Scudamore sees record attendance as clubs rein in ticket prices

(Reuters) - English clubs have begun to rein in ticket prices, which could help the Premier League break its all-time attendance record in the coming season, Richard Scudamore, the tournament's chief executive, said on Wednesday. According to British media, more than half the clubs in the top flight have either frozen or cut season ticket prices for 2015-16, in the wake of fans' protests, particularly in view of a new television deal worth an eye-watering 5.2 billion pounds. "The clubs recognise that ticket pricing is an issue, which is why I think there's only three clubs, only small increases, have been introduced this season," Scudamore told Sky Sports News. "I think we're actually going to break our all-time attendance record next season in terms of occupancy." Helping develop grass-roots football rather than increasing the quota of English players in the club squads will help produce "more and better homegrown players", according to Scudamore. "When you talk to the managers... they are almost unanimously agreed that it's got to be a qualitative development programme that makes these players better players rather than artificially put quotas in," he said. "We've been saying this forever. We don't think quotas is necessarily the answer." (Reporting By Simon Jennings in Bengaluru)