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Cheap Football Is Possible.Cost of £7.90 per game in The Championship. Huddersfield Town Leading the Way in 2016-17

The costs of football have been spiralling out of control in some clubs, the recent debacle of Liverpool trying to recoup a few extra pounds on a few extra seats and in that process pushing prices up to £77 have been well reported. As have the fans response, by walking out of a game and the subsequent result was a retraction of that ridiculous pricing.

The Championship side Huddersfield Town have however followed other clubs like Bradford City in making their season ticket prices so cheap that it remains to be seen the numbers that will take up this offer. For next season 2016-17, adult season tickets are priced at £179 for the first 10,000 season tickets sold. The rationale is mathematically simple. Championship clubs have an extra 2 million pounds TV revenue next season, and Huddersfield are diverting 1 million of that to fund this season ticket pricing reduction. This equates to a per match cost of £7.90 which is often less than I might spend in the tea bar at half time at Brentford on a burger and tea.

This is affordable and in fact brings the cost of league football to be cheaper than non-league. Many of the lower tier ” proper” non league clubs ( by which I really mean have a few stands and maybe terraces,and do not play in essentially roped off fields, trying to be descriptive not rude here!) who live at the Ryman league standard or above , charge £8-10 entrance, Molesey 8£ if I recall correctly and Carshalton 10£ ( both recommended by the way).

An interesting scenario and one we should watch avidly to ascertain the take up in Huddersfield of this exceptional offer. Other clubs should take note. Watching the Cardiff V Brighton game on TV last week one might be excused for thinking that the ground was empty as the cameras focused on the lower tiers only. Would it not be better to fill the ground? Numerous aspects are possible. Reduced prices for televised games? Buy one get one free? Free food, drink and a programme?

Bradford city are a class example. A club in League 1 not looking like an immediate return to the Championship is likely. For 2015-16 season their season tickets cost £149 for 23 home games. This is £6.50 per game, again little more than lower non league entrance costs. And this was actually £50 cheaper than the 2014-15 season ticket cost. Perhaps the only surprise was that junior season tickets were priced at £99, when a lower cost might seem a logical way to enhance the younger fan base. Especially with the curious meanderings at nearby Leeds United, for those not local these two cities share an airport, Leeds-Bradford airport. And anyone who might be cynical that this is a short term option consider that Bradford City have been running this cheap season ticket scheme since 2007 when the adult season ticket cost was £138.