Arsenal have raised their season ticket prices for the first time in seven years, with prices to increase by at least four per cent to "return finances to a breakeven position in the medium term".
The Gunners welcomed back a full capacity to Emirates Stadium this campaign, after over a season of playing games almost entirely behind closed doors due to COVID-19.
Mikel Arteta's side are pushing for Champions League qualification this term, sitting two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with three games in hand, and the Spaniard has cited the home support as a driving factor.
However, ticket prices are set to rise next season, with the additional cost depending on what competitions Arsenal qualify for.
The average general admission season ticket price will climb by £49 to £1,268 if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League.
There will be an increase of £44 to £1,139 if they reach the Europa League, and an increase of £40 to £1,050 if they once again fail to qualify for Europe entirely.
"We recognise that no one welcomes price increases, and this decision has not been taken lightly," Arsenal said in a statement on Monday.
"Ultimately in the face of continued rising costs, we need to continue to drive growth in all our revenue streams – including match day – as part of our aim to return finances to a break even position in the medium term."
It will be the first time since 2014 that Arsenal have hiked the cost of a matchday pass.
Arsenal Supporters Trust (AST) have hit back at the club's decision, but they have welcomed the additional concessions introduced for supporters aged between 19 and 21.
AST's statement read: "When presented with news of the increase at the recent Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB) and Fans Forum, the AST representatives present argued against the case for any increase.
"Arsenal's position is that in light of costs increasing much faster than revenues (and now consistently being in loss-making territory) they need to develop all of their revenue streams to move the club back to financial sustainability.
"They also pointed out this is the first across the board ticket price increase in seven seasons. This price increase is forecast to generate an extra £3.8million in the 2022-23 season.
"We pointed out to the club that in recent years they have secured big increases to other commercial and broadcast revenue streams and that the Premier League have just announced further big increases to future broadcast revenues and UEFA forecasting further increases too.
"Arsenal can also expect a significant increase in their ticketing revenues as a result of likely qualification for European competitions next season. On average Arsenal gross £3m per home game."
Arsenal also confirmed they are planning to invest in the stadium, which will include "a major refurbishment of the roof, new big screens, turnstile readers to speed up entry, and the wraps outside Emirates Stadium."
For the 2022-23 campaign, the cost of a general admission season pass will actually decrease, despite the overall price rise, because of a "cup tie credit" refund of £75.33.
The refund comes after Arsenal did not play any home matches in the FA Cup this season.
Hurzeler delighted by Brighton 'togetherness' in battling win
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler was in fighting mode at full-time as he praised the Seagulls' "togetherness" in their 2-1 win away at Bournemouth.
Hurzeler's charges signed off for the international break with a 2-1 home victory over defending champions Manchester City, and they mirrored the scoreline at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday thanks to Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma.
Despite his expansive and high-wire tactical approach receiving plenty of praise so far this season, it was Brighton's mental strength that caught the eye late on, after being reduced to ten players in the 59th minute through Carlos Baleba's red card.
It set up a nervy finale for the visitors, which included a 93rd-minute consolation goal from David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo smacking the bar, but the grit to get the result over the line pleased the Brighton manager.
"We have to see the performance from different viewpoints," he told Sky Sports.
"From one side of things, it was not the best football game from ourselves, but it was a good game to prove our togetherness, to show we can suffer together and defend together - that's why I'm proud of my team.
"The other side is that we can play better football. In some moments, we were lucky, in some moments, Bournemouth were better. Of course, the red card changes the game for me. That's why I am proud. We can play better football.
"We also had really good moments, we tried to play our from the back even when the pressure was really high. That's why I was pleased with some moments, but not with the whole game."
Hurzeler was also left frustrated by Stuart Attwell's decision to dismiss Baleba for a second yellow card with the visitors 2-0 in front.
"It's a clear thing. It can't be a yellow card the second one, never ever," he added. "Hopefully the referee will look at this and make a decision, and they take back the yellow card, because honestly, that's never a yellow card."
Victory moves Brighton up to fifth in the Premier League table - their highest position since mid-October - with struggling Southampton next up for Hurzeler's side.
Sunderland go top of Championship despite late draw with Millwall
Sunderland leapfrogged Sheffield United back to the top of the Championship table after their 1-1 draw with Millwall on Saturday.
Aaron Connelly had given Sunderland the lead just 10 minutes in, benefitting from a clearance to beat Lukas Jensen on the volley and claiming his first goal for the club before the players were taken off the field for half an hour due to two medical emergencies in the crowd.
Millwall were a different side when they came back out onto the pitch, with Anthony Patterson having to pull off a string of fine saves to preserve Sunderland's lead.
The hosts eventually got a deserved goal in the 93rd minute though, as Femi Azeez stabbed home Aidomo Emakhi's cross for his first Millwall goal.
It is a fourth consecutive draw for Sunderland, who sit above Sheffield United on goal difference, while Millwall stay eighth.
Elsewhere, Middlesbrough moved back into the playoff places with a thumping 6-2 victory over Oxford United.
A hat-trick from Emmanuel Latte Lath, a double from Finn Azaz and another from substitute Tommy Conway saw Boro score six goals in an away league game for the first time in 64 years.
Greg Leigh had given the hosts a surprise lead, and though Dane Scarlett halved the deficit with his second-half goal to make it 4-2, they could not mount a comeback, leaving them 18th in the table, while Middlesbrough jumped up to fifth.
Meanwhile, Luton Town eased some of the pressure on manager Rob Edwards with their 1-0 win over struggling Hull City to move out of the drop zone.
Mark McGuiness scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute, brilliantly volleying his maiden Hatters goal in to help Luton move up to 16th.
Hull could not find a winner, despite Joao Pedro hitting the post in the first half, and they dropped into the relegation zone as their winless run extended to eight matches.
Norwich City are on a run of seven games without a win after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with West Brom.
Emiliano Marcondes and an own goal from Torbjorn Heggem gave Norwich the lead after Mason Holgate's early opener, but Josh Maja's 10th goal of the campaign cancelled out their lead just before half-time to earn them a point.
Bayer Leverkusen 5-2 Heidenheim: Hat-trick hero Schick inspires five-star comeback
A hat-trick from Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick inspired the Bundesliga champions to come from two goals down to beat Heidenheim 5-2 on Saturday.
The emphatic triumph saw Xabi Alonso's side extend their unbeaten league run to nine matches, moving them up to fourth but still nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
However, Leverkusen found themselves behind inside the opening 10 minutes when Niklas Dorsch was teed up by Marvin Pieringer inside the box.
Heidenheim doubled their advantage soon after through Mathias Honsak, who danced his way beyond three defenders before finishing into the bottom left corner.
But two goals in two minutes from Exequiel Palacios and Schick drew the hosts level, with Leverkusen able to take a hold of the contest after the interval.
Schick notched his second of the game seven minutes after the restart to put Leverkusen ahead when he brilliantly flicked Florian Wirtz's cross beyond Kevin Muller.
The Czech striker completed his hat-trick with a header in the 71st minute, with Granit Xhaka sealing the win with a curled finish into the far left corner.
Data Debrief: Patrik hero
Ahead of kick-off, Leverkusen were dealt a huge injury blow with in-form striker Victor Boniface potentially ruled out until next year, but they needn't have worried.
Schick grasped his opportunity with both hands, putting on an impressive display and ending the game with more shots on target (four) and more touches in the opposition box (13), while also accumulating a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.37 to Leverkusen's 2.05 total.
He has now scored three or more goals in a Bundesliga game on three occasions for Leverkusen, with only Ulf Kirsten (seven) having done so more times for the club.
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