The price of tickets to a Premier League match has increased by 875% since 1990, according to a study carried out by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA).
According to the research, a ticket for a Liverpool match in 1990, two years before the competition was renamed the Premier League, cost four pounds, whereas today, the cheapest ticket for The Kop, Anfield’s famous stand, costs 39 pounds – an increase of 875%.
However, the Bank of England’s inflation calculator estimates that, in line with other goods, a ticket should currently cost around £10.
Continuing the comparison with other goods, the FSA points out that a pint of milk (568 millilitres) that cost thirty pence in 1990 now costs 66 pence, 117% more, and that a loaf of bread that cost 50 pence at the same time now costs 1.4 pounds, 180% more.
Inflation in ticket prices is twice as high as that of petrol (275%) and a pint of beer (294%).
If these products followed the same inflation as football tickets, a loaf of bread would cost £4.88 and a pint of beer £11.8.
According to the FSA, clubs such as Arsenal, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all hit record ticket prices, with only Crystal Palace deciding not to raise prices ahead of the upcoming new season.
In the case of Arsenal, the Gunners claimed that they raised the price of season tickets because two additional Champions League matches will be played this season due to the new format.
The FSA also points to the case of Tottenham Hotspur, which has raised prices by 6% this season, in an attempt to generate an additional income of six million for the north London club, the same amount that Daniel Levy, the club’s president, pockets as an annual bonus.
“It has caused a lot of justified anger among Spurs fans,” the FSA said in a statement.
“We encourage clubs to welcome fans when they are young, to give them affordable tickets when they are teenagers, students or on minimum wage. That way you guarantee yourself a fan for life. You won’t get that loyalty from someone you’ve kept out of the stadium during their formative years.”
