Want to go and watch Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town in The Championship this season? No thanks, it’s cheaper to go to Old Trafford. ‘Surely, there must be some sort of mistake’ you say but surprisingly enough, it’s a fact. A survey of all 92 English professional clubs conducted by FourFourTwo magazine has found that a season ticket at Ipswich Town will set you back £1001, more expensive than the £931 it costs to attend Old Trafford.
It’s hard to believe that a season ticket entitling the owner to a seat in section D of the Cobbold Stand at Portman Road is the fourth most expensive in the country with Newcastle at £975 and Manchester United at £931 coming in fifth and sixth respectively. Arsenal offers the most expensive season ticket at £1825 with the dearest single ticket for a match at the Emirates Stadium costing £94.
There seems little doubt that London is the most expensive city in England to watch football with Tottenham’s costing £1695 and Chelsea’s £1210. Rounding out the top 10, Fulham charges £899, West Ham £850, Liverpool £785 and Queen’s Park ask their supporters to shell out £699. One surprise finding is that despite splashing out millions on transfer fees and wages assembling a star studded squad, the most expensive season ticket at Manchester City is available at a comparatively modest £632. The most likely reason for charging just one third of a ticket at Arsenal must be the fact that City has been unable to sell out a stadium with a capacity of less than 50,000.
At the other end of the scale, Wigan offers the cheapest top price season ticket, the best seat in the house costing just £295. Wigan officials attribute their comparatively cheap tickets to a range of factors, including the proximity of other teams in the north west and the fact Wigan is predominantly a rugby league town. The only cheaper season tickets available in the entire Football League can be found at Accrington, Bradford, Hereford, Crewe and Port Vale.
The 2010/11 most expensive season tickets
1 – Arsenal – £1825
2 – Tottenham – £1695
3 – Chelsea – £1210
4 – Ipswich – £1001
5 – Newcastle – £975
6 – Manchester United – £931
7 – Fulham £899
8 – West Ham £850
9 – Liverpool £785
10 – QPR £699
When it comes to the newly released replica shirts, a quick search shows that while not the cheapest, Manchester United offers them at a competitive £45
New seasons Short Sleeve Replica Shirts
Chelsea £50
Manchester United £45
Arsenal £45
Tottenham Hotspur £45
Manchester City £45
Aston Villa £45
Liverpool £42
So who is most responsible for driving up the cost of watching football? Is it greedy club owners, greedy players or their greedy agents? Will it be unfair to nominate the latter?
Is the rising cost of watching football slowly killing the game?
