think it's absolutely abhorrent, but at least the enormous costs are being passed on to corporate ticket holders and not the little guy, if that somehow makes it better.

It was inevitable that due to PSR/SCR or whatever they want to call it next, the fans were going to have to foot some of the bill as the club tries to generate revenue, but when we've only just brought in a sponsor for the training ground and still haven't made a decision on teh stadium, it just feels so cheeky passing so much on to thefans when the club isn't doing all it can to maximise its own revenue streams.