BBC Price of football survey - your thoughts?

[RalphC]

The average cost of the cheapest adult ticket in the top four divisions of English football has risen by 11.7% - more than five times the rate of inflation.

 

The BBC Sport Price of Football survey found that the average price of the most affordable ticket in league football has gone from £19.01 to £21.24 in the past 12 months.

 

The survey looked at 166 clubs in 10 divisions across British football, including the Conference Premier and Women's Super League.

 

We have recorded the most expensive, and cheapest, season tickets and adult matchday tickets as well as the cost of a cup of tea, a pie and a programme, to calculate the cheapest day out at a football match.

 

The figures show:

 

Only three out of 92 English league clubs offer a day out for less than £20 this season. Last year it was 12.

 

In Scotland, 21 of the 42 teams across four divisions offer a day out for less than £20.

 

The most expensive adult matchday ticket is Arsenal at £126 and the cheapest £6 at Montrose.

 

Arsenal also have the most expensive season ticket at £1,955, while Montrose's was the lowest at £90.

 

In the Women's Super League, matchday adult tickets range from £4-£6, with season ticket prices between £22-£40.

 

The most expensive tea in British football can be found in Manchester, where both City and United charge £2.50. The cheapest costs 50p at Alloa and Brechin in Scottish Division Two.

 

Kidderminster, in the Blue Square Bet Premier, charge the most for a pie at £4, while the cheapest is in Scotland, where Alloa, Albion and Forfar charge just £1.

 

Leeds United sell the most expensive programme in Britain at £4, while Inverness CT's is the cheapest at 50p.

 

"Despite the difficult economic times we live in, prices at some clubs and at some levels of the game are still exceedingly high," Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, said.

 

"It is quite shocking that at Arsenal, for example, the cheapest season ticket is only £15 short of £1,000.

 

"We would like to see a much greater effort to reduce ticket prices and in particular give the benefit of the massive amounts of media income that comes in at the top of the game to the match-going fan."

 

The highest price of a day out at a football match in England, Wales and Scotland has gone from £109 to £134.30 in just 12 months, with Arsenal the most expensive club to visit for a second successive year.

 

A trip to the Emirates Stadium can cost as much as £134.40 with top-price tickets going for £126, a £26 rise on last year's figure and a programme (£3), pie (£3.30) and cup of tea (£2) adding to the cost.

 

Arsenal's cheapest day out (£34.30) comes in exactly £100 cheaper but it is Newcastle who offer the Premier League's best value day out, with a ticket, programme, pie and cup of tea coming in at £23.

 

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis told BBC Sport the club was doing its best to offer value to fans with the club's cheapest league ticket (£26) among the most affordable in the division. This ticket is £9 cheaper than last season.

 

"We've seen ticket prices rise across the game," Gazidis said. "This isn't just a football issue.

 

"If you look at the prices of entertainment across the board they have gone up significantly in recent years and clearly we now have an environment where people are economically challenged.

 

"What we have done is try to hold those prices down, for example our Capital One Cup prices have been £10 for adults and £5 for children.

 

"What we know, because of the tremendous take up, is that there are people who want to watch top class football but for whom price is a factor. That is something we have to be continually conscious of."

 

Former FA chairman Lord Triesman told BBC Sport he was "very disappointed prices keep going up". The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation stood at 2.2% last month, down from 2.5% in August, but our survey found the average cost of the cheapest ticket had gone up 11.7 per cent.

 

"I think it will prevent the next generation from really seeing live football other than on very unusual occasions every so often when clubs will give the tickets away," he said. "Most of the causes of the increases are driven by the salaries paid to players.

 

"As it is, it will become a sport in which relatively well-off people will be able to go and watch it live and nobody else. That seems to me to be a tragic historic reverse."

 

Arsenal once again come out on top with their cheapest season ticket (£985) costing more than all but three of their Premier League rivals' most expensive equivalent.

 

Wigan offer the Premier League's cheapest season ticket (£255) with Manchester City (£275) close behind. Scottish third division side Montrose offer the cheapest season ticket at £90.

 

The price of a day out at a Scottish Premier League match remains more affordable with only Celtic (£36.30) costing more than £35. Celtic's most expensive season ticket comes in at £609, however, some £409 more than Inverness Caledonian Thistle's cheapest offer.

 

"I certainly think that our clubs in Scotland make a real effort to ensure that football is accessible," Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster told BBC Sport.

 

"I think our clubs are fully aware of the importance of price in terms of people's decisions to come to a game of football. We've got just over half of our clubs that offer free season tickets, without any charge, to under 12s.

 

"The cheapest match day ticket, in terms of a season ticket, works out at £11 a game at a club that has a family ticket - that's two adults and two children at £20 a game, so that's real value against any comparable activity that families can carry out."

 

Kidderminster Harriers, of the Blue Square Bet Premier, sell the most expensive pie in British football at £4, although the club says the product is a large, homemade cottage pie.

 

Ebbsfleet United are the cheapest Blue Square Bet Premier club to support.

 

A day out to watch the Kent side play costs as little as £15.50, which includes the price of a ticket, a programme, a pie and a cup of tea.

 

"You have to find a balancing point, to keep your club going and be affordable for fans," said Ebbsfleet chairman Jessica McQueen.

 

Premier League side Liverpool have the most expensive equivalent in the country at £47.30.

 

"This year, we didn't increase our admission for adults but raised prices for concessions," said McQueen. "Now concession tickets are roughly a third of the adult price.

 

"We are trying as much as we can to keep our prices low and affordable to reflect the area we live in and because we want our fans to continue coming to support us."

 

Southport are the second cheapest team to support in the Blue Square Bet Premier, with fans able to buy a ticket, cup of tea, programme and pie for just £16.

 

A day out at Barrow costs £17.30, but that is without the option of a pie, which is not available inside the The Furness Building Society Stadium. Spectators can buy a hot dog (£1.60), burger/bacon bap (£2) or cheese burger (£2.50) instead, which bumps up the overall price accordingly.

 

Alfreton charge at least £24.20 for a day out, which is £8.70 more than Ebbsfleet , while fans can spend as much as £19 on a ticket to see Cambridge United play, which would make the cost of a day out at the Abbey Stadium £26.50.

 

A day out in the most expensive seats at Championship side Blackpool costs fans just £5.20 more.

 

When it comes to the price of pies, the Blue Square Bet Premier is not too dissimilar to that of the Premier League, with a top-flight pie costing only 48p more on average.

 

However, the most expensive pie in the whole of the Premier League, Football League, Scottish Premier League, Scottish Football League and Blue Square Bet Premier can be found at Kidderminster Harriers . One there, which the club is say is a large homemade cottage pie, will set you back £4.

 

Matt Wall, Kidderminster media officer, said: "Working here myself on a match-day means I've never actually had one.

 

"But I do know they have always been very popular, particularly with away fans."

 

The most expensive pie in the Premier League can be bought at Fulham for £3.90, the same price charged by Championship side Brighton .

 

* Braintree Town refused to take part in the Price of Football study.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19900940

 

What are your thoughts - what clubs are good and bad from your experience?

 

Let's name & shame!

[HKP]

The problem is if your club is the most epxensive (mine seems to have come out top), if you want to see your team you will pay it if you can. What alternative do you have? its not like most other business' where you can take your custom elsewhere..

[missunderstood]

The problem is if your club is the most epxensive (mine seems to have come out top), if you want to see your team you will pay it if you can. What alternative do you have? its not like most other business' where you can take your custom elsewhere..

 

Of coarse you can take your business elsewhere. If your preferred club becomes too expensive whats stopping you making an occasional visit to a different local club thats more cost conscious.

 

IMO clubs should be joining forces and make a concerted effort to attract support from local rivals who are playing away, as the rising costs of petrol and public transport is making away trips unaffordable for a lot of fans. Unfortunately all to many clubs at non league level rely on the same old faces every week and make no effort whatsoever to make strangers feel welcome.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

The problem is that the clubs have to raise capital to cover costs, and as always it is the fan who pays through the nose.

 

The big clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea etc. can raise prices knowing that fans will still pay up to support their team. It's not like they will abandon them - they'll moan and complain but still comply. What's the alternative? Go and support their local side or a non-league team near them? I doubt many premier League fans realise that there's life outside The Football League!

 

Alan hit the nail on the head in his last sentence above:

 

'Unfortunately all to many clubs at non league level rely on the same old faces every week and make no effort whatsoever to make strangers feel welcome.'

 

It reminds me of The League of Gentleman sketch 'Are you local?'

[HKP]

Of coarse you can take your business elsewhere. If your preferred club becomes too expensive whats stopping you making an occasional visit to a different local club thats more cost conscious.

Maybe its different for me as I live on an Island... I have always supported Liverpool and its quite a trek for me to get there but do a couple times a season (tickets permitting), but I have also supported local clubs for many a year.

[Karen Browne]

Can you see any of the 'big clubs' doing this

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19716096

[HKP]

They should try getting up at 5am, check in at airport, hang round Gatwick for a couple of hours. Coach to ground, play a match, couple of beers and then head back to the Airport. match day usually of 16 hours for every away match on a weekend....