Second tier urged to cut ticket prices too
THE Football League has challenged Championship clubs to match the top flight by cutting ticket prices for away fans next season. The Premier League has introduced a £30 cap on away tickets from August and based on category A prices from the current campaign, 13 Championship clubs will match or exceed this limit. Sheffield Wednesday charge away fans up to £39, while some visiting supporters pay £37.50 at Ipswich, £37 at Leeds United and £36 at Derby County. Blackburn took 214 fans to Ipswich on Tuesday night, with fans paying £32.50 in advance or £35 on the gate. Rovers fans called the cost ‘ridiculous’, ‘crazy’ and ‘unacceptable’ on Twitter. Football League clubs argue that, unlike the Premier League, they don’t have a £5.1billion television deal and so ticket revenue forms a greater part of their income. But the prospect of paying more to watch Championship football than the Premier League is set to become commonplace. A Football League spokesman said: ‘The Premier League’s decision will give our clubs something to consider given they are in a competitive market for spectators and therefore must be able to offer value for money.’ Buying a season ticket is still good value in the Football League — the average is £14 per game across the three divisions for those who commit for the whole campaign. Hull City have brought in a membership scheme in place of season tickets and they claim fans will save 47 per cent if they play in the Championship again next season. But less regular home fans are hit hard in the pocket, with prices as high as £52 at Sheffield Wednesday and £45 at Ipswich and Fulham, with 17 clubs charging £35 or more for their best seats. The Football Supporters’ Federation said: ‘Football League ticket prices present a mixed picture, but remain a problem in some areas. ‘Fans are still telling us about far too many high match-day prices at many grounds and away fans are at the sharp end of this. ‘We’ll continue to campaign for more affordable pricing and encourage fans of Football League teams to lobby their clubs. We would like to see more clubs follow the lead of Coventry City, who have said that Twenty’s Plenty for away fans.’