Monday, November 23, 2009
Scottish Football Getting Too Costly For Average Supporter
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Herald/Scotland
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL IN CRISIS: Game is becoming too expensive for average fan
Fans have to pay between £36 to £38 to attend and Old Firm game
Christopher Jack
0 commentsPublished on 19 Nov 2009
Money, money, money.
It might not make you happy but it will almost certainly make you sit back and wonder where it has all gone.
With the season in full swing and Christmas fast approaching, fans have something in common with their clubs. Finances are being stretched more than ever.
Football is an expensive business but for the ordinary punter, it is becoming almost too expensive. With season tickets, replica shirts, hats, scarves, programmes, pies, drinks and transport all competing for a slice of your wage, questions soon begin to arise as to whether it is actually worth it?
Many fans have turned their backs on the weekly pilgrimage to watch their teams but there are many other avenues down which they could part with their cash.
Here are a few examples of where the football finance could be used elsewhere and how it compares to the beautiful game.
SEASON TICKETS
Old Firm fans can expect to have to stump up at least £400 if they want to see their team in action with prices steadily rising towards, and beyond, the £600 mark.
Motherwell fans can see their team in action for between £270 and £370 while Kilmarnock supporters are asked to pay £300 for the privilege of watching their club in action.
MATCH TICKETS
Prices, invariably, are higher for the games that set the pulses racing and there are none more so in Scotland than the Old Firm derby. For these fixtures, fans have to pay between £36 to £38.
Elsewhere, for example Rangers v Kilmarnock, the tickets are cheaper but for a family of four to have a day out at the football, it is still more expensive than the alternatives. Rangers’ pricing of £22.50 for adults and £6.50 for children is considerably cheaper than Celtic’s £25 and £16 to see them take on a similar standard side in St Mirren. With totals of £58 and £82 respectively, it is hardly a cheap and cheerful outing for mum, dad and the two kids.
Admission to Fir Park or New Douglas Park is £22 for adults and £12 for children while Hibernian charge £20 and £10 respectively.
THE OTHER OPTIONS
Rugby For fans who don’t mind swopping a round ball for an oval one, a season ticket for Magners League side Glasgow Warriors can be purchased for just £160.
Golf Those who prefer birdies and pars can play a round of golf at clubs around the country for less than the average SPL match ticket.
Dinner Feeding the 2.2 kids can be done for around £20.
Cinema A family of four can attend the latest Hollywood blockbusters for £20 at most cinemas, again, cheaper than one ticket for SPL football.
Tenpin bowling For less than a single SPL ticket, a family of four can play two games of bowling.
Concerts X Factor live (£28.50), Lynyrd Skynyrd (£38.50), Jimmy Carr (£22.50) and Jools Holland (£31.50) span the music and entertainment tastes of the family and are of a similar or less price than some SPL fixtures and Rangers’ (£40 v Stuttgart) and Celtic’s (£32 v Hapoel Tel Aviv) European ties.
Pantomime The traditional festive family event costs around £10 for adults and £8 for children or about the same as a first division fixture.
THE VERDICT
Clubs must act now to stop the dwindling crowds and air of disinterest and discontent that is sweeping across the national game. Finance is essential to football clubs but it is even more so to those who keep them going, the fans. The love of ones team may last forever but the money to keep the love burning will not. It is time clubs gave something back to the fans and, in the long run, they might just reap the benefits.
Herald
Herald/Scotland
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL IN CRISIS: Game is becoming too expensive for average fan
Fans have to pay between £36 to £38 to attend and Old Firm game
Christopher Jack
0 commentsPublished on 19 Nov 2009
Money, money, money.
It might not make you happy but it will almost certainly make you sit back and wonder where it has all gone.
With the season in full swing and Christmas fast approaching, fans have something in common with their clubs. Finances are being stretched more than ever.
Football is an expensive business but for the ordinary punter, it is becoming almost too expensive. With season tickets, replica shirts, hats, scarves, programmes, pies, drinks and transport all competing for a slice of your wage, questions soon begin to arise as to whether it is actually worth it?
Many fans have turned their backs on the weekly pilgrimage to watch their teams but there are many other avenues down which they could part with their cash.
Here are a few examples of where the football finance could be used elsewhere and how it compares to the beautiful game.
SEASON TICKETS
Old Firm fans can expect to have to stump up at least £400 if they want to see their team in action with prices steadily rising towards, and beyond, the £600 mark.
Motherwell fans can see their team in action for between £270 and £370 while Kilmarnock supporters are asked to pay £300 for the privilege of watching their club in action.
MATCH TICKETS
Prices, invariably, are higher for the games that set the pulses racing and there are none more so in Scotland than the Old Firm derby. For these fixtures, fans have to pay between £36 to £38.
Elsewhere, for example Rangers v Kilmarnock, the tickets are cheaper but for a family of four to have a day out at the football, it is still more expensive than the alternatives. Rangers’ pricing of £22.50 for adults and £6.50 for children is considerably cheaper than Celtic’s £25 and £16 to see them take on a similar standard side in St Mirren. With totals of £58 and £82 respectively, it is hardly a cheap and cheerful outing for mum, dad and the two kids.
Admission to Fir Park or New Douglas Park is £22 for adults and £12 for children while Hibernian charge £20 and £10 respectively.
THE OTHER OPTIONS
Rugby For fans who don’t mind swopping a round ball for an oval one, a season ticket for Magners League side Glasgow Warriors can be purchased for just £160.
Golf Those who prefer birdies and pars can play a round of golf at clubs around the country for less than the average SPL match ticket.
Dinner Feeding the 2.2 kids can be done for around £20.
Cinema A family of four can attend the latest Hollywood blockbusters for £20 at most cinemas, again, cheaper than one ticket for SPL football.
Tenpin bowling For less than a single SPL ticket, a family of four can play two games of bowling.
Concerts X Factor live (£28.50), Lynyrd Skynyrd (£38.50), Jimmy Carr (£22.50) and Jools Holland (£31.50) span the music and entertainment tastes of the family and are of a similar or less price than some SPL fixtures and Rangers’ (£40 v Stuttgart) and Celtic’s (£32 v Hapoel Tel Aviv) European ties.
Pantomime The traditional festive family event costs around £10 for adults and £8 for children or about the same as a first division fixture.
THE VERDICT
Clubs must act now to stop the dwindling crowds and air of disinterest and discontent that is sweeping across the national game. Finance is essential to football clubs but it is even more so to those who keep them going, the fans. The love of ones team may last forever but the money to keep the love burning will not. It is time clubs gave something back to the fans and, in the long run, they might just reap the benefits.
Herald
