Tuesday 19 June 2012

Value for money? Or charging too much...

Watching the football club that you choose to support can sometimes be a labour of love. For most supporters, the new campaign is usually only a few weeks old when dreams and aspirations of promotion to a higher level are replaced by a bleak and desolate sense of reality about watching your team blunder along in the lower league wilderness for yet another year.

That brilliant striker you wanted your club to sign in the bright summer months opted to sign for your local rivals instead and is banging them in for fun. Meanwhile, the reality has also finally dawned on you have that some of your own team's strikers couldn't hit a cow's backside with a banjo, as you watch your side slip to yet another early season defeat in a game you really should have won.

Yet you know despite the trauma and torture of watching another 12 months of what you know is going to be certain failure, you'll still stump up the money for yet another season ticket at the end of the season, in the eternal hope that things will get better next season and your heroes will start looking semi-capable of finally winning a football match.

However, as you head to your clubs ticket office to renew for another year of watching that boring mid-table team who have been stuck in the same division as your team for years, you start to wonder is it really worth it? Would you rather spend every other Saturday afternoon relaxing with your family, or pay £300+ to watch that useless striker who has stolen another one-year contract blast a shot into Row Z from only a few yards out. Nevertheless, you convince yourself that your team will be better this season and sign up for another 12 months of football.

But how much are you really paying for your season ticket? Is it value for money and can football clubs as a whole justify the prices they are charging. Is it fair that an obscure club two divisions higher than you, who have far better players are charging their supporters less, whilst you are paying premium prices to watch a team recently promoted from the non-league wilderness, rumble into town?

Curious and intrigued by just how much clubs are charging their supporters for season tickets in these dark days of recession and cut-backs, CrossingDartford, chose to investigate. 

Listed below is the cheapest possible price of an adult season ticket at each of the 72 Football League clubs for the upcoming 2012/13 campaign. The price is based on an adult (usually aged 16 - 59), purchasing a season ticket for the first time and NOT renewing from the previous season. Adult season tickets available in family sections have also been excluded from this research.


Npower CHAMPIONSHIP – CHEAPEST ADULT SEASON TICKET AT EACH CLUB


                    Club
Cheapest ST
                         Additional Information




 1.
Blackburn Rovers
       £225
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
 2.
Charlton Athletic
       £240
Price expired on 5 April 2012.
 3.
Bristol City
       £249
Price applicable until start of the season.
 4.
Peterborough United
       £275
Price expired on 15 April 2012.
 5.
Bolton Wanderers
       £285
Price was only applicable online. Expired on 9 June 2012.
 6.
Burnley
       £299
Price expired on 30 March 2012.
 7.
Barnsley
       £315
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
 8.
Blackpool
       £339
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
 9.
Cardiff City
       £345
Price applicable until start of the season.
10.
Derby County
       £350
Price expired on 1 June 2012.
11.
Sheffield Wednesday
       £365
Price expired on 16 June 2012.
12.
Birmingham City
       £369
Price expires on 2 July 2012.
13.
Watford
       £370
Price expired on 18 May 2012.
“ “
Wolverhampton Wanderers
       £370
Price expired on 8 June 2012.
15.
Huddersfield Town
       £383
Price expired on 13 April 2012.
16.
Hull City
       £385
Price expires on 30 June 2012.
“ “
Leicester City          
       £385
Price expired on 9 June 2012.
18.
Ipswich Town
       £390
Price expired on 13 April 2012.
19.
Crystal Palace
       £395
Price expired on 3 February 2012.
20.
Nottingham Forest
       £397
Price applicable until start of the season.
21.
Millwall
       £400
Price applicable until start of the season.
22.
Brighton & Hove Albion
       £425
Price applicable until start of the season.
23.
Middlesbrough
       £450
Price applicable until start of the season.
24.
Leeds United
       £582
Price applicable until start of the season.


Npower LEAGUE ONE – CHEAPEST ADULT SEASON TICKET AT EACH CLUB


                    Club
Cheapest ST
                         Additional Information




 1.
Hartlepool United
       £155
Price expires on 31 July 2012.
 2.
Shrewsbury Town
       £270
Price expired on 4 April 2012.
 3.
Yeovil Town
       £273
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
 4.
Crewe Alexandra
       £275
Price expired on 1 May 2012.
 5.
Scunthorpe United
       £276
Price expires on 6 July 2012.
 6.
Walsall
       £290
Price applicable until start of the season.
 7.
Bury
       £295
Price expired on 31 March 2012.
 8.
Tranmere Rovers
       £298
Price expired on 4 May 2012.
 9.
Coventry City
       £299
Price expired on 9 June 2012.
“ “
Stevenage
       £299
Price applicable until start of the season.
11.
Brentford
       £300
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
“ “
Leyton Orient
       £300
Price expires on 30 June 2012.
“ “
Milton Keynes Dons
       £300
Price expired on 10 April 2012.
“ “
Preston North End
       £300
Price applicable until start of the season.
15.
Oldham Athletic
       £303
Price expired on 11 May 2012.
16.
Crawley Town
       £305
Price applicable until start of the season.
17.
Notts County   
       £325
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
18.
Carlisle United
       £337
Price expires on 23 June 2012.
19.
Doncaster Rovers
       £339
Price expired on 5 April 2012.
20.
Portsmouth
       £345
Price expires on 6 July 2012.
21.
Swindon Town
       £350
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
22.
Colchester United
       £357
Price applicable until start of the season.
23.
AFC Bournemouth
       £361
Price applicable until start of the season.
24.
Sheffield United
       £369
Price applicable until start of the season.


Npower LEAGUE TWO – CHEAPEST ADULT SEASON TICKET AT EACH CLUB


                    Club
Cheapest ST
                         Additional Information




 1.
Bradford City
       £199
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
“ “
Morecambe
       £199
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
“ “
Northampton Town
       £199
Price expired on 14 January 2012.
 4.
Fleetwood Town
       £230
Price applicable until start of the season.
 5.
Oxford United
       £252
Price expired on 12 April 2012.
 6.
Accrington Stanley
       £255
Price expires on 29 June 2012.
“ “
York City
       £255
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
 8.
AFC Wimbledon
       £260
Price applicable until start of the season.
“ “
Bristol Rovers
       £260
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
10.
Cheltenham Town
       £265
Price expired on 6 June 2012.
11.
Port Vale
       £272
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
12.
Dagenham & Redbridge
       £275
Price expired on 14 June 2012.
13.
Rochdale
    £277.50
Price applicable until start of the season.
14.
Burton Albion
       £291
Price applicable until start of the season.
15.
Torquay United
       £295
Price expired on 25 May 2012.
16.
Wycombe Wanderers
       £300
Price applicable until start of the season.
17.
Barnet       
       £304
Price applicable until start of the season.
18.
Aldershot Town
       £308
Price expired on 30 April 2012.
19.
Chesterfield
       £310
Price expired on 18 May 2012.
20.
Exeter City
       £326
Price expires on 21 June 2012.
21.
Plymouth Argyle
       £340
Price applicable until start of the season.
“ “
Rotherham United
       £340
Price applicable until start of the season.
23.
Gillingham
       £349
Price expired on 31 May 2012.
24.
Southend United
       £350
Price expired on 12 March 2012.

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