MIDDLESBROUGH have launched a strong defence of their decision to increase season-ticket prices, with more than 18,000 supporters having taken advantage of the club’s early-bird deal.

With the early-bird deadline having passed, Boro reopened their season card sales and announced price rises that see the cost of an adult seat in the North and South Stands rising to £570.

The highest-priced ticket is an adult in the West Stand Upper, which is £646, while season cards for Under-18s across the ground will now cost £200.

The prices have been heavily criticised by supporters on social media, who have pointed out the gulf between Boro’s new prices and the sums being charged by a number of other Premier League clubs. Adult season tickets at Sunderland are available from £380, with the most expensive seat in the Stadium of Light costing £505.

However, senior Boro sources have pointed to the large take up of the early-bird offer to help explain this week’s rise, which comes after nine successive years of prices being frozen.

The Teessiders had around 18,000 season card holders last season, and more than 90 per cent opted to renew their ticket before the early deadline. That represents more than 60 per cent of the total home capacity, and the fans who renewed before the April deadline will be paying £21 per game for next season’s matches.

That figure is one of the lowest in the Premier League, with fans who did not have a season ticket last season, but opted to apply for one before April, paying an average of £24 a game.

The prices announced this week equate to £30 a game, which is the same as Boro were charging for the majority of their on-the-day tickets in the second half of last season.

Tickets for the final-day decider against Brighton were priced at £30, and Boro officials used that price as their bench-mark for setting season-card prices for those who did not have a season ticket last season and did not apply for the 2016-17 campaign before April.

The concession prices also reflect the ‘walk-up’ figures that were charged last season, and reflect the fact that Boro have a higher proportion of concessionary season-card holders than just about any other club in the top-flight or Football League. It is estimated that around 42 per cent of last season’s tickets were concessions.

Boro have also been criticised for their move to standardise prices around the ground, but sources claim that is an attempt to ensure a broader attendance in all areas of the stadium.

Individual match-day prices will be announced shortly, but it is anticipated the club will adopt a categorisation scheme that sees matches against some clubs priced more highly than games against others.

The club anticipate a boost in attendance thanks to their promotion to the Premier League, even though some fans have been critical of this week’s price announcement, which comes at a time when the Premier League has signed a lucrative new television deal that guarantees every side in the top-flight an annual income of £100m.

An online petition on change.org calling for a U-turn on season-ticket prices had attracted around 1,000 supporters by this afternoon, while other fans took to social media to vent their frustration.

Ryan Wyvill said on Twitter: “Cheapest adult price for a new adult season ticket at the Premier League champions Leicester is £395. How can Boro try to charge £570.”

Trevor Oakley added: “Holy mother of God, I’ve just seen the season ticket prices for Boro. Isn’t Middlesbrough one of the most impoverished places in the UK?”