Tag Archives: Manchester

Arsenal no longer most expensive Premier League club to watch

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The BBC Sport Price of Football survey has been released today with great fan fare, and once again, Arsenal have been labelled as the club with the most expensive season ticket. This will be used once more by papers and radio stations to bash us and criticise us. Lets not forget last season, the press hyperbole resulted in the ticket price protest by City fans at the Emirates last season. Which then in itself was used to bash the club further.

Whilst I am not going to attempt to justify our season ticket price, it is too high and prices out the man on the Clapham Omnibus, what I hate is when my club, our club, Arsenal is attacked by all and sundry. Whether it is the press highlighting our disciplinary record, our lack of Englishman, our trophy drought, or our ticket prices. This is then picked up by opposing fans, who then continue to attack out club using what they have read in the papers or listened to on the radio. It is every man’s duty to defend his club.

The headlines from today’s survey will end up getting written as ‘Arsenal have most expensive Season ticket price again.’ Whilst based on the grand total of the season ticket, it is true, we are the most expensive, when you break it down to what we get, the headlines are simply a lie. Spun to bash The Arsenal. Lets look at some FACTS.

  • Arsenal’s season ticket covers 26 games. The 19 league games and the first 7 Champions League/FA Cup games. No other Premier League club does this.
  • This means our cheapest season ticket price per game is £37.88, and most expensive is £75.19
  • Tottenham Hotspur’s cheapest season ticket per game is £39.21, their most expensive is £99.73 – Both more expensive than Arsenal
  • A season ticket for the Shed End Lower will cost you £39.47 per game, Chelsea’s cheapest
  • At Liverpool, their cheapest ticket per game is £37.36, although this is a restricted view. Their cheapest unrestricted is £38.15
  • Liverpool’s cheapest individual ticket is £38. £12 more then Arsenal’s at £26

Again, to re-iterate my point, I am not justifying Arsenals ticket price here. What I am pointing out is we are not the most expensive club to go and watch. We sit 4th behind Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.

What the above shows is that Arsenal should offer two tiers of ticket prices. An idea first bought up by the Black Scarf Movement, a ‘Season Ticket Lite’ where cup games are not including would make tickets a tad more affordable. It would bring our cheapest season ticket down to £720. Whilst the average ticket price per game remains the same, fans make a huge 20% saving on their season ticket purchase in July.

Whilst doing this research, I glanced over various rival club’s websites to pull the data of cheapest and most expensive ticket prices. I ignore Manchester City as, whilst they are very cheap – they offer the cheapest in the Premier League – they do not rely on match day income to buy players and strengthen their squad. If FFP comes in properly (it won’t) there prices will soon sky rocket. One club did surprise me, however. Manchester United.

Manchester United’s lowest season ticket price works out to £28 per game (£532). There most expensive is £50 per game (£950). Now I know Old Trafford has 75,000 seats, therefore meaning that they can offer slightly lower prices to other clubs, whilst still maintaining high revenue, but these prices are very much affordable. Manchester United also supplement match day revenue with a lot of very good commercial deals.

So over the last few years, Manchester United have had affordable ticket prices and success. Surely this should be the model every club should be striving for? Hopefully as we continue to pay down our stadium debt and increase our commercial deals, we might see ticket prices starting to drop, as we no longer become as reliant on match day revenue.

A final thought, ticket pricing justifies our move to the Emirates. Whilst some might see this as controversial. Look at Tottenham. They are in a tiny stadium and are unable to compete in the Premier League due to a low match day revenue. This is forcing them to continually put their season ticket price up as the only way to increase revenue. For a team who has not won the league in over 50 years to have the countries most expensive ticket prices is shocking, and should be highlighted in the press (it won’t). Had we stayed at Highbury, our season ticket prices would have been much, much higher.

Yes, our most expensive single game ticket at £126 is disgusting, the club should get credit for having a cheapest ticket now at £26. This now means a father can take his two kids for less than £100. Fairly affordable! OK, he can not go to watch Manchester United or Spurs at the Emirates for this, but he should be teaching his kids that it is Arsenal that is important, not just the big games.

This information by no means justifies our ludicrously high season ticket prices. And the higher prices go throughout other clubs, the more it will be to go away. However, the aim this article is just to put some sensible talk out there against the media bashing who continually criticise our ticket prices, but do not criticise those with more expensive tickets then us.

Ticket prices throughout England are too high. They need to come down. Not just at Arsenal, but at every club. We need ‘joined up thinking’ to ensure all clubs drop prices. If one club did it, and others did not, it would put them at an unfair disadvantage. High ticket prices is not just Arsenal’s problem. It is England’s problem.

Prices need to drop. Not just be frozen.

Keenos

The Arsenal and Me – Peter’s Story

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Last Saturday morning I was privileged to be amongst so many wonderful Gooner fans on the AwayBoyz boat up the Thames. What a wonderful experience and one I’m so glad I did not miss. I didn’t go to the game though as I had to get back home to Wales. On the boat staring out onto the Thames my thoughts went back to when I was a very young kid and travelled to away games whenever my mum, God Bless her, could afford to let me and my elder brother go.

Travelling away in the 50’s and early 60’s was not easy. No motorways and slow steam hauled trains. Most fans travelled as part of the Arsenal Supporters Club. My brother and I always travelled by the Club coaches. I loved going to the games North of the Midlands. Manchester, Blackpool, Bolton, Newcastle etc. Would cost about 12/6 to 15/- depending on distance.

The coaches left Highbury Corner at the back of the old entrance tube station about 10.30pm on a Friday night. It was generally all the old faces that turned up! I was always the youngest on the coach. Gradually all the fans would turn up wearing their colours etc with rattles in hand. All optimistic but not over the top optimism!

There was always a guy on board called Fred. He always went. My brother and I always made sure we sat well away from him as he always drank a bottle of whisky during the journey!

We’d set off going up the Holloway Road in good voice with a few choruses of the Arsenal song set to the tune of Anchors Aweigh! The roads would be almost empty except for the occasional lorry. I tried to stay awake as I loved just watching us go through the many towns and small villages en route.

About 3am we’d stop at a transport cafe to have a break and a cup of tea etc for about 30mins. Generally this was about Newcastle under Lyme area.

Eventually would fall asleep and wake up as it was getting light and you could sense you were ooop north with all the Mills etc easily seen. The odd looking coloured buses. Men walking to work with their flat caps on. Just like a Lowry painting depicts.

We’d get to our destination about 8am. The driver always knew where to take us for breakfast. Never ever forget those! Full old English- northern style. Big mugs of tea. Fried bread etc.

About 9am we’d wander to the ground wherever we were playing. Nothing much to do in those days! Pubs didn’t open till 11am. Someone would always bring a ball along and we’d all go along to the nearest bit of open land and have a match between ourselves. I used to really love this being young and enthusiastic, and a decent player. My favourite players then were Derek Tappscott and Danny Clapton. Danny was a winger and had a unique way of going past a full back- dropping his shoulder etc. I used to practice doing this during our match pretending I was Danny! We’d put coats down for goalposts etc.

Just approaching 11am the older ones drifted off to the nearest pub to the ground. My brother was about 16 and I was about 9 or 10. We’d have to sit outside with our lemonade and bags of crisps! Never bothered us as many came outside with us anyway. The friendly banter with the locals would then start. Their accents then used to amaze me! “Are you ooop for game lad” they’d say. “You’re wasting your time lad thars in for a thrashing!” Generally they were always right!(sadly).

About 1pm we’d all go to nearest chippy for our lunch! How I looked forward to that. Proper fish and chips cooked in beef dripping!
We would be close to the stadium by now and all the programme sellers would be out and, of course, the rosette sellers. “Wear your colours!” they’d be shouting!

Time to go into the ground. Not that many fans travelled away to league games. We would meet up with the ones who travelled by train in the ground and start our singing and chanting and making noise with our rattles. 2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate etc. Fairly mild stuff compared to those songs on the boat to Fulham!!!!

There used to be a legendary Arsenal supporter named David Stacey. He wore a red and white dinner suit with top and hat and tails in red and white. Mascots etc could walk around the pitch in those days. He carried a big board which read — We Arsenal Supporters say “may the best team win!” Can you really imagine that happening today! When he reached us we’d all just cheer and rattle our rattles and give a few choruses of the Arsenal song then. He then walked all the way around the ground showing the banner to the applause of the home fans! Much respect amongst fans then.

The match to me really passed me by! I remember more about events leading up to and after that have stuck in my memory. We normally always lost or drew.

On one occasion at a Cup game away to Man Utd the fog came down and the game called off just before 3pm. I remember being so disappointed. The Man Utd supporters club invited all us coach travellers back to their club and entertained us before our coaches left Manchester Piccadilly about 10.30pm for London and home.

Normally got back home about about 7.30am Sunday morning after being dropped of at Drayton Park along the Holloway Road..

I really really miss those days.

regards to you all,

Peter

PS.
The Arsenal song we sang then to the tune of Anchors Aweigh!:-

Send Arsenal down the field for one more goal,
No other teams can fight than the boys in red and white.
Never let their Glory fade
long may it glow
So let us all sing out with
Up The Gunners!
Up the Gunners!!!
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mmmm Such happy happy memories. Will share a few more old stories another time.