BBC ‘Price of Football’ Study Reveals Increase in Prices for Fans in UK

BBC Sport has released its annual ‘UK Price of Football’ study and it once again makes for interesting reading.

The study found that the cost of watching football in the UK has dropped or remained the same for the majority of fans.

The BBC study looked at costs at 227 clubs in 13 UK leagues and it showed that 70% of prices have been frozen, while 30% have further increased.

Another finding from the study revealed that the cheapest match-day ticket in the English Premier League now costs more than £30 on average for the first time after 11 clubs put up prices in this category.

Arsenal again have the most expensive match-day ticket in the Premier League at £97, the cheapest match-day ticket offered by Leicester City at £22.

Arsenal also have the most expensive season ticket in the Premier League at £2,013, with Stoke City having the cheapest season ticket at £294.

Commenting on the survey, Tom Thirlwall, CEO of Copa90, an online video platform for football fans, said: “Some of the headlines from the BBC’s Price of Football survey may lead you to believe that football is finally addressing the problem of spiralling ticket prices.

“However, the cheapest average match day ticket in the Premier League has actually increased by 6.5%, and is now above £30 for the first time. 

“It is at this end of the spectrum where the problems really lie, with young people and those without stacks of disposable income being priced out of attending top-flight football.

“If we continue to price ordinary fans out of going to the stadium, the game as we know it will die, because football is nothing without fans.”

At the end of the 2014/15 season, Copa90 conducted their own study asking their extensive fan community to give their views of the cost of modern football. 

The study found that 69% of fans believed replica shirts are still overpriced and 45% of fans said that ticket prices negatively impacted on their football experience. 

Read the full ‘Price of football’ study HERE.