Post by Harshad on Feb 20, 2007 16:07:46 GMT
A nationwide fans' group have instigated an on-line petition to protest against what they have labelled 'rip-off' ticket prices.
There has been a recent trend, mostly amongst lower tier Premiership clubs, to lower ticket prices in attempt to attract higher gates.
The Football Supporters' Federation have issued a three-point directive they believe all top-flight clubs should follow in order to retain football's status as the people's game.
They propose a three-pronged approach:
A League-wide away fans' ticket price of no more than £15.
A League-mandated freeze on all matchday and season ticket prices.
The use of television facilities fees for broadcast games to lower ticket prices to compensate for fixture moves and inconvenient kick-off times.
The organisation claim to represent 140,000 members in England and Wales and have faith that their plan will win widespread approval.
They wasted no time in taking a swipe at Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon who claims it is impossible to lower ticket prices at Stamford Bridge because all funds were required for increased player salaries.
"Peter Kenyon is reported as saying that the club has no intention of lowering ticket prices as his players will be demanding big pay rises," said FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke.
"Sorry Peter. Get real. Here on planet Earth most people view professional footballers in the Premier League as being paid enough already.
"Most people would be able to get by on the average salary of a Chelsea first-team squad player.
"Chelsea and every other club in the Premier League are going to receive extra millions in broadcasting income next season. It is time this was shared out with the fans."
The Stamford Bridge outfit currently charges between £35 and £60 for adult members Premiership tickets, while junior and senior tickets cost between £15 and £20.
The Blues have recently announced that all non-corporate ticket prices will remain frozen for next season, although some might argue that freezing already vastly overpriced tickets is not much of a boon to fans.
Chelsea currently have the second most expensive tickets in the Premiership, with only Tottenham charging more.
Many fans complain that, for the price of a Premiership match, they can travel to Europe, see a Serie A or La Liga match and stay in a hotel for the night.
Comparing these prices to those offered by Barcelona, arguably the world's best supported club, reveals that there is not much of a difference at the upper end of prices, with Barca charging £60 for their most expensive ticket.
Where the difference comes in is the bottom end. It would be possible for fans to watch a La Liga match at the Nou Camp for as little as £16.
The English top flight may be on the road to pricing itself out of the reach of its most fervent supporters or becoming soulless venues for corporate gladhanders who see football as new networking opportunity.
The Premier League released the following statement:
"We appreciate the concerns supporters have about ticket prices and we do encourage all our Clubs to have fair pricing policies with concessions available at all grounds.
"However the Clubs are able to set their own prices for tickets and it is not something we are able to dictate.
"To give you a little more background on this, we do encourage our Clubs to adopt flexible and imaginative ticketing schemes which encourage wider access to matches.
"Many Clubs now operate a 'price-banding' policy such as you mention, charging prices according to demand.
"We have looked into this as we are concerned about the impact this could have on the supporters of the more popular Clubs .
"However some Clubs find that the best way to ensure the ground is full is to charge lower prices for the less popular fixtures and higher prices when the demand is increased.
"We understand the impact this has, but to prevent Clubs from charging variable prices could clearly have an adverse effect on attendances.
"Please be assured that we do understand your point, and we will continue to look for a solution that would be fair on both Clubs and fans. However ticket prices are ultimately at the discretion of individual Clubs."
I'm fed up with paying over the odds to see The Arsenal. £42 for Birmingham City away last season was nothing short of ridiculous so sign up to this petition and pass the message on to friends and family.
www.fsf.org.uk/petitions/away-tickets/
West Brom Gooner
There has been a recent trend, mostly amongst lower tier Premiership clubs, to lower ticket prices in attempt to attract higher gates.
The Football Supporters' Federation have issued a three-point directive they believe all top-flight clubs should follow in order to retain football's status as the people's game.
They propose a three-pronged approach:
A League-wide away fans' ticket price of no more than £15.
A League-mandated freeze on all matchday and season ticket prices.
The use of television facilities fees for broadcast games to lower ticket prices to compensate for fixture moves and inconvenient kick-off times.
The organisation claim to represent 140,000 members in England and Wales and have faith that their plan will win widespread approval.
They wasted no time in taking a swipe at Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon who claims it is impossible to lower ticket prices at Stamford Bridge because all funds were required for increased player salaries.
"Peter Kenyon is reported as saying that the club has no intention of lowering ticket prices as his players will be demanding big pay rises," said FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke.
"Sorry Peter. Get real. Here on planet Earth most people view professional footballers in the Premier League as being paid enough already.
"Most people would be able to get by on the average salary of a Chelsea first-team squad player.
"Chelsea and every other club in the Premier League are going to receive extra millions in broadcasting income next season. It is time this was shared out with the fans."
The Stamford Bridge outfit currently charges between £35 and £60 for adult members Premiership tickets, while junior and senior tickets cost between £15 and £20.
The Blues have recently announced that all non-corporate ticket prices will remain frozen for next season, although some might argue that freezing already vastly overpriced tickets is not much of a boon to fans.
Chelsea currently have the second most expensive tickets in the Premiership, with only Tottenham charging more.
Many fans complain that, for the price of a Premiership match, they can travel to Europe, see a Serie A or La Liga match and stay in a hotel for the night.
Comparing these prices to those offered by Barcelona, arguably the world's best supported club, reveals that there is not much of a difference at the upper end of prices, with Barca charging £60 for their most expensive ticket.
Where the difference comes in is the bottom end. It would be possible for fans to watch a La Liga match at the Nou Camp for as little as £16.
The English top flight may be on the road to pricing itself out of the reach of its most fervent supporters or becoming soulless venues for corporate gladhanders who see football as new networking opportunity.
The Premier League released the following statement:
"We appreciate the concerns supporters have about ticket prices and we do encourage all our Clubs to have fair pricing policies with concessions available at all grounds.
"However the Clubs are able to set their own prices for tickets and it is not something we are able to dictate.
"To give you a little more background on this, we do encourage our Clubs to adopt flexible and imaginative ticketing schemes which encourage wider access to matches.
"Many Clubs now operate a 'price-banding' policy such as you mention, charging prices according to demand.
"We have looked into this as we are concerned about the impact this could have on the supporters of the more popular Clubs .
"However some Clubs find that the best way to ensure the ground is full is to charge lower prices for the less popular fixtures and higher prices when the demand is increased.
"We understand the impact this has, but to prevent Clubs from charging variable prices could clearly have an adverse effect on attendances.
"Please be assured that we do understand your point, and we will continue to look for a solution that would be fair on both Clubs and fans. However ticket prices are ultimately at the discretion of individual Clubs."
I'm fed up with paying over the odds to see The Arsenal. £42 for Birmingham City away last season was nothing short of ridiculous so sign up to this petition and pass the message on to friends and family.
www.fsf.org.uk/petitions/away-tickets/
West Brom Gooner