The big Premier League rip-off

Watching top-flight football has rarely been so expensive. John Fitzsimons looks at which clubs offer value for money, and which are bleeding their fans dry.

You never forget your first game.

Mine was a beautiful summer's day, West Ham at home to Swindon Town in 1991, aged seven. I'd never seen such a mass of people in one place, and everything about the day - the sights, the smells, the sounds of 20-odd thousand people - blew me away. I was hooked.

And I've been paying for it ever since. Because while watching top flight clubs was reasonably affordable in those days, for many of us that is no longer the case.

Many supporters are being milked for every penny by the clubs they love, not just by forking out for the latest team strip, affiliated credit card or branded nappy, but in season ticket prices too.

The relegation dog-fight

Prices to follow a Premier League team have steadily increased since the league was formed. And despite the credit crunch and declining attendances at most grounds, certain clubs have decided that they can still justify increasing the cost of a season ticket for their supporters next season.

Step forward Aston Villa, Manchester City, Manchester United and Stoke City.

It is an even worse deal than it initially appears for United fans, as they are also required to buy further tickets for home cup games, just to get their hands on a season ticket.

Promotion contenders

However, a number of clubs have taken the admirable step of cutting their season ticket prices for next season.

So if you are a fan of Blackburn, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Fulham, Portsmouth, Sunderland or West Ham, chances are the cost of following your team next season will be reduced.

And fans of Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Hull, Tottenham, Wigan and Wolverhampton Wanderers will at least have their season ticket prices frozen.

Top of the table

Of course it is one thing to cut your season ticket prices, but if they remain astronomical, then your club deserves little credit. So here is my value-for-money Premier League table!

I have tried to stick to prices for new applicants, ignoring any early-bird renewal discounts where possible.

A point to remember is that for some clubs, you will have a bit of a wait to get a season ticket anyway. Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all currently have significant waiting lists to get a season ticket, so unless you already have one, you are stuck buying tickets on a game-by-game basis.

As you may have noticed Liverpool are missing, as they are yet to confirm their season ticket prices for next season, though if they are anything like the 08/09 season (when they charged between £650 and £750), they will be very much in the lower reaches of the table.

Post-match analysis

You don't need to have the 'expert' eye of the likes of Alan Hansen or Mark Lawrenson to see the table throws up more than a few surprises. How can Burnley charge so much more than Blackburn, given their close proximity, and the fact that Burnley have not been in the top flight in more than 30 years?

How can the likes of West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal defend their astronomical prices, when over the other side of London, Fulham are offering season tickets for less than half the price? Arsenal may include a number of cup games within their season ticket package, but that surely cannot excuse their huge prices.

And who in their right mind is paying more than £500 a year to watch Wolves?!

The alternatives

Once your club is in your blood, there is precious little you can do about it - it's not like you can drop your team, and pick a new one. However, there may come a point when you simply cannot justify the costs of following your team in the flesh every week. So what can you do?

Membership

Most clubs run a membership scheme, which mean that for a fee (generally £30-50) members will get first option on tickets for games, after the season ticket holders. You may not see every game, but at least this way you are in a position to pick and choose which games you go to.

Watch it on the telly

With Football First on Sky, you can watch extended highlights of an hour a game, for almost every game of the season, home or away. And all from the comfort of your sofa.

Watch a small local team

This is my favourite option. While my absence from Upton Park is unlikely to see the club financially crippled (well, any more than they already are), my support of a local side, when not attending West Ham matches, may actually help keep them afloat.

As a result, next season I'll be paying £7 to watch the mighty Cheshunt FC in the Ryman League Division 1 (North). Come on you Ambers!

The escalating cost of following football is nothing new, but I live in hope that the credit crunch will cause the worst culprits to follow the lead of the likes of Fulham and Blackburn and stop taking their supporters for granted.

Until that happens, if you have a season ticket to pay for next year, chances are you better get saving.

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