Is football bleeding its fans dry?

By Jemma Tappenden
February 18 2007

In a week which saw several clubs across the country issue ticket prices for next season, we ask ourselves the inevitable question, again. Are our clubs charging too much to watch a game of football?

On Saturday I heard an avid Wolves fan comment “No price is too high if you are a real fan”. Oh really? Now I am lucky, because in my job I can afford the £469 that my season ticket will have cost me by March 16th 2007. (Sorry…should have mentioned that £5 of that is standard booking fee). But I also know a few people who will struggle by on basic rations for the next month to try and scrape together enough pennies to visit the hallowed turf again next season. So, is football pricing its fans out of the game? And can all “real” fans really afford it at any cost?

Now I’m no mathematician, but at £469 for the season, I make that just about £20.40p a game. That’s £10.20 per half of football. Which is roughly give or take a couple of decimal points, equates to 23p a minute. 23p a minute??? And people moan about the prices West Midlands Travel and Vodafone charge?? In fact that whole little maths venture was relatively pointless, because I know exactly how much I pay, and am more than willing to part with the cash each season. But what about those who genuinely cannot afford it?

It seems to me that early bird schemes, loyalty points, call them what you will are all a bit of a swizz. After all, at Wolves you do not have to be an existing season ticket holder to take advantage of the early lower rate. And is it really all that low? My season ticket price has been frozen now for 4 years, not bad? No…except its still costing me the same money it cost me in our premiership season. Where is the lower rate then? Where is the reward for existing customer loyalty? Where even is the incentive for disgruntled fans to return or those who can’t afford it to be given a chance?

This being said I’m not a huge fan of the disgruntled fan argument. Yes, each club is bound to have its fair share of fans that for whatever reason see fit to no longer pay to watch their club, but I bet if surveyed the proportion who gave up because they could no longer afford it is larger. The evidence speaks for itself – when ticket prices are lowered the crowds pour in. Look at Wolves home fixture against Sunderland for proof of this. And well done Boro, who priced all tickets for their FA cup clash against the Baggies at the weekend at £15. Full house. Fair weather fans may well take advantage of these offers, but why shouldn’t they? And more to the point it gives the fans who cannot afford to put their hands in their pockets every week a chance to see their team in action. When will clubs realise that slightly lower prices would result in more tickets sold, and thus surely increase profit and turnover in one hit? Come on….