It’s no secret Arsenal have the heftiest matchday tickets in the Premier League. It’s less known that they also have the priciest in the Champions League. But nevertheless, we know a trip to the Emirates is expensive. We know that you could be charged as high as £64 a ticket. We know you’ll be forking out almost £4 for a pie, and a cup of tea is nigh on extortionate. So it would be utterly pointless discussing the Emirates. We all know this.
However, what we will discuss is why it is always Arsenal are forever used as an example. Yes, they have the most expensive tickets, yes you won’t get a season ticket for less than £1,000. But it’s not exactly cheaper going away either.
In the Premier League, Gunners fans will often be subject to rises in prices when they roll into town, and when it comes to the Champions League, Arsenal fans have already spent at least £740 on tickets and travel for away fixtures according to The Champions League Price Index.
Including the recently played fixture against Barcelona game on Tuesday, that’s a huge sum for just four matches, working out at £185 per match. And what’s more, it could be worse.
Arsenal’s draw in the Champions League fell kindly to them with the Barcelona tie the second cheapest possible draw available to them in the Round of 16. For Chelsea however, it’s a little different. Fans at Stamford Bridge have already had to shell out around £1,050 away from home and also don’t have the benefit of seven cup games included in their season ticket cost.
At Arsenal of course that is the case, and fans did not have to pay extra for the three group games at the Emirates, however they were asked to pay a surcharge of £20 for the Barcelona game.
Naturally, this is still a poor move from the board and things still aren’t good when it comes to the price of football. If we were to reach the final of the Champions League – and it’s a very big if – it could cost a staggering £2,500, and that’s discounting season ticket costs, away games in the Premier League, and an FA Cup campaign. Considering the average UK yearly salary is £21,200 post tax, it’s quite phenomenal.
It appears away from the Emirates is just as bad for the cost of tickets. Arsene Wenger rightly pointed out the cheapest ticket price is cheaper than anywhere in London, and the most common ticket price is lower than many other clubs in England.
Liverpool fans have taken the attention away from Arsenal recently, and rather than an Arsenal problem, it’s being realized that it is a common problem across the whole of football.
We’ve suffered the brunt and rightfully so in some cases. But now other clubs also need to stand up, particularly when it comes to how they treat away fans. Sadly, our men upstairs have shunned the idea of a £30 cap on away tickets, but the Football Supporters Federation would like that even lower.
A spokesperson for the federation, who run the Twenty’s Plenty campaign said,
“Away fans are at the sharp end being subjected to the highest match day prices and don’t have access to discounts that home fans benefit from. This is before the huge cost of travel and accommodation.”
Time for change not just at the Emirates, but across the Premier League and even Europe? We think so…
This guest post was written by Richard Greenwood of Blueclaw Search.
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