How ironic that the Premier League want to take credit for the ticket price cap after ignoring their fans for so long

Some thought this battle would be led by 'moaning scousers', but all fans fought against being seen as turnstile fodder

Premier League away ticket prices have been capped at £30 (Getty)

The decision to cap Premier League away ticket prices at £30 is a success for English football. Football clubs and Premier League officials will want to take the credit, to take their piece of the victory.

But let’s be straight - no football club or official spoke out publicly in support of their own loyal supporters. They chose instead to stick with their fellow members of the Premier League clan, who like to think of themselves as a trade association, but are more akin to a private gentleman's club with their own rules and vows of secrecy.

Some clubs will say they voted for it. However, if Premier League owners really wanted to do it, they would have done it over three seasons ago. Last month the issue was discussed at a meeting of all the Premier League clubs and voted down. Only now have they said yes. Only now have they voted for the benefit of their supporters. Why? Because the tide has turned and is rising fast; buoyed by anger and rage at Premiership gluttony and greed.

None of this success is theirs. It’s ours. Supporters started it. Supporters have finished it. This was our success. It should be recognised as such.

When supporters began to complain that away ticket prices kept on creeping up, we knew something had to be done. Conversations about how the latest away match had broken the £40 or even £50 barrier were filled with anger. We were frustrated that supporter loyalty was being monetised. Supporters of the so called ‘bigger clubs’ felt unfairly targeted by having to pay higher prices than others, sometimes £300 more over the course of a season. All this at a time of vast riches being pumped into the game from ever increasing TV deals. And supporters, particularly away supporters were vital to this ‘product’ as they call it. If they wanted our support, we wanted lower prices.

My Union, the Spirit Of Shankly, called two public meetings in May 2013, in Liverpool and London. The intention was to arrange a demonstration at the Premier League, to call for lower ticket prices for away supporters.

But this wouldn’t just be Kopites or ‘Them Scousers Again’. No, we knew that it had to be bigger, much bigger. And so inviting supporters from across the football divides, we shared platforms with supporter trusts from Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham amongst others. We pushed the national supporter organisations - the Football Supporters Federation and Supporters Direct - to join in, to help achieve our goal.

Something unprecedented happened - supporters put tribal loyalties aside in favour of the greater good. The message in those first meetings was clear - what unites us is bigger than what divides us.

Ordinary supporters did something extraordinary. We kept it up for three seasons. We made a multibillion pound global industry, listen to people they treated as mere consumers. People they underestimated and took as turnstile fodder.

We did all this on top of our day jobs. People paid, very well, were not able to stop volunteers who put skills, experience and expertise to good use. We made banners, marched, contacted sponsors, boycotted, walked out and used days off to sit in meetings with club officials and the Premier League.

We gave time so that the Premier League and its clubs would have to sacrifice millions and reward loyal supporters, the only part of the football ‘family’ who didn’t share in the increasing Premier League largesse.

As described recently to me by one Premier League club official when talking of the recent walkout at Liverpool: “You had a foot in the door and then barged straight through”.

Millions from a pot of billions isn't much. But £30 tickets is a victory for supporters; something special. It is a start. And one made that bit sweeter because we won it ourselves, for the good of us all.