Comments on: The Cost of Being a Football Fan

By: Josh Crockett

Josh Crockett — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:21:52 +0000

Tom – the basket was described was in the article I linked in my own comment at uk.virginmoney.com (see the “Notes to editors” at bottom).

Even after you pull out the unlikely every-match purchases and the complementary charges, you’re still looking at $115 or so per person. Even considering that ManU and a couple of the London clubs may skew the average ticket price — median might be a better measure — it’s still an expensive day out. Attending top-level sporting events has become a high-priced endeavour, and management is on a very sharp edge between maximizing year-to-year profit and ensuring that the next generation of fans aren’t priced out of existence.

By: Thomas Dunmore

Thomas Dunmore — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:38:51 +0000

Josh – I must be missing something, but where does it say “roughly $200 buys “a gallon of petrol, a pint of lager, a bacon roll, a train fare, a match ticket, a replica shirt, pay-per-view cost and a match programme.””? I didn’t see that part somehow, in either article.

I agree those would not be typical items to buy for each game (train fare and petrol?), but wherever that was, the context must surely be that they’re averaged out over the season.

By: Josh Crockett

Josh Crockett — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:50:31 +0000

At the risk of playing devil’s advocate, that roughly $200 buys “a gallon of petrol, a pint of lager, a bacon roll, a train fare, a match ticket, a replica shirt, pay-per-view cost and a match programme.” Is a $60+ replica shirt an every-match purchase? And aren’t the match ticket and PPV essentially complementary (you’ll buy one, but not the other)?

The rest is harder to dispute. But as a fan of a perennially top-20 college (American) football team, I’ve also seen it all before. I “donate” $250/yr to the school’s Athletic Fund to assure the right to purchase two tickets at about $40 times 7 home games, for roughly $52/ticket true cost. Like at least a quarter of the home fans (who have moved away from school to where the jobs are), I drive 250 miles each way, getting away for $35/trip only thanks to my diesel VW. When we play at Duke or Wake Forest, our fans pay $40 for tickets, while the next visiting team’s fans only get charged $25.

Conclusion: Dedication costs money. And I say that as one who had to give up his Washington Nationals baseball ticket package this year. The trick is not to price your product so high that you kill off part of the show (soccer fans) or your future (parents with children).

By: Thomas Dunmore

Thomas Dunmore — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:49:54 +0000

The supporters’ section at the Chicago Fire is $240. Of course, the level of play in MLS is not comparable to the Premiership, unlike Serie A; on the other hand, it is comparable to Championship or League One, and I bet there aren’t many Championship teams offering season tickets for a little over a hundred quid.

By: ursus arctos

ursus arctos — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:45:39 +0000

English season ticket prices are even more striking when viewed in a European context.

My season ticket at Inter (second tier, at midfield), cost 350 euro; one can get one for the curva for as little as 145 euro.

Italy is often said to be the best value in Europe in this regard, but prices in Spain, Germany, France, Holland and elsewhere are much closer to those in Italy than they are to those across the Channel.

One has to wonder whether the English prices are sustainable, particularly at clubs that aren’t regular participants in Europe and/or those that are looking to expand their stadia.