The cost of attending Premier League football "has come down" in the first season of a record £8B ($9.9B) global TV rights deal, according to the BBC. The Price of Football, "the biggest study of its kind in Europe," looked at prices at 223 clubs. More than two thirds of ticket prices across the U.K. "have been either cut or frozen" for the '16-17 season. However, an away ticket in the League Championship can now be more expensive than for a Premier League match. This is "because top-flight clubs have capped prices for visiting fans" at £30 ($37.25). Football Supporters' Federation Chair Malcolm Clarke said, "On their current £8.3B ($10.3B) deal, the Premier League could afford to let every single fan in free for every game and still have as much money as they had under the previous deal. That gives you an idea of the scale of the amount of money they have got." The study also found replica shirt prices have increased year-on-year and half of top-flight clubs "put up the price of their junior shirts." For the first time, the BBC asked clubs for the percentage of male and female season-ticket holders. In the Premier League, 14 clubs responded, with Southampton revealing "one in five of their season-ticket holders are women," while at Liverpool the figure is 11% (BBC, 11/16). The BBC reported in a separate piece the cost of the Premier League's cheapest season tickets have dropped below '13 prices. The average cost of the cheapest top-flight adult season ticket is £479.89 ($596.24), almost £20 ($24.85) lower than it was three years ago. The average cost of the most expensive season ticket "remained the same." Cheapest matchday tickets dropped by more than 6% to an average of £29.05 ($36.07), while the most expensive matchday ticket fell by around 5% to £53.65 ($66.61). The study was able to compare 112 different ticket prices across the Premier League to last season's. Of the 112, only 16 had increased in price, while 59 (53%) remained the same and 37 (33%) were reduced. Promoted sides Burnley and Middlesbrough "were the only clubs to increase their cheapest and most expensive matchday tickets," while Leicester City's cheapest matchday ticket rose from £22 to £26 ($32.28) (BBC, 11/16).
PRICES DOWN IN SCOTLAND: The BBC's Amy MacBeath reported season ticket prices in Scottish football have "largely fallen" for '16-17, with many clubs "freezing or reducing ticket prices." The survey reveals the cheapest available in three of the top four tiers have dropped. Season-ticket charges in the Scottish Premiership fell by 5.5%, largely due to Hamilton Academical cutting the cost of a seat at New Douglas Park by £200 ($248.31), opting for a tag of £150 ($186.23) to "try to get numbers through the gates." League One clubs "reduced theirs by much the same percentage," while in League Two they "actually fell by nearly 20%." However, in the League Championship "they are up slightly," with Hibernian "remaining the most expensive for all tickets and catering." If "you are going for the full matchday experience," taking in a Scottish Premiership game "complete with a cup of tea," pie and a program to browse, it will cost £28.29 ($35.12), only £2.81 ($3.49) "dearer" than in '11. The Scottish Professional Football League "also confirmed attendances north of the border are up" (BBC, 11/16).
WSL STILL MOST AFFORDABLE: The BBC reported in a separate piece the Women's Super League "remains the cheapest league" in the U.K. despite a rise in ticket prices. The average prices in all four ticket categories the study analyzed in both tiers of the WSL "have gone up." However, the women's league as a whole "worked out cheapest," with no matchday tickets costing more than £8 ($9.93). The average price of the cheapest season ticket in the top tier is £34.78 ($43.18) while the average price of the most expensive season ticket is £44.44 ($55.17) -- a rise of 15% from '15. In WSL2, the average price of the cheapest season ticket is £31.56 ($39.18) and the most expensive averages £34.67 ($43.04) (BBC, 11/16).
