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Your Money > Budgeting Articles > The true cost...
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By Sarah Modlock
When the going gets tough, it's life's little luxuries which usually become the first casualties of a tight budget. Not if you're a football fan. Despite this, more and more fans are struggling to justify the cost of attending live matches and opting instead to watch their favourite team from home. Latest research has revealed that one in five football fans has been forced into debt to cover the cost of following their team. The cost of being a football supporter has risen by 15 per cent over the past year, according to Virgin Money's football fans' inflation index. Those in debt borrow an average of £682 to follow their passion, with around 20 per cent owing between £1,000 and £2,500. It's not just the sport itself that's getting more expensive, it's the travel to away matches, the replica kit and even the half-time pies. Here's a look at the endless costs and rip-offs confronting football fans as the new season begins.... Gate receipts The number of fans intending to cut back on attending live matches has increased as the relative cost of attending games continues to rise, according to Virgin. Research shows that a third of regular match goers have resolved to go to fewer live games in the ‘09/'10 season because of the cost – up from a quarter in pre-season last year. And of those out-priced fans, one in five are intending to follow a less expensive lower league club in order to ensure they continue to get their regular fix of live football. If clubs wonder why turnstiles are no longer spinning it's because costs for fans have risen a huge, inflation-smashing 15.1% year-on-year and by 29.6% since October 2006. Travel, food and drink Virgin Money's match day 'basket of goods' used to measure the index includes the cost of items such as a gallon of petrol, match tickets food, alcohol, train tickets and replica shirts cost £77.95 back in 2006 but just three years later it's at £101.02. The research, which consists of over 4,000 fans representing all 92 clubs in the Football League is most worrying of all for the Premiership teams, where around 3 in 10 hardcore fans plan to go to fewer games this year. Worst affected the most popular – and most expensive clubs – like Manchester United, Srsenal and Chelsea. Grant Bather, spokesman for Virgin Money, says: "Clubs need to come down from planet football and live in the real world. Despite some efforts to cut or freeze ticket prices, for many fans attending just one game burns a big hole in their pockets." Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, adds: "It is very worrying that ‘football inflation' continues at a level way above standard inflation. "Football fans are you, me and the bloke next door, not a different race, and with people losing their jobs and being worried about the future, it's not surprising that going to the match might suffer. A little bit of prudence – and a little bit of humility – from those at the top of our game, would not come amiss in the current climate." Which fans are most in debt? Arsenal fans are the most heavily in the red, with average football-related debts of £1,284, edging out Man United fans, who owe an average of £1,231. 27 per cent of West Ham and Aston Villa have the most fans in financial peril, with Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City standing at 26 per cent. Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said: “Season tickets are a big outlay, particularly as they come at the same time as fans often have to pay for their holidays, and the deferred payments schemes of some clubs have sometimes carried high interest charges. We would like to see clubs looking to see if they can do more to help fans.” “An example of very bad practice which doesn't help fans balance their books is Manchester United's insistence that season ticket holders are required to buy tickets for all the European and FA games, which they introduced last season. That's a practice which we don't want to see copied by other clubs.”
* Figures not endorsed by Premier League clubs # Source: Virgin Money 'Pay what you like'? Earlier this year, non-league FC United - the club created in opposition to Malcolm Glazer's takeover of Manchester United said it would adopt a 'pay what you like' approach to season tickets, echoing a similar move by the group Radiohead which allowed fans to pay what they wanted to download a new album two years ago. The team's general manager, Andy Walsh, said the decision to launch the scheme, with a target of raising £125,000 in revenue, was in keeping with the ethos of the club. For 2008-09, when FC United played in the Northern Premier League Premier Division (three tiers beneath the Football League), season tickets cost £140. The hope is that those who can afford to do so will choose to pay more, subsidising those who pay less. "The Premier League clubs have put up prices regardless of the ability of people to pay," says Walsh. "For many, when prices go up there is no alternative. We've demonstrated there is an alternative model that puts the supporter at the very heart of the football club rather than on the fringes." Who ate all the pies? The average football fan racks up nearly 800 hours a year following their beloved team. Fans of newly-promoted Burnley are the most dedicated in the Premiership, just edging out Spurs fans while supporters of Sunderland, West Ham and Portsmouth are more relaxed. The average fan spends 33 full days being a supporter - that includes travelling to and from matches, watching TV, searching the internet and talking about the game with friends. There's a lot at stake...not least the steak and kidney pies...... One fan, Tom Dickinson, travelled up and down the UK to find out which football club has the best pies. His book, 92 pies, is out soon. The experience cost him £3,000. He said the best pie he tasted was at Morecambe's Christie Park stadium. And the worst? "That's got to be Walsall ," he said. "It didn't have much heat or meat in the middle." Mr Dickinson, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, also rates the supporters at lower league clubs: "They definitely have much better pies and you also meet much more interesting people,' he said. The judges of the British Pie Awards did not agree though. Reading 's steak and kidney pie and Ipswich 's steak and ale number made mincemeat of their rivals in the 'Best Football Pie' category. Scottish Highland League side Clachnacuddin were the overall winners with a steak and gravy pie that received 92 marks out of 100. And that brings us back to money. Because Scottish football clubs were accused of fleecing fans on pies and Bovril drinks at grounds this year after they failed to cut VAT. Andy Walker, a 58-year-old Celtic supporter from Dundee , got in touch with BBC Scotland to complain that the price of hot food at every ground he has visited had not changed. "Everything was supposed to have been cheaper and it's not happened - so why is the football supporter being fleeced? You're a captive audience, as soon as you go in there you are paying the premium price. “Football to me is an industry the same as any other industry and if there's a reduction in prices it should be passed on. I know it's only pennies, but multiply that by thousands and that's what really rankles with me." Called to account Loyalty drives many fans to sign up for credit cards or savings accounts that are linked to their favourite club. This usually means you get a credit card bearing your club's colours and insignia and a percentage of what your spend - or save - is given to the club and/or a charity linked to it. For smaller clubs, such as Norwich City and Ipswich Town , these affinity products can make all the difference. You may also get perks such as some free tickets or a discount in the club shop (although not, sadly, on pies). One thing you are unlikely to get is the best deal for your savings as some accounts pay as little as 0.05% despite the base rate sitting at 0.5%. Affinity credit cards present a better deal, most with decent rates for balance transfers and purchases. The answer is to read the small print, find out what deal you're getting and make sure you know where the donations are going rather than be blinded by club loyalty. A safer option is to transfer the debt to a 0 per cent balance transfer credit card, which measn you won't be charged any interest for a limited period. According to Moneyfacts.co.uk, Virgin Money has the longest balance transfer deal, offering 0 per cent for 16 months from the date of the card issue. There is a balance transfer fee of 2.98 per cent with a minimum £3, and the standard interest rate is 16.6 per cent. Alternatively, Santander, owner of Abbey, offers 0 per cent for 15 months with a 3 per cent fee and a standard interest rate of 15.9 per cent.
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