Football fans turn their backs on live games as costs soar

More than 40 per cent of football fans have cut the number of live matches they attend this season as rising costs of following the game hit home, according to new research from Virgin Money. The company’s Football Fans Price Index shows the cost of going to games has risen by 17 per cent since the start of 2006.

And the trend is set to continue in 2007 with one in seven supporters saying they will go to at least 10 fewer games this year because they can’t afford it.

Across the country some 41 per cent of supporters – around half of them season ticket holders - quizzed said they had cut the numbers of games they attended in 2006 with 11 per cent going to at least 10 fewer games last year.

Premiership supporters are most likely to have cut back – around 46 per cent say they’ve gone to fewer games compared with 41 per cent in the Championship, 37 per cent in League One and 35 per cent in League Two.

Supporters of Chelsea, Man City, Watford, Portsmouth and Spurs are the worst hit in the Premiership while Sheffield United, Wigan, Arsenal and Man Utd supporters have cut back the least.

The shock findings of the survey for the Virgin Money Football Fans Price Index illustrate the threat rising costs of being a fan pose to the future of the game.

Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation said: “I only hope club chairmen, the FA and the leagues sit up and take notice. Fans are fed up to the back teeth of being treated as turnstile fodder. Their loyalty is being exploited with ever higher prices.

“Football won’t be the people’s game for much longer in this country if this keeps up. The rate of inflation on Planet Football is three to four times higher than here on Planet Earth. It has been good to hear comments from Arsenal and Birmingham manager Steve Bruce on ticket prices.

“It’s time for the match-going supporter to be given a break. Ticket prices have got to come down. Football’s live audience is aging. Where’s the next generation of fans going to come from?”

Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Price Index shows that in the past year the cost of attending games has risen by 17.33 per cent. The index is aimed at helping supporters keep track of the rises and falls in the costs of supporting their team. The company identified the match-day essentials fans buy and keeps tabs on increases and decreases.

At the launch of the index last year the matchday basket of goods cost £77.95 and now it’s £91.46 – a rise of £13.51 or 17.33 per cent. An increase in the cost of replica shirts, match tickets and food are the main reasons behind the increase.

Virgin Money spokesman John Franklin said: “Football fans’ loyalty is legendary but eventually something has to give. The rising costs of following the game are starting to hit home and people are being forced to cut the number of games they go to.

“The FA Cup Third Round saw plenty of examples of games where there should have been bumper gates but attendances were down. The quality of football is not worse than last year – and the Cup still produced some shocks - so it has to be down to costs.

“Premiership fans are the worst hit but there’s also evidence that other fans are staying at home for games where previously they would have been at the ground. Clubs need to listen or they’ll pay the price in the long-run.”