The Globe pub, opposite Baker Street Tube station in London, is normally the gathering point for raucous shows of partisanship ahead of Wembley finals. But on Wednesday there was unity in the air, as well as righteous fury, as rival fans gathered over a pint before a march on Premier League headquarters to protest against ticket prices. Rather than baiting one another, cries of "You greedy bastards, enough is enough", "We hate Sky Sports and we hate Sky Sports" and "Supporters, united, will never be defeated" filled the air as Arsenal fans marched alongside their Spurs counterparts and Liverpool supporters joined forces with Manchester United diehards.

"We've had enough. We've just got to let the Premier League know how we feel," said John Bonfield, a Spurs fan from Hackney who said he feels his club simply charge whatever they think they can get away with. The genesis for the march was a couple of meetings organised by more than 15 supporters' groups in the north-west and London, with Liverpool's Spirit of Shankly as the driving force, in the wake of protests against away-ticket prices at the Emirates and elsewhere last season.

Organisers said the level of co-operation on show represented a turning point, with anger exacerbated by the new £5.5bn TV deal. "With the TV deal, no football club should have increased ticket prices. They've been able to get away with it because there was no challenge. The challenge starts now," said Stephen Martin of Spirit of Shankly. "We're all here for the common cause. When we play them, the rivalry will always be there. But we can all see the bigger picture. There must be 40 different club tops here today."

As well as concern over the specifics of ticket pricing, there was a more general feeling of dislocation among the fans who marched in the sun from Regent's Park to Gloucester Place. They insisted they are aware of the realities of the modern game and do not want to turn the clock back, but say they feel intense frustration that clubs are not prepared to listen to them.

An oft-heard argument was that the value fans create in terms of atmosphere, packaged into a TV product worth £5.5bn over three seasons, is under-appreciated. Around half of those marching were children of the Premier League era in their 20s, concerned they will be driven to watch matches on television rather than with their friends inside grounds.

"If we keep sticking with the way it is now then eventually dads won't be able to take their kids to the game any more and eventually the atmosphere in the grounds will die. The lad on the other end of the flag has been on the coach with us for every game home and away but he can't afford to get into the ground," said Adam Kearns, 26, a gas fitter from Liverpool who was clutching a banner proclaiming 'If you tolerate this then your children will be next'.

"Just because attendances are going up, it doesn't mean fans are happy with the prices," he added. "Football is turning into a business-class sport rather than a dad and lad thing. It's getting to the point when you'll only be able to go to a couple of games a season."

The Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore met for an hour and a half with representatives from Manchester United, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal supporters' groups as well as the Football Supporters' Federation chief executive Kevin Miles. Outside, the fans filled the pavement and lobbed beach balls around as they waited for them to emerge.

The Premier League argues that pricing is largely a matter for individual clubs, and points out that grounds were at 95% capacity last season. But behind the scenes there is an acknowledgement that away-ticket pricing in particular is an issue, with attendances down 10% last season. The Premier League has also promised to do more to encourage more clubs to follow the lead of Arsenal, who are introducing a special cut-price section for teenagers next season to encourage the next generation of supporters.

After emerging from the meeting Miles , of the FSF, which is also running its own "Twenty's Plenty" campaign to encourage clubs to cap away ticket prices at £20, said it is the beginning of the campaign and not the end. "The turnout on the march and the position articulated by the delegates who went into the meeting successfully brought home the strength of feeling among fans," he said.

"From the Premier League we encountered some sympathy, a restatement of their commitment to price-stretching, and an acknowledgement that local support is important. But this is the start of a process, not the end. The opinions of, and the votes cast by, the clubs will be crucial."