Price of football: Study reveals where the most expensive Premier League pie is… and how tickets are falling
But it still costs more to see ONE game at Arsenal than it does to see a SEASON at Porto
FOOTBALL’S coming down — and ending 25 years of hurt for out-of-pocket fans.
Pressure from supporters’ groups and the wads of cash rolling in from a record £8.3billion TV rights deal means Premier League ticket prices are finally falling.
It is the first time in more than two decades the average cost of going to see a top-flight match costs less than the year before.
Keep up to date with ALL the PREMIER LEAGUE news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
But it still costs more for a ticket to ONE game at the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea than for a SEASON at top European teams.
The priciest matchday ticket for Arsenal is £97, £87 for Chelsea and £81 for Spurs.
Yet the best value season ticket at Portuguese greats Porto is £86.
And you can get a full season watching European giants Barcelona for just £114. Bayern Munich are slightly dearer at £121, with Real Madrid costing £232.
Despite that, the BBC’s annual Price of Football survey does show the price of the matchday experience is heading in the right direction with more than two thirds of tickets across the UK either down or held for the 2016-17 season.
According to the findings, the cost of a Premier League ‘home’ ticket on average is down six per cent from £30.95 last year to £29.05. The £30 cap on ‘away’ tickets means it is cheaper to travel and watch your team in the Prem than the Championship.
The most expensive pies are at West Ham and are more eye- watering than mouth-watering at £4.10 — although this is down to the company that runs London Stadium, not the Hammers.
Price-watchers at supporters’ groups reckon this is the first time since 2001 Prem ticket prices have fallen.
Football Supporters’ Federation chairman, Malcolm Clarke, said: “It’s a positive thing that almost three-quarters of ticket prices have been reduced or frozen.
“That’s thanks in no small part to pressure from football supporters up and down the country.
“Football fans have been arguing articulately and passionately for a reduction in prices for several years. This sustained effort has delivered real progress, such as the £30 cap on away tickets in the Premier League.”
The Beeb’s survey is in its sixth year and looked at more than 1,000 ticket prices at 223 clubs.
With the biggest ever TV deal kicking in, even the club that finishes bottom of the Premier League this season will trouser around £100million.
This has allowed the richer clubs to ease the considerable financial strain on their fans who have been forking out more and more to get their football fix.
Only 15 per cent of prices in the top tier of English football have increased, 34 per cent are cheaper, while 51 per cent have stayed the same.
Four clubs have raised their cheapest matchday ticket prices — Manchester United, Leicester, Burnley and Middlesbrough. The Clarets and Boro were promoted last season and this traditionally triggers a price hike.
A Gunners season ticket will cost you more than £2,000, while Tottenham and Chelsea are not far behind at £1,895 and £1,250 respectively.
Clarke added: “There is no room for complacency, with some Premier League clubs charging too much for their season tickets and away tickets in the Championship being the most expensive in the country.
“We will remain vigilant and continue campaigning to make football affordable.”