Football fans thankful for crappy economy

Last summer, Premier League teams were keen to exploit their place in the biggest league in the world, and found it appropriate to administer outrageous season ticket price hikes. While Aston Villa fans can’t be disgruntled by the 7.5 per cent increase they paid for 2008/09, Tottenham fans will feel a little short changed for forking out a 10.7 per cent increase for the shite they’ve had to endure at White Hart Lane.

In light of the global financial apocalypse, however, it seems that many clubs will resist the temptation to crank up admission fees for 2009/10. Tottenham have already announced that they will freeze their prices next year (a common practise for clubs entering the Championship, incidentally), and at least three clubs will defy convention by dropping their prices:

Sunderland has cut the price of 2009-10 adult passes by up to £70, and under-16’s will be able to watch a game for just £1.

Meanwhile Portsmouth are chopping prices by up to £120 with junior season tickets selling for as little as £19.

Manchester City will cut adult prices by an average of seven per cent.

At a time when disposable income is rarer than a smile on Didier Drogba’s face, and when clubs are struggling to fill seats, this seems like a great idea. It’s worth noting, however, that two of the the three clubs mentioned above may simply be adjusting for the stratospheric increases they charged last year - Portsmouth went up 17.5 per cent, Sunderland a whopping 22 per cent, and Manchester City a slightly-less-shocking four per cent.