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NEWS
BBC’s Price of Football survey: ticket price increases outstrip cost of living
POSTED 15 Oct 2014 . BY Tom Walker
The Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC – and the most expensive tickets in UK professional sport
The annual Price of Football survey by the BBC shows that the average price of tickets for English football clubs has risen at twice the rate of the consumer price index.

The average price of the cheapest match-day ticket (calculated for clubs from the English Premier League down to League Two) is now £21.49 – an increase of 13 per cent since 2011. In the same period, cost of living in the UK has gone up by 6.8 per cent.

Only five Premier League clubs have single match tickets available for less than £25 (Aston Villa, Hull, Leicester, Newcastle and West Ham), while fans of nine clubs will have to dish out at least £30 to see their team.

There are, however, regional differences.

The cheapest season tickets at North London-based Arsenal FC – a club that has only won one trophy in the past eight years – cost a whopping £1,014, while fans of defending champions Manchester City can buy a season ticket for £299. Arsenal also boasts the most expensive season tickets at £2,013.

To see the prices of tickets at each of the 176 football clubs covered by the BBC survey, click here.

Increases in ticket prices comes at a time when the money clubs receive from broadcasting rights is at an all-time high.

When the English Premier League negotiated the latest round of broadcasting rights (from 2013 to 2016), it secured a deal worth an estimated £5.6bn – compared to £3.18bn from the previous three-year cycle. The deal agreed in 2007 (2007-2010) was estimated at £2.7bn.

Clubs such as Arsenal – the club with the most expensive tickets in the UK – have come under fire from fans’ groups for increasing ticket prices at a time when they are securing improved deals from broadcasters.

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: "We want football to be affordable for all. At a time when there's more money in football than there ever has been before with the incredible television revenues coming in, it is ridiculous that fans are still being squeezed.

"Some of that money has to be made available to subsidise tickets rather than creating a climate where prices are constantly going up."

Premier league clubs have, however, defended themselves by pointing out that attendances at matches have not dropped – an indication that they have got the pricing right.

According to the recent Annual Review of Football Finance, by business analyst Deloitte, the combined total of English Premier League clubs' revenues broke the £3bn mark for the first time during the 2013-14 season.

• The Price of Football is in its fourth year and is the largest study of its kind in Britain, covering 176 clubs across 11 division in British football and 31 clubs from 10 different leagues in Europe.
RELATED STORIES
  New government initiative aiming to strengthen “fan power” at football clubs


The coalition government has launched a new initiative aiming to ensure football fans have more say in the running of their clubs.
  Price of football tickets in the UK stagnates – but Premier League still most expensive in Europe


The cost of watching football has remained the same at most clubs across the UK’s 13 professional leagues – but fans of top flight teams still pay more than any other European fans for match day experiences.
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News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
NEWS
BBC’s Price of Football survey: ticket price increases outstrip cost of living
POSTED 15 Oct 2014 . BY Tom Walker
The Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC – and the most expensive tickets in UK professional sport
The annual Price of Football survey by the BBC shows that the average price of tickets for English football clubs has risen at twice the rate of the consumer price index.

The average price of the cheapest match-day ticket (calculated for clubs from the English Premier League down to League Two) is now £21.49 – an increase of 13 per cent since 2011. In the same period, cost of living in the UK has gone up by 6.8 per cent.

Only five Premier League clubs have single match tickets available for less than £25 (Aston Villa, Hull, Leicester, Newcastle and West Ham), while fans of nine clubs will have to dish out at least £30 to see their team.

There are, however, regional differences.

The cheapest season tickets at North London-based Arsenal FC – a club that has only won one trophy in the past eight years – cost a whopping £1,014, while fans of defending champions Manchester City can buy a season ticket for £299. Arsenal also boasts the most expensive season tickets at £2,013.

To see the prices of tickets at each of the 176 football clubs covered by the BBC survey, click here.

Increases in ticket prices comes at a time when the money clubs receive from broadcasting rights is at an all-time high.

When the English Premier League negotiated the latest round of broadcasting rights (from 2013 to 2016), it secured a deal worth an estimated £5.6bn – compared to £3.18bn from the previous three-year cycle. The deal agreed in 2007 (2007-2010) was estimated at £2.7bn.

Clubs such as Arsenal – the club with the most expensive tickets in the UK – have come under fire from fans’ groups for increasing ticket prices at a time when they are securing improved deals from broadcasters.

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: "We want football to be affordable for all. At a time when there's more money in football than there ever has been before with the incredible television revenues coming in, it is ridiculous that fans are still being squeezed.

"Some of that money has to be made available to subsidise tickets rather than creating a climate where prices are constantly going up."

Premier league clubs have, however, defended themselves by pointing out that attendances at matches have not dropped – an indication that they have got the pricing right.

According to the recent Annual Review of Football Finance, by business analyst Deloitte, the combined total of English Premier League clubs' revenues broke the £3bn mark for the first time during the 2013-14 season.

• The Price of Football is in its fourth year and is the largest study of its kind in Britain, covering 176 clubs across 11 division in British football and 31 clubs from 10 different leagues in Europe.
RELATED STORIES
New government initiative aiming to strengthen “fan power” at football clubs


The coalition government has launched a new initiative aiming to ensure football fans have more say in the running of their clubs.
Price of football tickets in the UK stagnates – but Premier League still most expensive in Europe


The cost of watching football has remained the same at most clubs across the UK’s 13 professional leagues – but fans of top flight teams still pay more than any other European fans for match day experiences.
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Belgin Aksoy prepares to mark 15 years of Global Wellness Day on Saturday 13 June
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HUM2N opens longevity clinic at Six Senses London
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider, HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
Mayrlife opens first hotel day clinic in partnership with Rosewood Vienna
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
KX Chelsea invests £15 million to upgrade its wellness offering
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21-23 Jun 2026

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Midlands (Venue TBA), Liphook, United Kingdom
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Worldwide,
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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