Why Is Football So Expensive?

[MarcusX]

I cant get to the match tonight because i cant afford to spend £20 tonight and £20 again on saturday. And now i find out i cant even listen to it on the radio. Its getting pathetic when you have to pay just to listen to a bloody game.

[Pewsham]

Can't give you a definitive answer I'm afraid. I know that some seats at Villa Park (North Stand) are cheaper than the Dolman at Ashton Gate (check season ticket prices too while you are at it). Doesn't make sense on the face of it does it?

[nester]

why is football so expensive? because we mugs cough-up, that's why.

[annanimo]

Very complex question to answer. There have been books written hundreds of pages long that only deal with the basics of this issue.

The long and short of it is that for years clubs have exploited the loyalty of supporters.

In the Prem now though we are seeing that fewer people are willing to pay the prices on demand and are instead staying away from games. Prem attendances are at their lowest for years, which I find encouraging as it sends out a message that fans will not continue to tolerate rising prices.

My first match cost me 60p in 1985. Well, it actually cost my uncle! But even with inflation that would stand around the £2 mark.

What I can't understand is the huge difference in prices between clubs. I mean, PNE (who almost reached the Prem last year) charge £16, while we are playing at a lower level and pay at least £20. MAybe the FA or Football League should be regulating prices to ensure a greater consistency.

Personally I think if more supporters made their feelings known by staying away, clubs would have to listen and adjust accordingly.

[MarcusX]

Well 3 of us have stayed away tonight, and a lot of neutrals that i am mates with wont go because of the price. I think this is bad. THink if for the 10,000 people there tonight, that 1 in every 5 of them knew someone who wouldnt turn up because of the price. That would be an extra 2,000. Now i know 3 people who turned me down tonight to give me a lift because of the extremely high prices. If everyone knew 3 people then the club is missing out a lot.

1 of them was a gashead who was willing to come because i told him how much better we played on saturday.

[Guest Stafford]

Any business has to set prices to covers costs plus a profit margin. Football costs are high because of obscene salaries paid to the players. It is all quite simple. The fans have to pay £20 or whatever so that the star names can earn in a month what most of us earn in a year - by working a bl88dy sight harder too! It really is that simply. Blame Jimmy Hill for abolishing the maximum wage ...

[annanimo]

Any business has to set prices to covers costs plus a profit margin. Football costs are high because of obscene salaries paid to the players. It is all quite simple. The fans have to pay £20 or whatever so that the star names can earn in a month what most of us earn in a year - by working a bl88dy sight harder too! It really is that simply. Blame Jimmy Hill for abolishing the maximum wage ...

Blame Jimmy Hill? No, I think that's too simple. Back in the mid 60s I don't think either Hill or his associates could have foreseen what was to unfold over 20 years later.

The minimum wage was a joke. It needed repealing. The difficulty is that footballers more than any others have been able to demand huge wages that don't reflect their contribution to society. And for the most part we (the fans) have allowed this to happen. We have sat back and happily contributed to the system that makes millionaires of a few at the expense of the ordinary, hard-working and low-paid football fan. And while we've come onto Forums like this and moaned about it, we've never genuinely challenged the status quo.

The thing is, lower ticket prices may well prove to be an effective way of making money. 10,000 fans paying £20 a time would contribute less to club finds that 16,000 paying £15.

[Mad Cyril]

Call me pedantic...I paid £16 cash for a seat in the newest stand in the ground with an uninterupted view.

Ok, it was cash, in advance, in person, but if we are going to compare eggs, lets look at our cheapest price against other clubs' cheapest price.

[annanimo]

Call me pedantic...I paid £16 cash for a seat in the newest stand in the ground with an uninterupted view.

Ok, it was cash, in advance, in person, but if we are going to compare eggs, lets look at our cheapest price against other clubs' cheapest price.

Yes, I was aware of the "in advance" offer for this game.

But it's a cat C game. I understand the different categories but I'd rather have a flat rate. As PNE do. And not everyone is able to pay in advance, as someone posted in a question to Steve L.

Even your £16 is hardly "cheap" though. In the last 10 years, numbers attending cinemas have increased after years of falling attendances previously...the reason? Largely a preception of receiving value for money.

I don't think football gnerally represents value for money. It doesn't stop me buying a ticket, but then I'm not taking my family to the match as others do. Even if they'd bought tickets in advance for the Atyeo, a couple taking their two kids would pay £44.

[Guest ashtonyate]

Yes, I was aware of the "in advance" offer for this game.

But it's a cat C game. I understand the different categories but I'd rather have a flat rate. As PNE do. And not everyone is able to pay in advance, as someone posted in a question to Steve L.

Even your £16 is hardly "cheap" though. In the last 10 years, numbers attending cinemas have increased after years of falling attendances previously...the reason? Largely a preception of receiving value for money.

I don't think football gnerally represents value for money. It doesn't stop me buying a ticket, but then I'm not taking my family to the match as others do. Even if they'd bought tickets in advance for the Atyeo, a couple taking their two kids would pay £44.

Its easy we pay players to much its as simple as that

[The Casual Connoisseur]

I think we should introduce a pay system that reflects our league position.

One tier block price for Adult, Concession Price & Child if we are in the top 6. Most expensive

A second tier block price if we are between 7-16. Mid range price

A third tier block price if we are between 17- bottom. Lowest price

Promotion standard-top price

Mid table-mid price

Relegation fodder-cheapo

[Milo]

Football is so expensive because we're into year seven of a business strategy commonly known as 'Speculate to Accumulate'. Every year we've spent more money than we've earned. This has seen our debts rise to our current situation where we owe as much as we posses.

If you spend more than you earn your options are either to try to earn more or spend less (or a combination of the two).

The Club keep over-spending so they need us to keep over-paying. If we don't like it, we have to accept that the alternative is to want the Club to spend less money.

Unfortunately I don't see too many questions on the Ask SteveL forum asking the Club to spend less.

Beware what you wish for.

[annanimo]

I enjoy reading Milo's posts. And most of time I share his direct but analytical approach.

Of course he's right on this issue, broadly speaking at least.

In regards "spending less money", it depends what we're talking about.

The football ticket overpricing is something that's affecting football everywhere, not just Bristol City. Likewise, players of clubs everywhere are claiming wages massively beyond what any fan is capable of earning. Is there a connection there? I think there is.

I don't want to see the club "spending less" in regards to investing in the future. And realistically we can't cut wages because players will then go elsewhere.

It's football that's the problem and not Bristol City. Players have been allowed to demand wages that fans are now unable to pay for. Eventually this was bound to happen and something needs to be done otherwise fewer fans will be attending matches - and this is in nobody's interests. If football as a whole began "paying less" on players salaries and instead invested money elsewhere this would have I'm sure a more positive effect on the game as a whole.

[mozo]

Here's a tangent: what would be a fair average ticket price for City home games. What would you feel was reasonable?

[Rob k]

at the end of the day this is rip off britain and football is no exception. People have more available cash and leisure companies are exploiting them for what they can get. I went to the cinema with my missus the other day and it cost £13, with drinks on top and a few sweets £20 out the back pocket just like that, I could buy the DVD when it comes out and still have change. anyway the point I'm trying to make is that whatever leisure activities you pursue be it football, cinema, meals out etc it costs a lot of money these days. i personally think £15 is a fair price for third division football. At the end of the day we want good players and good players don't come cheap.

[Tunley Legend]

Surely there must be a way of enticing people to two games in a week with a special double ticket deal. Surely it is better to get say £22.50 from a punter for two games rather than £15 for one. More revenue, better crowd and better atmosphere, surely.

Before people reply with the totally obvious "better to get £30 from a punter for two games" I would suggest, judging by last night's attendance that not many people will be taking up that option.

[annanimo]

Here's a tangent: what would be a fair average ticket price for City home games. What would you feel was reasonable?

Very pertinent question. And a difficult one to answer easily, because of course it has to be relative to what is happening at other football clubs.

I have checked out the cheapest adult tickets at all of the clubs in our division, and of these cheap tickets the prices range from £10 at MK Franchise and Yeovil up to £20 at Barnsley and Forest. Now, what I would like to see is some consistency. I mean, if a club in crisis like MK can charge a mere £10 for its cheapest, then surely others can follow suit.

Maybe the Football League needs to set some maximum "standard" price to which all clubs must adhere, although clubs can then promote their own offers to attract fans in. Like "Kids for a Quid" or the proposal Greebo's put forward. This would encourage more people to come along and also fans would feel that clubs cared about them. It would really help develop even stronger links between club and community.

I would like to see an end to the "category A/B/C" matches though. All it means is that away fans from the "bigger" clubs end up paying more over a season. Hardly fair.

I think clubs should be more accountable. I mean, how is it right that Forest can charge more for a game against MK Dons than Wigan charge against Man Utd (tickets at Wigan start at £17)? When I lived in Scotland, there were fixed prices for the various divisions 1, 2 and 3, although the SPL has always managed to charge what it likes. Maybe that is the way forward?

[Dorset_Cider]

My question.......... how much does it cost to open a stadium and have empty seats?

Would it not be better to lower the price to try to get bums on seats?

[Guest ashtonyate]

My question.......... how much does it cost to open a stadium and have empty seats?

Would it not be better to lower the price to try to get bums on seats?

I thought the Football league was bringing in the ideal for clubs only to spend 60% of the total income of the club.I think a fair price would be £12 with 50 pence per booking on the phone.Also no banding if you pay a price to see the crap clubs why should pay extre to see a good club.Something needs to be done or clubs are going to lose generations of supporters and football will end up in termanail decline