Show us your old football ticket stubs
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Version 0 of 1. The Premier League will earn over £10m for every game that is televised live from the 2016-17 season. With Sky and BT paying over £5.1bn to show football matches for three seasons, fans are wondering why the cost of attending football matches is going up quicker than inflation. Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, is unrepentant about the league’s vast wealth. When asked about clubs’ responsibility to pay their staff a living wage, contribute to grassroots football in the UK and reduce ticket prices, Scudamore said the league is “not set up for charitable purposes”. Related: Fans don’t want charity but fair ticket prices the Premier League can afford | Amy Lawrence As Amy Lawrence wrote this week, fans do not want charity, but the Premier League is drowning in riches and fans deserve to be treated with more respect: But for the majority of supporters, keeping up with the explosive finances in the game is an ongoing struggle. It is common for a season ticket to be shared amongst friends or family. Away games, especially with awkward kick-off times for long distance travellers, are immensely challenging. The Football Supporters’ Federation have been campaigning with its “Twenty’s Plenty” idea, setting a reasonable maximum for away fans. With the additional money pouring forth, the game should be pressed to go further, with home tickets also capped. “Thirty-five keeps support alive”? The slogan needs a bit of work, obviously, but you get the idea. Leaving aside corporate tickets for clubs to set as they please, a cap on the price of a regular ticket should be on the agenda. The average age of Premier League supporters is now over 40. Our teenagers – the ones the game needs to be our season-ticket holders of the future – can’t possibly afford to cement their commitment to football by gallivanting around the country to games every week. It’s not charity anybody is after. It’s a fair price that the Premier League can well afford to impose. Send us your old ticket stubs and we will build a gallery to remember the days when tickets were reasonably priced |