Premier League season ticket prices ‘could half if standing tiers are reintroduced’
THE sky-high cost of watching Premier League football could be halved if ministers end the ban on standing at matches, a new report claims.
Season ticket prices would plummet if so-called “safe standing” areas were introduced to boost capacity, the Adam Smith Institute think tank said.
It analysed the price differences of the cheapest and most expensive tickets between top flight clubs in England and elsewhere in Europe where standing is allowed – like Borussia Dortmund’s incredible 25,000 standing terrace.
And it found bringing back standing could cut the price of watching Arsenal from £1,014 to £501 a year, Manchester United from £532 to £236, and Chelsea from £750 to £311.
Tickets at Liverpool could fall from £710 to £216, Everton from £444 to £179, and Southampton from £541 to £212.
The think tank also said atmospheres would improve while clubs could offer a wider range of ticket prices to attract different types of fans.
Stadiums in the top two English leagues are all-seater under rules put in place after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, but surveys have found more than nine in 10 fans want standing tiers brought back.
The think tank argued that experiences from other sports and advances in stadium technology show standing can be safe – sparking demands for ministers to scrap the ban.
Report author, Ben Southwood, said: “The standing ban is an anachronism: clubs across Europe have rail seating sections with no incident, creating superior atmosphere and allowing for a cheaper tier of tickets.
“Unlike the adversarial attitude police, club organisation and fans had during the dark days of the 80s, we now know how to manage large crowds well.
“The ban doesn’t fit.”
RELATED STORIES
Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies also called for change, saying: “There isn’t a football ground in the country that doesn’t currently have large numbers of supporters standing each week in all-seater areas.
“That’s why it makes sense to introduce purpose-built areas for those who want to stand, reducing conflicts with safety stewards and fans who don’t want to have their view obscured by persistent standing.”
Scottish club Celtic are trialling safe standing for around 2,500 people this year.
Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has said the Government is not currently persuaded to lift the ban but will “closely” monitor the trial in Scotland.