Premiership hits the fan By GARY PAYNE
Published: 19 Jun 2008 In of all places the Sun FOOTBALL fans are facing a year of financial misery next season – as the cost of watching games continues to SOAR. An investigation by The Sun has revealed how greedy clubs are set to cash in on our national sport by massively increasing season ticket prices. Six clubs have raised the cost by more than 25 PER CENT — including one by a whopping 36.4 PER CENT. While families struggle to cope with mounting fuel costs, higher mortgage payments and interest rate hikes, our study of all 92 league teams proves the cost of football is now out of control. We contacted every club to find out the cost of their cheapest full-price adult season ticket compared with last season and found . . . OFFSIDE: Despite being bankrolled by Thai billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, Manchester City will have fans reeling as prices shoot up by 19.7 per cent. FOUL PLAY: Arsenal are still the most expensive side in England to follow, with the cheapest adult season ticket at the Emirates up 4.5 per cent to a whopping £925. BOOKED: Season ticket prices in the Premier League, where stars such as Wayne Rooney show off their skills, are up 7.8 per cent on average — more than double the rate of inflation. RED CARD: The trend continues in the lower divisions, with League One flops Leeds United one of the worst sinners, charging fans a minimum of £440 next season — a rise of £90 or 25.7 per cent. Jon Keen, from The Football Supporters’ Federation, blasted clubs for ripping off fans. He said: "The Sun’s figures prove that season ticket prices are now just too high. Considering the revenues the leagues generate through TV deals and merchandising, there is no need for such exorbitant prices. "Clubs are holding fans to ransom so they can get richer. It just proves that they are greedier than ever and it’s the fans who are left to foot the bill. "The average age of a season ticket holder in the Premier League is now 43. If this trend continues we risk losing a generation of fans." Leeds failed to win promotion to the Championship, English football’s second tier, last season. But that hasn’t stopped chairman Ken Bates charging fans more than many Premier League clubs. The cheapest seats at their Elland Road ground have shot up from £350 to £440, nearly double the cost of the same tickets at Wigan Athletic (£250) and higher than ten Premier League clubs including Aston Villa, Fulham and Blackburn. Although Villa have the biggest increase in the Premier League (32.5 per cent), the price of their cheapest tickets is a relatively modest £265. Rick Duniec, from Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, believes the increases are just not justified. He said: "A £90 rise is a lot of money, especially when we’re playing in League One. "Bates fobbed us off by saying that, if we wanted to watch Premier League-standard football, we had to pay Premier League prices. That’s fine but fans will get disgruntled when there are all these promises and nothing is delivered in return. "You expect to pay top whack if you’re going to watch a show in the West End. But Leeds is like watching a bad musical by an amateur dramatics society. "I’ve seen families go to the turnstiles and walk away disappointed because they can’t afford the admission." Manchester City’s mega-rich owner Thaksin Shinawatra has infuriated fans by sacking popular manager Sven Goran Eriksson and cranking up season ticket prices. arker said: "I sympathise with families because the increased prices will make it hard on some people to afford to go to games. "They are having to pick and choose what games to go to now because they can no longer afford to see all of them. "After Sven left a lot of fans were angry. But the diehards will be willing to suffer these price increases — for now. "If we signed Ronaldinho, season ticket sales would go through the roof and the club know that and charge a premium for it. This has to stop somewhere, though." A club source added: "These are the first season ticket rises in five seasons. We also offered fans the chance to renew their tickets at a discounted rate if they took up the option straight away." The FA last night refused to comment on the escalating cost of football, insisting it was up to individual clubs to set their prices. An Arsenal spokesman said: "Next season’s price increase will be our first in three years and that takes into account our move to the Emirates. The rise is in line with inflation." But Paul Matz, from the club’s Independent Supporters’ Association, said: "Although Arsenal offer the best facilities and best football in the Premier League, just under £1,000 for the cheapest season ticket is still too high. That must be addressed." Some clubs, such as Swansea, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, have been forced into increasing season ticket prices through promotion, while others, such as Chelsea and Fulham, have frozen prices after pressure from fans. But only 13 teams have lowered the financial burden, including Bolton, who have dropped season ticket prices by 14.3 per cent to £299 a year. A club spokesman said: "Our supporters will be paying less then they did three years ago. "We recognise the huge demands on the pockets of football fans and are doing our bit to ease the current financial burden, particularly on families." Port Vale, who were relegated to League Two, lead the way when it comes to rewarding loyal fans, slashing tickets by almost half from £323 to £183 per season. That works out at just £8 a game. Port Vale commercial manager Mike Aldridge said: "We won’t make any more money than we did last season but at least we’ll be playing in front of twice as many people. "It will put the club in a much better position in the future. "The cost of football is driving many fans away and clubs have to start to address the balance." Our figures also show that clubs in the North East are the most greedy, charging a 7.6 per cent increase on average, compared with a 3.6 per cent rise in London. _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist "the morphine patch and the handfuls of dihydrocodiene and paracetamol did the business. I am GOING TO WEMBLEY !!!!" Dave Nattan May 16th 2008
