The Price of Football

[Seedy Ron]

You're only watching it on the telly/computer though aren't you, and they could sell as many passes as they like? When you go to WHL you're taking 1 of a finite number of spaces, similarly at your golf club I would imagine, so supply & demand comes into it. With a service like this they could fairly easily make supply match any demand.

I'd be happy (relatively) to pay to watch a good quality stream of every Spurs game, but I wouldn't expect the price to be too exorbitant.

 

[Baleforce]

Don't they only play about 16 games a season or something?

NHL Game Center - access to all teams games and archived games, with the odd blackout - is about £100 for a season. They play 82 times in the regular season.

You could fook off for £750, but if priced more reasonably I would pay for a Spurs TV thing. I can't get to WHL all that often.

yeah, up to 19 depending on success

 

[the dza]

You can get 2500 kbps str3ams for free, there's no way I'd pay £750 a year for that!

 

[Jordinho]

they probably play around 30 home games a season if you include prestiege friendlies, 3m a match sounds about right when you factor in all the extras from the club shop and conccessions along with 60/70k tickets sold at an average of £35 each

I wonder if vip boxes are even included in that and it's just the gate receipts. They are bloody expensive.

 

[braineclipse]

This is all just my opinion, but here you go:

There used to be a game that was supported by people who paid to watch it when others didn't care about it. Clubs were built and survived by this. The brand that is sold today only exists because of these people. Why is the Premier League the most popular league in the world? We don't have the best players, though we have some of them. It's the history created by supporters that has been packaged up and sold on by Sky TV. It's that level of 'giving a sh1t' that makes it all worth watching, or posting on internet forums (!)

Live football is too pricey for me, I might go to games here or there, but not much anymore. To complete the perverse circle of 'the product' that Sky re-packaged, I use the internet to watch all of the games (that they broadcast and sell rights to around the world) for free. Good luck to those who pay the money and go, but also, good luck to those fans who are connected to the pre-Sky era, love their club, but have had enough of being milked for all the money they can spend.

I'm not sure. But I don't think there's a single factor that can be pointed to. For quite a few years the PL wasn't the richest league in the world at least. And I think the marketing done both by the PL and by individual clubs - particularly Manchester United in part because of their success, has been massive factors. I also think financial changes in Europe are partly responsible for those changes. Unemployment amongst young people significantly changes how much money people will be willing to spend on football for example. The Bundesliga growing compared to the Spanish and Italian leagues I think is a good example of this.

Of course the league wouldn't be where it is now without fans caring about the clubs for years and years before money became such a big deal. But I don't think it was inevitable that the PL would end up the most popular/richest league in the world.

That figure is almost certainly incorrect Jord.

Source?

 

[Jordinho]

That figure is almost certainly incorrect Jord.

Yes, it's a lot higher now.

 

[jts1882]

having said all this, i think yesterday's walkout might be more significant than people realise atm. in terms of how it was mobilised, it has similarities to the arab spring imo. social media has given fans an opportunity to effectively mobilise, and i really wouldnt be surprised if over the next few years similar walkouts took place at national scale. and this really would lead to lower ticket prices.

This analogy could be interesting. It could set up a whole flood of football migrants, some would be victims escaping dire football and seeking asylum, others would just be seeking better pastures (glory-seekers)

 

[Baleforce]

I wonder if vip boxes are even included in that and it's just the gate receipts. They are bloody expensive.

good point, year long box packages will be a fair bit

 

[the dza]

I'm not sure. But I don't think there's a single factor that can be pointed to. For quite a few years the PL wasn't the richest league in the world at least. And I think the marketing done both by the PL and by individual clubs - particularly Manchester United in part because of their success, has been massive factors. I also think financial changes in Europe are partly responsible for those changes. Unemployment amongst young people significantly changes how much money people will be willing to spend on football for example. The Bundesliga growing compared to the Spanish and Italian leagues I think is a good example of this.

Of course the league wouldn't be where it is now without fans caring about the clubs for years and years before money became such a big deal. But I don't think it was inevitable that the PL would end up the most popular/richest league in the world.



Source?

I'm not talking about finances, just purely the most watched or cared about/talked about. English football is way out infront and it's not just down to Sky and the formation of the Premier League. History, language, 'the home of football' and all that I think. Think about the FA Cup compared to the Cups in other countries, nobody ever cared about them but foreigners always tuned in to the Cup Final. Utd are interesting, because they have arguably always been the best supported club in the country even pre Fergie. The 'c0ckney Reds' pre-dates the the Fergie era for example, they have had loads of fans for ages. Then success and further exposure and they've turned into a monster.

So, imo, the English top flight has always been the most popular worldwide, even before the Premier League was formed and Sky decided that they invented football. They have just monetised that popularity and then expanded it further, along with the clubs themselves.

 

[Robspur12]

I do not disagree with most of that and don't get me wrong I would love to see prices come down, I would to see my JD back at the prices it used to be and I can say the same on most things. However it is" what it is" and if people would rather spend their money elsewhere that is down to them but bitching about ticket prices is no different then bitching about the price of ( Coke, booze, etc etc) you pays your money and takes your choice. There is too much money going out of the game in players/agents wages and yet we always hear fans bitching that we should buy the next multi million player and up the wages of players like Bentaleb, Mason etc etc ( we can not have it everyway).

I have had a season ticket for decades and I have always said that as long as I see my team try to progress I will continue to pay the price ( which when added to the cost of all my travel is huge) but its my choice and no one forces me to do it. If others would rather spend their money elsewhere then that's their choice.

I am not completely sure where I stand on this issue probably erring towards sure the supporters because the clubs were built on their support. But it is just too simplistic to to say it is a choice between 'eurodance records" alcohol, drugs etc and a football ticket. Depending where you live it can cost upwards of £100 to get to a game. For many families with normal every day expenses that is just too much. So the image of father and son going to the game is mainly a pipe dream for many.

 

[Modric THFC]

Ticket price should be proportional to how close to the ground you live/how long you've been attending games.
Smaller league all over europe are going into decline as people ignore them travelling huge distances to see bigger games.
Meanwhile regular attendees and local people can no longer afford to go to games.
Attending a football match is becoming a costly bi-annual event and not a cheap weekly duty.

 

[Baleforce]

I'm not talking about finances, just purely the most watched or cared about/talked about. English football is way out infront and it's not just down to Sky and the formation of the Premier League. History, language, 'the home of football' and all that I think. Think about the FA Cup compared to the Cups in other countries, nobody ever cared about them but foreigners always tuned in to the Cup Final. Utd are interesting, because they have arguably always been the best supported club in the country even pre Fergie. The 'c0ckney Reds' pre-dates the the Fergie era for example, they have had loads of fans for ages. Then success and further exposure and they've turned into a monster.

So, imo, the English top flight has always been the most popular worldwide, even before the Premier League was formed and Sky decided that they invented football. They have just monetised that popularity and then expanded it further, along with the clubs themselves.

i disagree, i remember being far more interested in Serie A in the early 90's, so were all my mates, we'd all adopted an Italian side

that seemed to be where all the interest was, the top players moved there, Italian sides were strong in Europe, Shoot/Match covered it as much as the domestic game

it's probably spanish or german now, although bearing in mind the population maybe it'll be china soon

 

[the dza]

i disagree, i remember being far more interested in Serie A in the early 90's, so were all my mates, we'd all adopted an Italian side

that seemed to be where all the interest was, the top players moved there, Italian sides were strong in Europe, Shoot/Match covered it as much as the domestic game

it's probably spanish or german now, although bearing in mind the population maybe it'll be china soon

Serie A was very popular from around the late 80's to the mid 90's, they had the best players and loads of money -- and it was that alone that made it popular here for awhile, imo. Nobody really gives a sh1t now. But I would say that from the post war era to the present, English football has been overall the most popular internationally, even discounting the Sky years. Like I said, language, history of the game, maybe even colonialism...I'm not even sure what I'm rambling on about anymore haha

 

[Baleforce]

Serie A was very popular from around the late 80's to the mid 90's, they had the best players and loads of money -- and it was that alone that made it popular here for awhile, imo. Nobody really gives a sh1t now. But I would say that from the post war era to the present, English football has been overall the most popular internationally, even discounting the Sky years. Like I said, language, history of the game, maybe even colonialism...I'm not even sure what I'm rambling on about anymore haha

ok, i think it certainly has been in Britain but we're very insular which I think magnifies that opinion

when liverpool got our teams banned from continental competition there were plenty around Europe who were glad, on the whole though most people didn't notice

I still disagree, there was so much that changed in football tactically and philosophically after WWII where the influence was not british

 

[parklane1]

I am not completely sure where I stand on this issue probably erring towards sure the supporters because the clubs were built on their support. But it is just too simplistic to to say it is a choice between 'eurodance records" alcohol, drugs etc and a football ticket. Depending where you live it can cost upwards of £100 to get to a game. For many families with normal every day expenses that is just too much. So the image of father and son going to the game is mainly a pipe dream for many.

My point is its up to the individual to decide what he/her spends their money on, there is nothing simplistic about that. And I know how much it costs to go to the games ( home and away) and I budget for that when I decide what to spend my money on.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I do not disagree with most of that and don't get me wrong I would love to see prices come down, I would to see my JD back at the prices it used to be and I can say the same on most things. However it is" what it is" and if people would rather spend their money elsewhere that is down to them but bitching about ticket prices is no different then bitching about the price of ( Coke, booze, etc etc) you pays your money and takes your choice. There is too much money going out of the game in players/agents wages and yet we always hear fans bitching that we should buy the next multi million player and up the wages of players like Bentaleb, Mason etc etc ( we can not have it everyway).

I have had a season ticket for decades and I have always said that as long as I see my team try to progress I will continue to pay the price ( which when added to the cost of all my travel is huge) but its my choice and no one forces me to do it. If others would rather spend their money elsewhere then that's their choice.

We are both lucky that we can afford to pay for a season ticket, I am happy to keep paying for it as long as I am enjoying it and it doesn't become a chore.

I pay around 750.00 for my season ticket in the Park Lane lower. I think it's expensive, but I believe I'm getting good value for money at the moment. Let's say we struggled like Villa for a few years, there's no way the club would lower the prices unless the attendances started to dwindle.

For everyone that says "you pay a premium like you should do when you buy a top of the range car", at what point does Premier League football stop becoming a "premium product" and simply become overpriced and a rip off? I just want to gauge opinion. If the average PL season ticket cost over 2 grand, would people still feel the same way?

I'm aware of the business aspect of the equation and understand the importance of selling club level seats to corporate entities. But at the same time, the average man in the street is the one who makes the ground's atmosphere what it is. Go to just about any ground in South America, Italy, Spain, Germany etc, the stands behind the goal are where the noise and atmosphere are generated from. It's equally important to retain those fans also.

Liverpool fans taking action shows the power that football fans have, I believe they went about it in the wrong way but I agree with the sentiment.

 

[glasgowspur]

You're only watching it on the telly/computer though aren't you, and they could sell as many passes as they like? When you go to WHL you're taking 1 of a finite number of spaces, similarly at your golf club I would imagine, so supply & demand comes into it. With a service like this they could fairly easily make supply match any demand.

I'd be happy (relatively) to pay to watch a good quality cat videos on youtube of every Spurs game, but I wouldn't expect the price to be too exorbitant.[/QUOTE/]
I can't argue with any of that, and £750 does seem like a lot of money, but over a year for ALL games on TV in the comfort of my own home on a good reliable signal and with ancillary costs of travel or food etc then for someone like me who can't get to games it's ok.
I would rather money went directly to the club as well, but that's probably asking to much.

 

[Rorschach]

There will be plenty of competitively priced seats in the new stadium. The law of supply and demand will see to that.

I think longer term the prices will probably stabilise. The non-corporate matchday revenue as a percentage of overall club revenue will continue to decrease to the point where the club will eventually price the tickets to sell out and promote the brand as much as generate income from it. Having a half empty stadium on TV/paid internet streams (it's coming) will not look good. The match day atmosphere that comes across on the small screen will be important to sell the product to a watching global audience. Or that could be all bollox but I typed it so I'm going to post it anyway.

 

[jts1882]

ok, i think it certainly has been in Britain but we're very insular which I think magnifies that opinion

when liverpool got our teams banned from continental competition there were plenty around Europe who were glad, on the whole though most people didn't notice

I still disagree, there was so much that changed in football tactically and philosophically after WWII where the influence was not british

I think they noticed that the country providing 7 of 8 champions prior to Heysel was missing.

 

[Baleforce]

We are both lucky that we can afford to pay for a season ticket, I am happy to keep paying for it as long as I am enjoying it and it doesn't become a chore.

I pay around 750.00 for my season ticket in the Park Lane lower. I think it's expensive, but I believe I'm getting good value for money at the moment. Let's say we struggled like Villa for a few years, there's no way the club would lower the prices unless the attendances started to dwindle.

For everyone that says "you pay a premium like you should do when you buy a top of the range car", at what point does Premier League football stop becoming a "premium product" and simply become overpriced and a rip off? I just want to gauge opinion. If the average PL season ticket cost over 2 grand, would people still feel the same way?

I'm aware of the business aspect of the equation and understand the importance of selling club level seats to corporate entities. But at the same time, the average man in the street is the one who makes the ground's atmosphere what it is. Go to just about any ground in South America, Italy, Spain, Germany etc, the stands behind the goal are where the noise and atmosphere are generated from. It's equally important to retain those fans also.

Liverpool fans taking action shows the power that football fans have, I believe they went about it in the wrong way but I agree with the sentiment.

value is decided by the purchaser, its different for every seat and every spectator, there are those who think £750 is too much and others who would buy two so they could bring a friend (I have friends who are west ham fans who have purchased 3 season tickets each for the OS)

I feel English fan's place an importance on "atmosphere" that isn't really there, it's obviously different for each player but the secret footballer has mentioned his indifference to the crowd in the past and suggested it has no influence of the performance of some players, that it attracts overseas tv viewers to the PL is also overplayed imo, the action on the pitch is what compels people

the action of liverpool fans was a fart in a thunderstorm, ticket prices won't drop until sales do drastically