The Premier League may be the world’s most popular but it’s also one of the most expensive places to watch soccer, and as the arms race for talent escalates, fans are being squeezed.
According to a recent UEFA report, English football’s ‘Big Six’ — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham — pulled in close to 20 per cent more selling tickets for home games in the 2024-25 season as they did a year earlier.
Bumper broadcasting deals and commercial sponsorship still make up the overwhelming majority of earnings for Premier League clubs.
But, as the growth in TV money has plateaued, clubs have turned their attention to matchday revenue streams, many of them spending dearly on renovations and expansions to stadiums that they say will offer better facilities and a more comfortable experience.
Local fans have borne the brunt as clubs have pursued tourists from near and far who will spend big.
In affluent west London, Fulham have a roof-top swimming pool and first-rate catering in the hospitality area but season tickets are among the priciest in the league at as much as £3,000 ($4,000).
“The Riverside stand is a real asset, and it’s nice that it’s at our football club, but it doesn’t come cheap for your average match going fan,” Simon Duke of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust told AFP.
“In, having this superb asset, thank you ownership, but can appropriate that to keep football affordable on the other three elements of the bottom?
Tourist market
Last week, Liverpool provoked fury by indicating that prices would increase in line with inflation over the next three seasons.
Supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly said in a statement that the club had “opted to ignore those who make LFC what it is”.
Anfield has been expanded several times, most recently to a capacity of 61,000, but there are only 34,000 season tickets.
That will enable the Premier League champions to offload almost half their tickets on a match-by-match basis, often focusing on day trippers who are prepared to spend more on souvenirs, food and drink.
“That’s a return, you look at the yield per fan, per match,” said Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert.
“You’re going to get more from someone that’s coming for an experience as opposed to some grumpy old bloke who’s been doing it for 50 years just because the alternative is going to go get IKEA on a Saturday afternoon.”
Hospitality packages for as much as £5,500 are available for the Manchester City vs Arsenal match.
A report by pressure group Fair Game showed that clubs are playing a long-term gamble.
“Some clubs are looking at their stadium and seeing every seat as a potential for raising money,” said Niall Couper, the CEO.
“If the club wants to be a long-term entity, and economically viable, then quite honestly keeping ticket prices at an affordable level and giving accessibility to your local community is a safer route.
‘National religion’
Supporters, both young and old, have also been squeezed by the loss of concessions.
Manchester United are raising season ticket prices by five per cent for the third successive year and halving a senior citizens’ discount for certain supporters.
Fans of United and Liverpool, England’s two most-successful clubs, came together to support the “Stop Exploiting Loyalty” campaign at a match played at Anfield last year.
Nevertheless, Premier League clubs enjoyed average attendances of just over 40,000 last season, with stadiums almost 99 per cent full.
But cracks have started to show in recent months.
Tottenham, who currently languish at the bottom of the table, have been unable to sell out their 63,000-seater stadium on Champions League evenings.
“Too many empty seats, and too many supporters — young supporters in particular — priced out of attending. Thin the crowd and you thin the noise,” the Tottenham Supporters’ Trust said.
But the appeal of football in England during a cost-of-living crisis is a testament to its special place in the national consciousness.
“In a nation of non-believers, I believe that football has become our mother’s national religion,” Maguire said.
“So in that budgetary decision I am making — do we go on holiday or not this year? Are we eating out more? Am I going to go out to the pub twice a week? So am I going to renew my season ticket? Season tickets will take priority.”