"There's been some progress in recent years as supporter pressure has seen top-flight clubs introduce the £12 million Away Supporters Initiative," Michael Brunskill of FSF told ESPN FC.
"It offers help to travelling fans (often cutting prices or subsidising travel). The FSF encourages clubs to do reciprocal 'Twenty's Plenty' deals. This has saved approximately 70,000 fans around £750,000 and Coventry City have promised that no fan visiting the Ricoh Arena will pay more than £20. We've found clubs especially willing to listen in relation to away costs as they recognise their value to the atmosphere and, ultimately, TV product."
The Premier League launched the Away Supporter Initiative for the 2013/14 season, a move that saw every club commit £20,000 per season on either discounting tickets or improving the away supporter experience. Stoke City put their money toward free coach travel to all away games. Tottenham Hotspur spent theirs chartering a plane for supporters to travel to Newcastle.
But not everyone feels negatively about the Premier League. Blogger Ed Perchard has been going to Vicarage Road to watch Watford since 1997 and he's seen his team reach the top flight on three occasions. He believes that the atmosphere has never been better.
"I'm enjoying it," he told ESPN FC. "There's a much better feeling around the club. A few years ago we had a singing group set up. Huge flags are made and handed out before the game. The [owners, the] Pozzo's have come in, they've built the new stand and there's a really positive feel to the club. If it wasn't for modern football, we wouldn't have owners with fingers in pies across Europe. We wouldn't have these great players. We were in serious trouble in the past. We could easily have ended up like Blackpool, dropping down the divisions and scrounging for players."
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