FORAS Trust

Cork City FC Home Match Tickets

At the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of the Rebel Army Society (FORAS) on Thursday night, members unanimously supported a motion calling on the Trust to issue a statement of concern surrounding the increase in ticket prices for Cork City FC’s men’s senior team.

While our members appreciate that the club is not immune to rising costs, the level of increase has been disproportionate, and the manner with which the club has responded to legitimate apprehension has been of concern. FORAS is currently exploring what limited support it can offer to any of its members who are struggling to afford attending City matches

FORAS notes the following:

  • At €25 per adult, €18 for teens and seniors, and €10 for under 13s, matchday tickets for the newly promoted Cork City are the most expensive of any club across both divisions of the League of Ireland.

  • For supporters who buy their tickets online, the increases in ticket prices compared to 2024 are as follows:

    • Adult tickets are up 67% (€15 online in 2024 compared to €25 online in 2025)

    • Juvenile and Seniors tickets are up 80% (€10 online compared to €18 online in 2025)

    • Children’s tickets have doubled (€5 online in 2024 compared to €10 online in 2025)

  • For example, an adult bringing two teenagers to a match at Turner’s Cross paid €35 in 2024. In 2025 it will cost them €61.

  • FORAS acknowledged the fairer price set for renewing Season Ticket holders. However expectations around promotional discounts, arising from a meeting between the club and the Board of FORAS in November 2024, and also from comments made on the club’s own podcast, have not been met.

  • Specifically, it was suggested that a five match “flexi ticket” was to be introduced which would offer better value than buying five individual match tickets separately. In an update circulated to FORAS members – the wording of which was agreed by Cork City FC – it was said that “The five game package is not tied to specific matches or the next five home games, but can be redeemed against any five matches of the holder’s choice.”

Since then, the arrangement surrounding this five match pass has changed, and now only permits the ticketholder to attend five consecutive fixtures, with no flexibility.

  • Comments from majority shareholder Dermot Usher to ‘The Currency’ media outlet have caused concern and anger among supporters. Quotes of specific concern are:

  • “I believe the pricing is fair. If you haven’t been buying a season ticket and have been dipping in and dipping out … I do not have a huge amount of sympathy.

  • “If you want to rock up on a Friday night once a month or once every six months that’s fine, but the price will be €25.

  • “I can’t build a business or a club around what people can’t afford to pay. I am sympathetic and empathetic towards people who maybe might not have a huge amount of money and would love to come to a game but we’ve also said that if you can’t afford to come to a game, come and volunteer.

  • At 5,031 the attendance at City’s opening game of the season against Galway United was lower than that of last year’s season opener against Kerry – despite last year’s fixture taking place in the First Division. City’s last season opener in the Premier Division against Bohemians in 2023 drew a crowd of 6,487 or 1,456 more than the number who attended Turner’s Cross last week.

All supporters recognise that the club is facing rising costs, and expected ticket prices to increase this season. However the disproportionate level of increase, which has made City the most expensive club in the country to follow, and the tone with which legitimate queries have been dismissed, is a cause for concern and anger among supporters.

FORAS would like to take this opportunity to remind the club that supporters too, are facing rising costs across all aspects of their lives. We believe the disproportionate increases introduced this season are short-sighted, particularly for juveniles and children, and run the risk of losing the supporters of tomorrow who will be prevented from establishing a habit of regularly attending a game due to the expense involved.

FORAS calls on Cork City FC to reconsider its pricing structure, and reflect on the manner with which it addresses legitimate supporter concern.

FORAS believes that football without fans is nothing. The City fanbase is a broad church, with supporters based all over the country. A supporters’ ability to attend every game is not the measure by which their dedication to the club can or should be measured. There are a myriad of legitimate personal circumstances that can explain why a supporter cannot avail of a season ticket and have to – in the words of Mr Usher – “dip in and out” of games.

The membership of FORAS remains fully committed to supporting Cork City FC, and will be backing Tim Clancy, Frank Kelleher, and all the club’s teams at all levels throughout the season ahead.

You may also like...