Is Premier league football now designed only for the economiclly Privileged?

[Southdowns White]

Having supported Fulham since the 70s I don't honestly know whether the end product of my matchday has improved. Yes we play at a better level and when we travel away from home it can be a less stressful experience but everything else is just marketing hype, tell us we're getting a bigger, better product and yes most people go along with it and it's ever increasing cost. Why do people go to football games look around you on Saturday, every other person is more interested in their phone, they don't sing, shout or add anything to the atmosphere, but yes they pay their money. I watch the odd non league game and some lower league scottish football, go into their supporters club bars, real people socialising (not all working class) but there to watch a game of football meet friends just as i still do here at Fulham.
How many more Addidas booklets will i recieve in the post or be handed to me as i enter the ground, yes i know we need the money( even the Children don't like the kits this year), endless emails and facebook updates on everything (most of it pretty boring) when what we really want is a good game of football from our team.
This is my view of the fulham situation but speak to any old school supporters from most clubs and you will find the spark is dying out,quiet stadiums while the game goes on and banging music before and at half time, the need to pay everyone involved with higher league football stupid amounts of money is killing OUR game and replacing it with football designed for the TV and once a season family stadium experience, meal, drink, club shop etc oh and match day out.
One good thing, At least the supporters can rant, rave and discuss on excellent sites like this. COYW

[MJG]

Its drug for me. I have been going to Fulham since 1978 and maybe have missed 20 home games in that time.
The actual experience of attending is really no different except its busier. Still the same wooden seats in the JH stand. Service at times still crap (as are the actual team on the pitch).
Traffic to games is more, parking an issue, cost of travel etc etc. But I still go.

One reason is that its a chance for me and my old man to meet up on a regular basis. If he stopped going I would give it another season of a ST on my own and see what happens.

[TonyGilroy]

It's definitely an addiction.

There's a lot wrong with today's football but honestly all those years of watching low grade stuff in a near empty dilapidating stadium with seemingly no hope of improvement really were NOT the golden era.

[MJG]

I'd add as well its been the one constant through my life.
Parents break up, friends come and go, Partners change, Jobs change. But through it all Craven Cottage has been there pretty much for all 35 years this month (and going to QPR proved to me its more about the place than the team).
Also i was lucky to get quite close to the club during the really dark days and that's just tied me to it even more.

[Southdowns White]

I think addiction is a very good way of describing it for us older supporters but what about the new breed of supporter. when i started going to games the cost was not an issue i paid for my entrance because i had paper round and it was only a 20-50p of my £3.50 weekly earnings. Do children get £20.00 for a paper round these days. The first season i went to games it cost 20p to get in 20p for a hotdog and 15p for the program, i think my first child season ticket cost £10 .00 in about 1978. I also lived only about 15 minutes from the ground.

[epsomraver]

I think addiction is a very good way of describing it for us older supporters but what about the new breed of supporter. when i started going to games the cost was not an issue i paid for my entrance because i had paper round and it was only a 20-50p of my £3.50 weekly earnings. Do children get £20.00 for a paper round these days. The first season i went to games it cost 20p to get in 20p for a hotdog and 15p for the program, i think my first child season ticket cost £10 .00 in about 1978. I also lived only about 15 minutes from the ground.

I think you will find it has never been 20p to get in, it was 5 shillings in 1963 when I first went I believe, but I agree with all the rest of what you say, face facts, they don't want stadiums heaving with people paying pennies, it costs too much to police.With corperate money now the clubs are financially better off without the fans.

[Jack Fulham]

I think addiction is a very good way of describing it for us older supporters but what about the new breed of supporter. when i started going to games the cost was not an issue i paid for my entrance because i had paper round and it was only a 20-50p of my £3.50 weekly earnings. Do children get £20.00 for a paper round these days. The first season i went to games it cost 20p to get in 20p for a hotdog and 15p for the program, i think my first child season ticket cost £10 .00 in about 1978. I also lived only about 15 minutes from the ground.

No way could anyone afford to go to Fulham on a paper round wage now. I used to earn about £7 a week doing my local Guardian which was about 4-5 years ago now.

[Forever Fulham]

It is amazing when you think how rising prices for tickets and concession goods have so outstripped the increase in household income over time.  At the rate of price creep, it just isn't sustainable over time.  On the other hand, or maybe as a reaction to this imbalance, this is the first year I can recall where it seems clubs have simply refused to pay increased wages for new or continuing player talent.  Oh, sure, there are outliers such as the obscene Bale wages.  But on the whole, it's as if the clubs tacitly agreed to pinch the pence.  More players on loan.  More short term deals for old men.  They are trying to hold the line.  I'm not saying there's a detente in the player arms race, but it does feel like a scaling back has occurred.

[cmg]

Addiction for sure, the cost of which has been built into my lifestyle (not sure that 'style' is the right word) for many years now.

I've been trying to rack my brain cell to remember the entrance price when I first started to pay, 4/6 (23p) rings a bell which would have made it about 12p for a kid. This would have been sustainable out of pocket money (I regret to admit that the cost of travel would not have been a factor as it would have been a point of (dis)honour not to pay for such things.

The paper round was for such luxuries as a first pair of 'proper' boots (Slazanger 'Johnny Haynes' naturally) or a bike. When Adidas came on the scene it was necessary to extend the paper round to cover the cost of the magnificent pair of 'La Platas' that I still, sadly, remember with such affection.

[Logicalman]

I'm with MJG on this, its a constant throughout my life, no matter where I live in the world, there is always one place that look to as being 'home' again.
The fortunes of the team change, as do our own fortunes in love and life, but like the breath I take, Fulham is personal to me.

Going back to our youths, I recall not always being able to afford to get in as a kid, so I would hang around outside the Hammy end, and either try to slip in when the gates were opened for one reason or another, or wait until they opened them in the second half, so I could catch at least 15 minutes of the game. Every now and again one of the old boys would see me and let me through at Half Time.

Fulham is not just a passion, it runs through my veins.

[WhiteJC]

 
BBC Price of Football 2013: Average ticket prices fall



Average ticket prices across English football's top four divisions have fallen by up to 2.4%, the BBC Sport Price of Football study has found.

It showed prices in four main categories have reduced for 2013-14.

The annual study - the biggest in British football - includes the prices of 164 clubs in the top 10 divisions.

"It is good news for fans but it does come after a long period of incremental rises year on year," Sports Minister Hugh Robertson told the BBC.

"The key thing is that it is replicated in years to come. I think clubs are beginning to understand what fans are going through and to adjust their prices accordingly."

Five leagues in England, four in Scotland and the Women's Super League were consulted.

Last year's study showed the average price of the cheapest ticket in English football had gone up by 11% - four times the rate of inflation.

But this year, average prices for the cheapest and most expensive match-day and season tickets were all down - as clubs in the Football League face up to an average 5% drop in attendances, from 9,949 in 2011-12 to 9,481 in 2012-13.

In the top four divisions of English football, the biggest fall was 2.4% for the cheapest adult season ticket category, down from £344.63 in 2012 to £336.23 in 2013.

The average for the most expensive adult season ticket fell 1.6% - from £546.30 in 2012 to £537.60 in 2013. The average for the cheapest adult match-day ticket is down 1.9% - from £21.24 to £20.85. The average for the most expensive adult match-day ticket dropped around 1% - from £34.11 to £33.81

In Scotland, the average price of the top flight's cheapest season tickets was 1% down. However, the average cost of the cheapest match-day tickets rose by more than 3%.

As well as the most expensive and cheapest season and adult match-day tickets, we recorded the cost of a cup of tea, a pie and a programme. Just two clubs, Lincoln and Rangers, failed to respond.

The study also found:
The most expensive ticket in English football remains at Arsenal, where a category A adult match-day ticket can cost up to £126.
Their cheapest ticket is £26.

The cheapest adult season ticket in the Premier League is £299 at Manchester City. The most expensive is £1,955 at Arsenal, although this includes seven cup matches.

The cheapest adult match-day ticket in men's football is £7 at Albion Rovers - the only men's club to charge less than £10.

The average price for an adult match-day ticket in the Women's Super League is just £5.38.

The most expensive pies in British football are at Crystal Palace and Kidderminster, with both charging £4.

The most expensive cup of tea is £2.50 at Manchester United - the same as in 2012. Manchester City also charged £2.50 last year, but have dropped their price to £1.80.

Dave Whelan, chairman of FA Cup winners Wigan, said it was "difficult" for clubs to put prices up amid the current financial climate in Britain.

"Money is so tight and our area is running at 8-9% unemployed and it's impossible to ask anyone to pay any more to watch football," he said.

Football League chairman Greg Clarke said three-quarters of Football League clubs had either reduced their ticket prices or kept them at the same level as last season.

"I think this is a case of clubs responding sensibly to declining living standards in what has been a challenging economic period," he said.

While the overall picture across English football was lower ticket prices, the Premier League saw a 4.3% rise in the average price of the cheapest season tickets.

Malcolm Clarke, chair of the Football Supporters' Federation, said there was "no justification" for any increases in the top flight given a new television deal that is bringing in an extra £600m across the division.

He had called for the extra cash to be used to cut admission prices drastically, but during the transfer window clubs spent a record £630m on players.

Clarke said: "It is disappointing that the average price of the cheapest season ticket has still gone up despite the extra income and despite the very difficult economic circumstances many supporters are in.

"There is plenty of scope to do much more than they have already done. If all that happens is that most of that money is being used to go into players and agents, then there is a danger that there will be a real kickback from fans."

Despite the concerns, the average Premier League attendance in 2012-13 was 35,975 - up from 34,646 the season before. In addition, there were record season-ticket sales of 476,776.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said these figures were helped by the "fact that so many clubs are working so hard to ensure that Premier League football remains as accessible and affordable to as many people as possible.

"That sets a high bar - one that both we and the clubs are determined to maintain," he said. "That is why clubs are looking at a range of innovative and inclusive offers to encourage high-attendance, particularly for younger fans and away supporters.

"It is great to see the continued high levels of support for top-flight football in this country. The passion and commitment of the fans is an integral part of the Premier League's success and English football culture and we want to make sure that is intact this season, the next and for many to come."

Professor Tom Cannon, a football finance expert from Liverpool University, said top-flight clubs were under pressure to produce greater revenues.

"The truth is, we are in a situation where the cost of talent, at the top in particular, continues to soar, not just because of that pressure but because of regulatory pressure like Financial Fair Play, which means they have to generate more and more income," he said.

"This means on the one hand you have a bonanza of TV income but you also have a bonanza in expenditure and potentially the gap has to be filled by gate income and that puts the pressure on the fans."

Last year, Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament calling for ticket prices to be cut as a result of the Price of Football 2012.

In response to this year's study, he said: "The cost of watching football is still huge. There are some signs that clubs are making serious efforts to try and make sure that not just season tickets but match-day tickets are very affordable.

"There have been early steps made in the right direction, but there are still many of the large clubs who are appearing to be totally and utterly inconsiderate towards the fact that many people are being priced out of being able to watch their team."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24052562

[Logicalman]

BBC Price of Football 2013: Average ticket prices fall

Average ticket prices across English football's top four divisions have fallen by up to 2.4%, the BBC Sport Price of Football study has found.

It showed prices in four main categories have reduced for 2013-14.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24052562

Until you click on the Premier League specific report, which states:

The average cost of the cheapest season ticket at Premier League clubs has risen by more than 4%, with prices ranging from £299 to £985.
The BBC Sport Price of Football study found the average price of the most affordable adult season ticket in the top flight has gone from £467.95 to £489.11 in the past year, with seven clubs raising prices this season.



Therefore, I would submit, that there is a growing gap between the have's and have-nots as far as teams are concerned, and provides some proof that the Prem Teams are likely the sole reason prices have not fallen faster.

[FFC1987]

I prefer paying more. Keeps the riff raff out!

[epsomraver]

I prefer paying more. Keeps the riff raff out!

So you don't go any more then? :005:

[Ruiz11]

On a side note, rising ticket prices and costly travel make a mockery of the law that no Saturday 3 o'clock kick-offs are allowed to be broadcast live on TV. The rule was implemented because it was feared that fans would simply watch the games on TV and stop going in person. But even for the few fans who can actually afford it, the travel is too time consuming and gets in the way of family and work commitments. So how can the Premier League justify their attempts to close down live streaming sites when fans won't go to the games anyway, even if they weren't on TV? Why can't Sky and BT buy rights for the Saturday 3 o'clock kick-offs too?

[Lighthouse]

From 1968 - 74 I watched a few away game and a few home games because we lived near Manchester. Then from 74 to the year we went to Loftarse Road I watched every home game and many away games. Then the price of the addiction and life became too much. Have only been back a few times. I still love the club. I am just not addicted to it. It no longer gives me the buzz. More often the yawns.

[SP]

Whilst we have much to be grateful to Sky for, their endless over hyping of everything does grind.  Their coverage of transfer windows has become ridiculous.

[Logicalman]

Whilst we have much to be grateful to Sky for, their endless over hyping of everything does grind.  Their coverage of transfer windows has become ridiculous.

That was one of the few reasons I was SO grateful for Fox to lose the Prem games, with their ridiculous 'experts' (ex-spurts more like) of Warren Barton, Tommy Smyth, and the worst of them - whose name I wish not to mention (I will let on he's Irish though), they progressively ruined whatever enjoyment there was left in watching Fulham this past season (and there wasn't so much of that either).

Now we are also (almost) shot of Darke Macca as well, the dubious duo, NBC are welcomed with open arms!!

[LBNo11]

...thanks to sky as you sow so shall ye reap. Sky and their imitators feed your addiction like a drug dealer as they insidiously control the game with the money you pay via subscription for the constant stream of adverts that help pay the top teams to advertise their 'brand' to a global market whilst they force feed the masses.

Premier League football and the FA are mere puppets of the media, they control fixtures (and where cameras are placed to see an oh so vital manager chew gum or gob onto the pitch) and influence the sport.

The fans are told you have to pay more for the product to get the quality they want you to crave and the vicious circle continues. In the meantime some are realising the product is not all that it is advertised to be and their pockets are being hit despite a recession whilst players enjoy enormous obscene wages that continue to proliferate.

The last time I looked at an equally overpriced club program it contained (as well as recycled Fultime articles) numerous adverts for top end of the market products that the marketing people want you to feel you are inadequate if you don't own a £600 jacket or cannot afford a cruise etc.,

Maybe the premier league is not yet designed for the economically privileged, but it is no doubt their preferred aim...

[Holders]

I've been following Fulham since the early 60s and going to matches since 1971 and I can't say that it's really as enjoyable for me as it was in the past (not necessarily in the real darkest days) but, hey, I still don't want to see my team relegated from the PL - overpriced, over-hyped, no parking, crap public transport, unexciting football, sitting down, lacking in atmosphere etc etc as it is.

I suppose the best was the climb to the PL, in particular the Tigana team but that's a bit like it being better to travel than to arrive. It must be really boring for supporters of those teams (like Arsenal) that have been in the PL so long that they expect to win something every year and if they win the FA cup it isn't good enough next year, they want the CL. And so on.

I'd just like us to win something before I die...