Dave Whelan might be a bit of an egomaniac and have an unhealthy obsession with Sir Alex, but he definitely knows how to give supporters value for money. Attention-seeking research by ING Direct has revealed Wigan fans have most reason to smile ‘in the current climate’ after paying out a relative pittance on season tickets to see their team triumph (well, they were fighting for 7th until a few weeks ago) in the Premiership.
Second in the value league are Blackburn, who charge just £200 for their cheaper annual passes. In contrast, some Spurs fans will have shelled out near to £2k for the privilege of watching their beloved team being given a shoeing by Hull, Stoke and West Brom at various points in the season.
Has your team’s performance been worth your hard earned coin this season? Thoughts below and see the list after the jump…
Earlier this week, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Manchester City helped fans struggling in the current economic crisis by announcing lower prices for forthcoming games. Today, Newcastle followed suit by announcing plans to slash season ticket prices, which should help bolster faltering attendances.
At a time when clubs are showing sensitivity to the financial plight of their fans, Arsenal - whose cheapest season ticket is £925 - have decided to lay some extra charges on their fans.
The north London side justify their high prices by including FA Cup and European Cup games on their season tickets, and next week’s match with Roma will be the seventh home cup game of 2008/09 (excluding the League Cup, which isn’t included in the deal). Those who assumed all non-League Cup home cup games were covered by their season tickets, however, are in for a wallet-bashing shock.
A Spoiler reader had forwarded us an email that was circulated to members today, saying they will be automatically charged for the forthcoming FA Cup match with Burnley, and for any other applicable cup matches this season.
The club have actioned a clause buried deep in the terms and conditions, which says only seven Champions League and FA Cup games are covered on the season ticket. Seeing as Arsenal have played exactly seven home FA Cup and European Cup games for the past five seasons, this hidden charge has been met with surprise.
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:
Don’t all rush at once to sign up for Championship football
Good news, Spurs fans! According to your official club website, season ticket prices will be frozen for the next two years, and the reduced VAT rate saving will also be passed on to supporters.
The club say the uncharacteristic generosity is down to their “acute awareness of the current economic climate,” and they wish to keep White Hart Lane full during these hard times.
Wait a minute - surely the big-spending club needs all the revenue it can get at the moment? Could it be that the price freezes and two-year season ticket packages are a way of ensuring continued revenues in the event of an impromptu exit from the Premier League?
No, of course not! Bad, cynical Spoiler! Tottenham just want to thank the loyal fans who are already being outrageously overcharged…
Sports Direct staff getting a slightly better Christmas party this year
After they tolerated a season that consisted of poor results, the feint threat of relegation and Kevin Keegan, Mike Ashley has decided to punish Newcastle fans with a ten per cent increase in season ticket prices. Considering the fact that the average season ticket rise is 10 per cent and the economy in this country is completely fudged, this news could be a rather bitter pill for Geordies to swallow:
Supporter Jim Hannah, 47, of Whitley Bay, said: “Fair enough if you want to commit to three years - last season’s price is frozen.
“But the way things are economically, who can afford that? It’s a strange time to do it after the season we had.”
Despite Mike Ashley’s cash-draining surprise, the Newcastle website claims season tickets are now sold out for next season, and just ten per cent of Magpies claimed they would be giving up their pass in a poll published on The Spoilerlast week (the average for the league is around 14 per cent).
My Premier League season ticket cost £250 nine years ago, and now the average price is around £780 - that’s the kind of inflation that makes petrol prices look reasonable. So are top flight clubs abusing their fans’ loyalty with extortionate prices? Let us know with a vote and comment below.
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