Football fans have the FSF fighting their corner. The FSF have mobilised, the fans have stuck together and, in amongst all the dollars, deals have been struck.
For this year, and I assume going forward, away fans at Premier League grounds will pay maximum £30. Compared to the £50 I paid at Chelsea last season, and similar amounts charged elsewhere, there are savings to be made for plenty of fans.
I personally think this is a great price-point – FYI I don’t agree with “Twenty’s Plenty” – and hopefully clubs will stick with that and work pricing, for home fans, too, around similar levels.
But how does that price stack up elsewhere?
I’ve decided this year to track what I spend on sport. I won’t include food or beer (although sidenote anomalies and recommendations will be included), but I’ll look at things like transport, too.
A home football match, at Selhurst Park, is about 7 miles from home. A “home” rugby match, at the Ricoh, is 127 miles. Given my dates so far have included zero trips to Selhurst and two to the Ricoh, I’m certainly not helping myself.
Sunday, 4th September – Wasps v Exeter
Purchasing early, my match ticket was £13 + £3.50 booking fee plus postage. This was in one of the corners, but still a great view. Travelling solo, I decided to get the train – a return ticket was £26.75 (including booking fee) but it was only £6 to upgrade to First and have the luxury of a plug socket. Getting to and from Euston cost me £9.30.
Total – £58.55
Saturday, 10th September – Tigers v Wasps
Having made the decision during HT of the Chiefs match, I managed to avoid the ridiculous booking charge and bought two tickets at the ticket office. These were £24 each. The 254 mile round trip cost about £27 in petrol but parking was free thanks to my buddy who arranged a spot for me at the prison (my only prison visit to date, honest).
Lunch here was worth a mention – we were recommended The Font and the food here was good, beer selection not so good. The Robert Peel had much better beers and was a much livelier rugby crowd. Glad my wife drove home!
Total – £51.00
Sunday, 18th September – Wasps v Bristol
Another snap decision, but this time my wife went to we drove. Going for seats along the 22, these were £25 each, plus booking fee of £1/ticket. The 254 mile trip was another £27 in petrol and parking was £7 at the Wayside Business Park, a mile from the Ricoh.
Total – £59.00
Saturday, 24th September – Saints v Wasps
The tickets for this caused quite a stir. I decided to go with my brother and got the cheapest tickets available – terracing for £40. When I mentioned this on Twitter, I was contacted by a journalist who wanted to know more. As a result, it appeared that Saints had a poorly advertised promotion for 25%. Thanks to this connection, I was able to get my money refunded and re-purchased at the lower price – still £30 to stand, mind you. On the flip-side, the train tickets were a bargain. £15.40 for a return ticket, plus the £9.30 to Euston, again.
Pubs-wise, Northampton provided a few good ones – the Lighthouse had a great range and good pie and chips, followed by the Wig and Pen where I had a nice beer and my brother picked a ropy one. A quick one post-match at the Thomas A Becket, too.
Total – £54.70
So September draws to a close, and to date I’ve spent £223.25 just this month on travel and tickets.
October should be interesting – with 2 rugby matches and 4 NFL ones (I won’t be including my flight costs for those!), followed by two Twickenham visits in November!
The Odd-Shaped Balls 