Premier League ticket prices defy the very culture that built the game

The Football Supporters’ Federation is calling on fans to join a march on the Premier League and Football League headquarters on 14 August to protest against spiraling ticket prices and demand “affordable football for all”. This demonstration, setting off from London’s Marble Arch, has become an annual fixture, as clubs have shown no inclination to use their TV rights windfalls to reduce historically inflated ticket prices.

It is also noted that clubs from the Premier League spend significantly more money on teams from other nations, allowing minor league clubs to keep big-name players. The result being, smaller clubs frequently face off against larger clubs, making each game exceedingly unpredictable. The outcome does not then necessarily depend on the name of the club but the players and their capabilities. Understandably, Premier League (and other football competitions all over the world) has a lot of viewers and with this, the competition too gains a higher stake. In scenarios such as this, Premier League betting makes for a great idea for fans to earn some extra cash while they cheer for their favorite team.

For this forthcoming 2014-15 season, a handful of clubs (see table), including Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City, and West Bromwich Albion, have frozen ticket prices at the same level as last season. Manchester City, the Premier League champions bankrolled by the Abu Dhabi oil fortune of Sheikh Mansour, stand out with a benevolent £299 cheapest adult season ticket, which bears comparison with prices through football’s history when the sport was built and fondly referred to as “the people’s game”. Such tickets are limited, however, and prices at the Etihad Stadium go up to a high of £860 while matchday ticket costs, yet to be confirmed, were the target of complaints from some away fans last season.

It’s no surprise that more and more people are choosing to stay at home to watch the games rather than attending stadiums. It has become a lot cheaper to pay to watch matches on the television at home and the fact that people can relax, eat/drink and place bets on the matches on í† í† ì‚¬ì´íŠ¸ or similar sites in the comforts of their own home means more and more people are refusing to pay the extortionate prices of tickets.

Continue reading Premier League ticket prices defy the very culture that built the game | David Conn | Football | The Guardian.