Is it just me or are ticket prices getting scandalous, especially in the top two divisions of English football? Adult tickets roughly range from 20-70 pounds in the Premier League and Championship, which obviously is one of the reasons attendances are slowly but surely declining. Many fans, are in a similar position to me, where they can't afford to travel to every home game due to the distance, because when you add travel expenses to the match day costs, basically a large percentage of your wage would be gone. I asked many friends and co workers what they think, and quite a large portion said they don't go to anywhere near as many games these days because they just can't afford it! Season ticket prices go up a couple of % each season aswell so many people can't afford to keep paying the large sum every year therefore season ticket sales decline slightly but probably fairly noticeably for the club. Ticket prices links into the attendances like I've briefly mentioned. It doesn't just apply to home games though, I've closely looked at away attendances for many clubs in the top two divisions, and noticed they have declined massively in the past 3 or 4 seasons. Many games which were once easy sell outs (For City examples lets use Leeds, Forest and Sheffield Wednesday) are now only getting a couple thousand sold. Away matches cost a lot more for the majority of fans, what with travel costs, alcohol costs, ticket costs, hotels if its long distance, and meal costs, so you could be looking at 70+ quid for one day out. Ticket prices and attendances link in to the atmosphere at football grounds up and down the country. Atmosphere has gone down so much I can't even explain it! People can't afford to go, so there isn't as many people united chanting for their teams. BUT Many other European football teams prices are so cheap when you convert them into British Pounds. Why can't the F.A stop being so greedy, and do something about the ticket prices, before it gets too bad. Many clubs in recent years have been going into administration, and ticket prices is more than likely one of the reasons.
I get taken to watch the Bundesliga with my Dad, he pays 20 euros for a standing ticket, mine is 8 euros, and he can drink beer while watching the game, and the atmosphere is miles better than here in the UK, they get to the stadium about 11am and drink and dance on tables and sing songs, then the stadium is bouncing all game, then we go more drinks after the game, only so much Cola light i can drink..!! but as a whole the 7 games iv been to over there are electric and nothing matches it here, and its miles cheaper
It hit me this morning when reading about AC Milan can't afford Kaka & Balotelli, which leads me to believe that not only will this fair play finances thing hit a lot of teams hard, but it may get these hugely inflated price tags down as well as players wages. It may take a few years to start to show. This should then have a knock on effects to ticket prices. As is at it may take a few years for this to trickle down to us & I'm pretty sure a few clubs will go to the wall well before then unfortunately.
the best stadion iv been to is Signal Iduna Park, of BVB Dortmund the atmosphere was amazing, over 30,000 behind one goal, bouncing and setting flares and waving the biggest flags on poles you have ever seen the worst stadion for atmosphere was FC Bayern München at the Allianz Arena, it was dead like a Man Utd home game FC St. Pauli was really good but only a small stadion, but crazy fans Hamburg, and Bayer Leverkusen where really good, but not as good as dortmund Iv been to Bochum now in the 2nd Division, and iv been to Cologne now in the 2nd Division I love going its such a great fan culture and experience
I was just comparing, to be honest i watched more games in Europe than I did in the UK last Season, this Season iv only been to a few City games over Christmas my Dad is taking me though Ligue 1 at the moment, we have been to the new Lille ground, built for Euro 2016, and we have been to a new ground called Stade du Hainaut, in Valenciennes, I saw Ghilas play for Rhiems
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21181709?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Football federation trying to get prices capped at £20
The UK is deffo the worst for prices, we have very few times paid over the odds for a big game, via Vigogo ticketing, but that was for special Champions League games etc
I started going to football in the 60s and the atmosphere was fantastic in the 60s and 70s. All seater stadium plus the roofs bad acoustics spoil the atmosphere. I can't see standing being allowed at top matches but you never know. I wish grounds had plenty of posh seats, boxes and hospitality on the sides and stands with good acoustics behind the goals like Peterborough and Fulham. I know I get plenty of criticism when I think clubs like City should build massive stadiums but I am sure we could fill a large stadium fort years to come if we reduced prices behind the goal and increased them on the sides. We could have a lot more Arsenal type seats on the side with more hospitality. It doesn't have to be £200 a head but there should be a lot better quality food and drink available to most fans. I'm sure the revenue would be increased even though the basic prices to get in the ground were reduced. Say £10 to get in and try to make it up on merchandising, food, drink, etc. Cheap prices for under 18 will get more long term fans in the future. As it is many people have to be careful about taking their children to games because of the prices.
the English FA also say if they show 3pm games live on SKY the attendences would drop, well they show live Sat games on SKY in Germany, and the stadiums are still full and you cant gets tickets easy, because they are affordable
People keep quoting lower German prices but they don't quote the other German prices. The lower prices are only possible due to large standing areas and we won't get those in this country. You will be lucky to have 5,000 here. The police and local authority jobsworths will be against it anyway, not to mention the nervous ninnies, of which we have plenty in Hull, who seem to think not being sat down in silence is a threat to life and limb. The top prices at a lot of German clubs are higher than most PL clubs, Hamburg's top price of £78 is only exceeded by 3 PL clubs. As for atmosphere, that has nothing to do with acoustics, roofs etc. it is down to not enough getting behind the team and too many sitting in silence as if at a theatre and disapproving of any show of emotion. Click on the link for a ground with a slightly lesser capacity than the KC with a high roof on o e one side and no roof at all on the other three. Watching these scenes, which were a friendly BTW, and in which no one was injured, you have to laugh at the fuss which would be made here. Especially when you read the fans of it's rough, it's tough rugby league in the HDM wittering about the danger everyone was in because someone had set one flare off at lady week's friendly.[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ndV-zZRVCA[/video]
I will admit the prices are going up for seated areas in Germany this Season, and there is uproar about it Standing is still very cheap, even if you do get pints of lager on your head when a goal goes in..ha ha
the fa may be a bunch of useless tossers, but you might want to try blaming the clubs for their prices. this is a bit like blaming the women's institute for the price of petrol.
Maybe but here it doesnt work that way here. Salary caps do not keep ticket prices low and neither do rules about teams making a profit. The sports below all have a salary cap, with the exception of baseball that has profit sharing between the clubs. Also teams can not take losses according to league rules. NHL has 84 games, NBA has 66 games, NFL has 16 games, MLB has 162 games none of that counts playoffs or preseason. NHL 5. Vancouver Canucks Average ticket price: $158.09 Average home attendance: 18,884 4. Pittsburgh Penguins Average ticket price: $160.28 Average home attendance: 18,566 3. Montreal Canadiens Average ticket price: $186.67 Average home attendance: 21,273 2. Winnipeg Jets Average ticket price: $197.26 Average home attendance: 15,004 1. Toronto Maple Leafs Average ticket price: $199.62 Average home attendance: 19,506 MLB 5. New York Mets Average ticket price: $63.56 Average home attendance: 30,108 4. Chicago Cubs Average ticket price: $65.24 Average home attendance: 37,258 3. New York Yankees Average ticket price: $70.81 Average home attendance: 45,107 2. Toronto Blue Jays Average ticket price: $71.89 Average home attendance: 22,445 1. Boston Red Sox Average ticket price:$88.26 Average home attendance: 37,703 NBA 5. Boston Celtics Average ticket price: $99.43 Average home attendance: 18,624 4. Chicago Bulls Average ticket price: $111.12 Average home attendance: 22,161 3. Miami Heat Average ticket price: $123.35 Average home attendance: 19,935 2. New York Knicks Average ticket price: $161.93 Average home attendance: 19,763 1. Los Angeles Lakers Average ticket price: $169.80 Average home attendance: 18,997 NFL 5. Green Bay Packers Average ticket price: $213.43 Average home attendance: 70,512 4. Dallas Cowboys Average ticket price: $214.71 Average home attendance: 85,512 3. Chicago Bears Average ticket price: $219.82 Average home attendance: 62,145 2. New York Giants Average ticket price: $238.45 Average home attendance: 79,475 1. New England Patriots Average ticket price: $241.86 Average home attendance: 68,756
the thing is with ticket prices so high in this Country, and people out of work and having no money, If they do go to a game, its sit in a soulless stadium and out, and then home, they cant afford the other £50 and more on food and drink like they do in the Bundy they is no fun or enjoyment watching games here if im honest, now iv seen the other side, it will never compare..But ill still love City whatever as its my home City
No matter how much spare money or the price of drinks can you imagine a lot of our fans drinking and singing? Far too many sit like dummies before leaving early, no matter how the games stands, as they want to be home for their tea. Life and soul of the party types they are not. And unfortunately we seem to have a larger share of people just sit there and who moan about those getting behind the team than most clubs.
The answer is a simple one. If fans dont like the price or cannot afford a ticket then dont go. Nobody holds a gun to your head for a ticket do they ? In saying that no match ticket should cost more than £40 max. imo.
I don't mean to be rude or disrespectful to anyone, but until you have experienced the fan culture in Germany, I can't express how good the atmosphere is in the stadiums there, they live it, it's a religion, you are smothered by the intensity of games on and off the field I want to put it into words, but I can't it's just breathtaking
It would be a start if some of these players had big wage cuts then all kids whilst at school should be able to go for under a fiver to keep the game going in future years because once the dads stop going then the kids will follow on and quickly lose the interest
