A soccer finance guru is ringing the alarm, saying Wrexham and Birmingham City fans are shelling out too much to support their League One promotion-hunting teams at away matches.

While both teams, standing second and fourth, have brought waves of fans to games, with Wrexham‘s travels peaking at about 3,700 in Bolton and Birmingham’s faithful surpassing 3,100 at Charlton, Kieran Maguire points out that their followers are forking over prices above £30 ($37), occasionally more than rivals’ fans in the same league.

The University of Liverpool expert has called some club owners out for cashing in on this fan fervor to line their pockets. On his ‘Price of Football’ podcast, Maguire made a plea for pricing fairness: “There is a very good case for having a price cap. It does seem idiosyncratic that you can go to a Premier League match at Old Trafford, the Etihad, Anfield or the Emirates, and you’re paying £30.

“Yet you go to some matches in the Championship, and I think the highest away fees are £47 for walk-up fans. It is difficult to justify and some clubs are being particularly disadvantaged by this. In League One, you’ve got Birmingham City, Wrexham, Stockport and Bolton, who are doing really well at present and have got big fan bases.

“There are huge clubs in the lower leagues whose fans do travel in numbers, and they are being scalped. There’s no doubt about it. It’s a bit like that episode of The Simpsons, when a Hollywood film studio came into town, and they all started to double and triple the prices because it was an opportunity to take advantage.”

The Premier League first introduced a cap on away ticket prices in 2016 and the current level is set at £30 ($37). Earlier this month, it was revealed that the EFL might follow suit, with a vote planned before next season.

Wrexham fans could face some expensive away trips

Wrexham fans could face some expensive away trips ( 

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Getty Images)

This comes after controversy during the summer when Wrexham and Birmingham’s League One rivals Leyton Orient announced its latest ticket pricing structure. The system saw the two clubs, along with Charlton Athletic, designated as “Category AA” opposition for their visits to the Gaughan Group Stadium.

This meant an adult matchday ticket for away fans in Orient’s East Stand would cost £37 ($46) – a move which drew criticism from Wrexham supporters. Leyton Orient CEO Mark Devlin attributed the decision to rising operational costs, despite 15 of its 23 home league fixtures being classified as Category B, where match tickets are more affordable.

In a statement from July, the spokesperson acknowledged the delicate balance the team must maintain: “We understand that there is a balance for us to strike between giving ourselves the best chance of being as competitive as we can be on the pitch, whilst also keeping prices affordable.

“There will be some increases to ticket prices for the 2024/25 season, though we have tried to keep these increases to a minimum. The increases are needed to partially counter to the higher operational costs that we will face next season, including higher matchday staffing costs and utilities.”