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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2023
In August 2018 the BBC published research showing that 11 clubs in the Premier League could have made a profit without charging fans for tickets, so why is it that ticket prices are so high?
1966 and all that
When England hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1966, it was possible to see seven games (three group games, a quarter final, a semi-final, the third/fourth place playoff and the final) for a total sum of £2.62. This was to watch the game standing on the terraces, which many fans find more enjoyable. If you wanted to sit in the best seats, the same package would have cost £15.10. Taking into consideration inflation between 1966 and 2018 in the UK, these two packages would cost £46.64 to watch standing on the terraces and £268.78 for the most expensive seats. Yet, for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, it would have cost you £985 for the cheapest route to the final, and £2,282 for the most expensive. Admittedly in 2018, you would have seen one extra game, as the number of teams participating in the competition has increased from 16 to 32 and so an additional knock out round is required. You are also allocated a seat at the match, compared to standing on a terrace.
Prices have therefore outstripped inflation (in sterling terms) by over 2,000 per cent for the cheapest tickets, and a mere 750 per cent for the most expensive. It is the same for domestic matches. Immediately after the 1966 World Cup it was possible to watch Manchester United, featuring superstar players George Best, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law, for between 20– 63 pence. To watch a match at Old Trafford in 2019/20 cost between £36– £58, and Manchester United are one of the cheaper teams to watch in the Premier League.
So why have ticket prices risen so rapidly? Once again, we return to supply and demand. In theory prices are determined where supply (clubs selling tickets) meets demand (fans wanting to buy tickets). If you increase prices then demand falls, and if prices are cut then demand increases. This approach applies to football ticket prices too.
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