Missing out: Young fans are not getting into habit of
going to the match
The sharp rise in the cost of football over the
past year has been called 'unacceptable' by the Football
Supporters' Federation (FSF).
The average price of the cheapest adult ticket to watch
English football has risen by 11.7pc - five times the rate - while
the cost of match-day Premier League tickets varies from £15 to
£126.
The average price of the cheapest ticket at a Premier or
Football League ground has risen from £19.01 to £21.24.
FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke fears this will price younger
fans out of watching live games.
He said: 'There's a danger of alienation between fans and
players at the top of the game. Younger fans in particular are
being priced out and if they don't get the live football bug at a
young age, they might not become season ticket-holders.
'If you compare prices to other countries such as Germany,
there are huge disparities. Season tickets at Borussia Dortmund
start from €225 (£183), which includes three Champions League games
- at about £8.90 per match - and free public transport. In
comparison, our prices are simply unacceptable.
'This is an industry with eye-watering amounts of
money going into it through media rights at the top, and this
should be reflected in cost for the match-going
fan.'
The BBC survey looked at 166 British clubs in 10
divisions, including the Conference and Women's Super
League.
Arsenal have the most expensive season ticket - £1,955 -
and Wigan have the cheapest in the Premier League at
£255.
Remarkably, Kidderminster Harriers, in the
Conference, charge the most for a match-day pie at £4, but the club
explain they are homemade. Three Scottish teams - Alloa, Albion and
Forfar - charge the least: just £1.
The most expensive teas are £2.50 at both Manchester clubs
and the cheapest (50p) can be found at Alloa and Brechin in
Scotland.
The most expensive programme at £4 is sold at Leeds
United.