Karren Brady speaks out as West Ham target £60m off-pitch bonanza

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West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady has broken her silence about the latest fracture in the relationship between the East London club and its fans.

Despite enjoying relative success on the pitch in recent seasons, the board have still not won many supporters over following their move to the London Stadium in 2016.

And while Brady was recently dispatched to the Middle East to seek investment, the failure of that mission plus Daniel Kretinsky’s reluctance to up his stake means an ownership change is not on the cards.

This sense of stasis has sparked frustration among bedrock fans, and recent developments have exacerbated the tensions with the club’s top brass.

Karren Brady speaks out on ticket price controversy

In an open letter to supporters, Brady has insisted the club is committed to affordable family football.

While the former Birmingham director stopped short of referencing it explicitly, this was almost certainly a response to the recent controversy surrounding concessions ticket prices.

West Ham have opened themselves up to accusations of pricing older supporters out due to a new policy which makes concessions tickets available only in less accessible areas of the London Stadium.

Concessions (OAPs and juniors) are free to retain their season ticket seats but only if they pay a non-concession rate.

This has led to launch of the Save Our Concessions campaign, which has proposed a boycott of some of the club’s primary sponsors.

“I wanted to reiterate that our commitment to affordable family football remains a priority,” wrote Brady.

“Our small price uplift this season meant we can continue to invest in our playing squad as we strive for success and ensures that we still have some of the cheapest Season Tickets in the Premier League. 

“We will continue to work with our fans next season to try to find the right balance between growing responsibly and sustainably and ensuring all our supporters have the opportunity to come and watch the team they love.“

• READ MORE WEST HAM FINANCE NEWS: West Ham get major takeover clue amid £1bn news from France

West Ham want to bridge £60m matchday income gap

When TBR spoke exclusively to football finance expert Kieran Maguire recently, he told us that West Ham want to “pull away” from their peer group in terms of matchday income.

The Hammers currently generated around £40m through the turnstiles per season, although that has been boosted by European participation in recent campaigns.

Maguire explained that, while the Irons are not benchmarking themselves against the so-called ‘Big Six’, they do want to push towards the £60m mark in terms of matchday income.

In doing so, they would establish a firm lead over the likes of Everton and Newcastle, although those two clubs’ takings will climb once they have completed their long-heralded stadium revamp projects.