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The Cost Of Football - Villa Prices Low Again

www.bbc.co.uk has published the BBC Sport Price of Football Survey for 2012.

It covers the average cost to attend games for 166 clubs in the 10 divisions across British football. It also rates the price of tea and pies!!!!

Villa, as usual, come out well for being amongst the cheapest season ticket wise, in fact cheaper than many lower league clubs.

It is an impressive bit of info, again the link: www.bbc.co.uk

Villa`s CEO Paul Faulkner has responded on www.avfc.co.uk stating how important the fans are to the club.

He said, 'This survey shows what great value it is for our fans coming to watch the team at Villa Park. The matchday experience, ensuring that prices remain affordable and competitive, is immensely important to us here. Paul Lambert has stressed the importance of our fans this season, how they can really drive the club and the team on as we look to have a successful campaign, after a couple of seasons when our home form has been disappointing."

Adding, 'Hopefully these findings show that it works the other way too, that we value our fans and want to ensure that supporting Villa is a premium experience."

Half season ticket info: Click Here

I guess the other side of this debate is, do we want to be amongst the cheapest tickets or would you be prepared to pay more for more spending team wise? Not quite as easy as that sentence suggests because it is also supply and demand isn`t it? If we were selling out, the prices would automatically find a new, higher level and also, the gate receipts isn`t, by some way nowadays, the most important part of balance sheet receipts, that is tv money and the commercial deals. In fact, maybe it could be argued that a club such as ours could do something more radical and offer kids in for a quid as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Why? To try to get the next generation interested. You look around you at the next match, you don`t get the level of youngsters, including teenagers, that you used to get (and yet they are the future!) because of the prices. We used to be able to afford to go down with mates, now most can only afford to go if parents sub them or take them.

Decent thread has just been started as to whether you`d be prepared to pay more: Click Here

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Writer: J P Fear

Date:Thursday October 18 2012

Time: 2:09PM

Your Comments

I get what your saying Fear about would it be better to pay a bit extra for a match ticket for the sake of Villa being a bigger spending force but any significent increase would mroe than likely rule me ou in affording to watch Villa on a matchday, plus i got my kids coming into the age where they want to go so im happ and thankfull tbh we are one of the cheapest Prem clubs to watch, otherwisei would e restrained to watching my team on TV or internet stream which is jus not the same, So a big thank you from me for keeping prices down ;)

CLIVETHEVILLAN

Lets be clear Villa's prices are NOT low, they are just less expensive than others. Why can't we (and all clubs) have our prices halved and fill the ground every week, with money lost recouped as part of the negotiated tv deal? The £1.3 billion extra TV money should have been compelled to be directed at reducing admission prices, plus community schemes - not players wages and transfer fees. The players were all on bonkers pay already. Some already fill their grounds - but that does not mean they should not benefit by fairer prices too.

stennyvilla

I paid 35 for a ticket in Upper Holte against the Baggies and I believe that is way too much for 90 mins of 'entertainment'. Especially with the way the economy is now. I mostly begrudge paying this though as the majority is going to pay the wages of players, a lot who couldn't give a damn about the Villa. Because of this I am starting to feel very disconnected with football in general. Then there is the crazy fees paid to agents. It is not the Villa's fault but all clubs. Doubt anything will ever be done about though, but can they keep rising the costs? Who will go then?!

antvillan

In the good old days, a football seat ticket cost the same as a ticket for the cinema. Now it's approximately 3 times as much. As a regular season ticket holder back in the 70s, I was priced out of going to watch live games long ago, a visit to Villa Park is a once a season treat if I am lucky. The most disturbing thing about this report was the fact that the average age of a regularly attending supporter is approaching 40. Going to the match is a habit. If people don't get hooked young then they won't get hooked. The days of Tv football with empty stadiums gets ever closer. The long term prospects for the game are not good, and the prudent cuts introduced in recent seasons are what will keep the club alive. And Fear you are so wrong to even suggest that increased admission will lead to greater success. Increased admission prices will lead to fewer supporters. Even more alarming for me was the costs of following a lower league team. My local team (Burton Albion - yes I did get off my arse to go to the pre-season friendly), charge £14 to stand, and watch Division Two football. Scandalous. Thank god I'm getting on a bit. I won't be around when some of these clubs start going to the wall, let's hope for some of the dwindling number of younger fans Villa won't be one of them.

2big4seatswannastand

I agree with Stenny they're not cheap just less expensive. I have to justify to my partner ,me going to the Villa & coming back nine times out of ten grumpy or us going to the cinema ,followed by a beer & curry/chinese . Can't do both as times are tough. Thank God she diets now & again or Id never get down !!

AstonBilla

Ok put it this way to watch Bury in League one it costs £19?? Look at the going rate of football matches we are cheaper not saying that any footbll matchday prices are fair but we are being fir considering the going rates elswhere i mean £19 for Bury?? Lets gove some credit where its due here, Arsenal have seats costing £125 per match ffs, we have season tickets available for £325 we are cheaper than Baggies and have alays been even when they were in the Championship! There don't say i don't stick u for our board i mayhave a moan now n again at Randy n co but credit whre credits due fellow Villans?

CLIVETHEVILLAN

Several points here and some good ones already made above. We are lower priced in an over priced market. If Villa and most other clubs were to cut players wages by 20% (and I think it is possible to live on £40K instead of £50K a week) then every fan could attend matches for just £1 each and it would make absolutely no difference to the balance sheet. The chairmen should all get together and sort this out now. And if that means that we get less mercenaries from abroad so be it. However there is a flip side and it is something Villa are experiencing now. When you are conditioned to a certain price it becomes the norm of what you expect to pay. If you are then asked to pay more then you simply refuse. When we were doing well we still struggled to fill the ground. When we were doing not so well then the part timers witheld their cash as is their right. The club reduces prices and then has no way of increasing them again as people become conditioned to a lower price. This is more than a price issue and is more of a social issue. That said Aston Villa are a comparatively well priced club and to see the number of empty seats that we are witnessing at Villa Park is depressing. The down side is that whilst there are many people who would love to come to Villa Park and can't, there are thousands (tens of thousands) of people who claim to be Villa supporters, but who simply cant be bothered. That isn't a pop at those that way inclined, more of a question as to why we are more apathetic then most? It was a fiver to bring kids to the recent game againt Tranmere. Now that isn't much in anybodys eyes. So why arent kids falling over themselves to get into Villa Park for that kind of money?? A fiver for Gods sake. Kids should be fighting each other for the first tickets at that price.

voiceoftheholte

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The Cost Of Football - Villa Prices Low Again

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