A disabled Preston North End fan today told of his anger after the cost of parking at the club doubled.
Wheelchair user, Ronnie Bootle, 64, from Pear Tree Crescent, Walton-le-Dale, regularly attends PNE home matches.
But he says the cost of disabled parking at the club has recently increased 100% from £5 to £10 – more than the cost of some tickets.
He said: “I’ve been to watch PNE since I was a young boy, my dad used to take me to watch Sir Tom Finney but I’m baffled as to how they can justify putting the price of disabled parking up so much.”
The married, grandfather-of-two, added: “I used to pay £5 for parking but now they’re asking for £10.
“When they cost of a ticket for this Saturday’s cup match is £5 it would cost me more to park up than it would to go and see the game, it is just ridiculous.”
Mr Bootle, who attends the games with his friend, Michael Dimmock, has already spoken to North End chairman Peter Ridsdale about the issue.
He said: “I went to see Mr Ridsdale and it was very kind of him to find time to speak with me but he just couldn’t justify putting the price up so much for so few.
“The money they’re going to make from putting the price of parking up is minimal over the season.”
Having been a wheelchair user for two and-a-half years, Mr Bootle has nothing but praise for the Preston club’s wheelchair-friendly stadium.
He said: “The facilities are second to none and when we are at the game we are looked after brilliantly.
“The price of parking hasn’t put me off going to matches but I’m worried that the disabled fans are being penalised more than anyone else.”
According to a PNE spokesman, it is not only disabled parking that has increased to £10, it is all parking – the first increase for 14 years.
He said; “Matchday car parking had not increased in price since the 1990s, however the costs to the club of paying the local council for the use of Moor Park School and the cost of stewarding the car parks has increased year on year.
“Therefore, as one of many of the business decisions that the club made, it was decided to increase the price of car parking to a level that meant we were no longer losing money in this area.”
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