CHEAPER TO WATCH BARCA THAN WIGAN
A MAJOR Sunday Mirror Sport season ticket investigation today exposes the shocking facts that make the rip-off Premiership the most expensive league on the planet.
As unglamorous Wigan are hailed for slashing prices to provide the cheapest adult seats in the top flight at £250, we reveal that some fans of AC Milan and Barcelona, the last two Champions League winners, watch Europe's finest for a fraction of even the new JJB Stadium prices.
Wigan's move is undoubtedly a step in the right direction because our research shows that prices have rocketed by a staggering 550 per cent since the Premiership was formed in 1992.
But the price cut - one of six for next season - can't disguise the fact that Latics fans will still pay £250 to watch the likes of free-transfer men Titus Bramble and Antoine Sibierski, while their Barca and AC counterparts could fork out as little as £110 and £83.57 for 2006-07 season tickets to ogle world superstars Ronaldinho and Kaka.
Champions Manchester United may boast the sublime skills of Premiership Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, but their fans are furious at being hit with increases of up to four times the rate of inflation that take the Old Trafford season ticket range to between £475 and £836.
And while prices at the Theatre of Dreams are eclipsed by the London quartet of Arsenal - whose top ticket is a wallet-busting £1,850 - Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham, Old Trafford fans could be hit with an extra bill of £250 or more by a compulsory scheme that forces all season ticket holders to purchase cup matches.
Mark Longden of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association believes Premiership prices are driving grass-roots fans from the national game, saying: "It is outrageous to have these obscene pricing levels at a time when the Premiership is awash with £2.7billion of new television money.
"That cash is worth £30 to the clubs for every seat sold at every Premiership ground over the next three years. They could let all the fans in free and still have the same money as they did before.
"We are being inundated with calls from fans who can't afford the new prices. To force them to buy cup tickets they don't want is simply blackmail."
And lifelong Liverpool fan Graham Siggs, whose two season tickets in Anfield's Centenary Stand will cost 6.5 per cent more, is typical of those struggling to balance loyalty to their club with their finances.
Siggs explained: "Where I sit there are no reduced kids' prices, so with a price rise of £80 I will be forking out £1,300 for myself and my eight-year-old son, David. If I pay after July 5 that rises to £1,400 - an awful lot of money after following the team to Athens for the Champions League Final.
"Football is grossly overpriced in this country. The clubs play on the loyalty of fans but there must come a breaking-point. How come the top European clubs can price their tickets so competitively?"
The contrast with the Continent is illuminating. The most expensive La Liga season ticket at Barca, for example, is just £450 and includes all Spanish Cup games. A complete ticket which includes all matches - including the Champions League - ranges from £150 to £565.
Steve Powell of the Football Supporters' Federation insists the chasm between England and the rest of Europe must be bridged if an entire generation of fans are not to be lost to the English game.
Powell said: "The Sunday Mirror survey underlines the massive gap between prices here and in Europe. The Premiership is the most expensive league in the world by a mile.
"You only have to look at the big gaps in the stands at places like Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Wigan last season to know that crowds are not sustainable at the present insane pricing levels."
ARSENAL
STILL the most expensive adult season tickets in the Premiership despite a third successive price freeze. Corporate prices in the 6,700- seat premium Club Level are a massive £2,500-£4,000 but Arsenal still have a 40,000 waiting list.
ASTON VILLA
AMERICAN owner Randy Lerner has come up with an original "Back to the Future" ticketing strategy. Prices at Villa Park will revert to 2005/06 levels which means supporters can get a decent five per cent reduction on the last campaign.
BIRMINGHAM
PROMOTED City have season tickets for the Premiership at Championship prices. Existing ticket holders who bought before June 2 got a 20 per cent discount making the cheapest seat just £15.20 a game. New purchases are £361-£579.50 with Club Class a reasonable £674.
BLACKBURN
ROVERS are using TV cash to slash prices at Ewood Park by up to 25 per cent. 5,500 tickets were made available to early-bird customers for just £249, while the other seats ranged from £299-£399. The most expensive ticket was reduced from £595 to £399.
BOLTON
AFTER freezing prices last season they have reduced season tickets by an average of 10 per cent. They claim the move to lower prices gives a 15per cent reduction in real terms over two years. Adult prices are £409- £449, from June 27 £459-£499.
CHELSEA
THEY have frozen prices on all non-corporate tickets for Premiership games next season. It's the second year running Chelsea have frozen Premiership prices, which the club claim is a net reduction of six per cent when inflation is taken into account. Adult prices are £650-£1,150.
DERBY
PRICES were held at 2006/07 rates - £270-£460 - until April 15. After that they increased to £320-£510 meaning that late buyers of the cheapest seats will pay 18.5 per cent more to watch newly promoted Derby in the Premiership next season.
EVERTON
OFFERED a handy 10 per cent reduction to early buyers. Supporters who failed to renew their tickets before the April 28 window saw prices frozen at the 2006-07 levels. Price range: £427-£516.
FULHAM
CRAVEN Cottage's entry level price is reduced to £299 for adults, making it, at £16 a game, the cheapest London season ticket. Fans can also buy a three-year ticket frozen at 2007/08 prices. Range: £299 to £749.
LIVERPOOL
PRICES have gone through the £700 barrier, making them the highest in the north. Adult tickets are priced between £650-£700 with a £50 discount for payment before July 5. Late buyers face a 6.5 per cent rise.
MAN CITY
A SLUMP in ticket sales contributed to manager Stuart Pearce's departure even though prices had been frozen for a fourth successive season. Tickets for young fans have been slashed so under-16s can watch for £95 and under-21s for £249. Price range:£385-£550.
MAN UNITED
FANS are livid after the Glazers followed a 12.5 per cent hike in their first year with another double-figure rise. Rises are more than 10 per cent with some as high as 14 per cent and all fans must now automatically pay for cup tickets as well. Range: £475-836.
MIDDLESBRO
MIDDLESBROUGH have frozen their pr ices for a third successive season with gates at the Riverside falling. Adult prices start at £390 and rise to £550 until June 16. After that they increase to £410-£580.
NEWCASTLE
FANS can enjoy a "new season - same price" offer until June 15. Adult prices are from £365- £596 with a range of executive clubs ranging from £729-£929. Prices do increase by up to £23 after the deadline.
PORTSMOUTH
HAVE sold 40 per cent more than at the same stage last season after freezing prices for early customers to £495-£630. The policy has boosted sales to over 10,000 as opposed to 6,500 at the same time last year. But latecomers pay £585-£745.
READING
HAVE frozen the cost of all tickets for 2007/08 although they are more expensive than many northern clubs. Chairman John Madejski said: "We set our prices at a fair level 12 months ago and there is no need to increase them again." Range: £545-
SUNDERLAND
PROMOTION sparked a season ticket rush with 26,000 sold - up 8,000 on last term - despite an initial price hike of up to 9.3 per cent. Another increase after many existing holders had renewed pushed rises up by 18.75per cent. Range: £350 - £470, after April 5 £380-£495.
TOTTENHAM
SPURS Supporters Trust say the average rise is an above-inflation four per cent. But chief exec Paul Barber said: "We are not ripping fans off. The average increase is just £1.28 a game." Prices: £579-£1,550.
WEST HAM
FANS face a seven per cent rise next season. The cheapest adult season ticket is more expensive than the dearest at places like Aston Villa, Birmingham, Blackburn and Bolton. Prices: £595-£850.
WIGAN
THE cheapest season tickets in the Premier League at just £250 for anywhere in the JJB Stadium. That works out at just £13.16 per game. Junior prices for over fives start at £76 and OAPS and students pay £190.
n oso u know how big (seating capacity) the nou camp is ?
supply > demand
how small is jjb stadium ?
the english are crazy over footbal
indeed... wealthy people in a wealthy country..
