FA Council Wembley hospitality spending rises to £564,400

The Football Association spent £564,400 on tickets and Wembley hospitality for FA Council members in the 2025-26 season, up from £452,300 a year earlier, according to accounts reported by the Guardian. The increase of about 25% followed changes to the hospitality provided at matches hosted by the governing body.

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The council has more than 120 members, including English Football League chairman Rick Parry, Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Maheta Molango and senior Premier League executives. Members can attend England fixtures and FA competition matches at Wembley, including the FA Cup semi-finals and final, with one guest at no charge. The arrangements include premium seating, meals and drinks.

Responding to the Guardian, an FA spokesperson said council members were among several groups invited to those fixtures, alongside competing clubs and visiting national associations. The spokesperson attributed the higher expenditure to an updated hospitality offering over the past year, saying the changes were intended to bring it more closely into line with provision by clubs and other football stakeholders.

The accounts also identify a potential source of further increases: the Fellowship of Council, an honorary scheme introduced in 2017. Members who have served on the council for at least nine years can retain access to complimentary match tickets, food and drinks after leaving their positions. As the fellowship's membership grows each year, the associated costs are expected to rise, according to the accounts cited in the report.

FA company secretary Richard McDermott wrote that changes to fellowship benefits were being proposed so that those costs would begin to fall from 2027. That is a proposal for future reductions, rather than a cut already reflected in the latest figures. Separately, the cost of hosting council meetings rose from £18,600 to £33,200, with higher hospitality spending accounting for much of that increase.

The Guardian placed the spending increases against a backdrop of supporter protests over ticket prices. Liverpool abandoned plans for price rises across three successive seasons after widespread fan unrest at the end of last season. The FA's explanation for its own higher expenditure focused on the revised hospitality offer at the matches it hosts.