Monday 26 October 2020 10:21, UK
Adult season ticket holders will spend on average £32.50 per game in the English top flight this season while grounds were a record 95.9 per cent full in the 2014/15 campaign, the Premier League has revealed.
The Premier League's ticket price analysis, released on Thursday, also showed that junior season ticket holders pay on average £10 per game.
Using club information, the study found that 66 per cent of Premier League match attenders in the 2014/15 term were season ticket holders.
The Premier League also noted that the average adult fan age has now decreased to 41, and that 40 per cent of match attenders in 2014/15 were 18-34 years old.
Richard Scudamore, executive chairman of the Premier League, said the results of the analysis contradict misleading "averages" quoted elsewhere.
"We have analysed the most commonly paid price for tickets, in other words what the typical cost is for fans going to the game," he said. "Given some of the misleading 'averages' and quoting of the highest prices paid I think many will be surprised by the value clubs offer to fans.
"What is clear from our analysis is that those who attend Premier League football most often, the 66 per cent of match attenders who are season ticket holders, are getting some excellent value from their clubs with an average of less than £33 per match.
"Full and vibrant stadiums are a hugely important part of what makes the Premier League so special. Clubs recognise the contribution of the loyal supporter base that sustains the game at this level."
Arsenal topped the table for most expensive commonly-paid season ticket price for adults (£1,014 for 26 games), but their price per game of £39 was less than Liverpool (£45.74), Tottenham (£41.90) and Chelsea (£39.47).
Stoke's price per game for the most commonly-paid adult season ticket was lowest at £18.10, along with Sunderland (£19.47) and Watford (£20.26).
Norwich topped the table for percentage of match attenders being season ticket holders with 81 per cent, followed by Stoke and Swansea on 74 per cent, and Leicester City and Manchester United on 73 per cent.
At the opposite end, just 52 per cent of match attenders at Aston Villa are season ticket holders, below Sunderland at 54 per cent and Liverpool at 55 per cent, though the Anfield club have a capped number of season ticket holders.
Scudamore added: "To keep attendances at the current historically high levels clubs have to provide value for fans. The past two seasons have seen record occupancy of 95.9 per cent, with the 2013/14 season also recording the highest top-flight average attendance since the 1950s.
"To put it very simply the football has to be worth watching as well as worth the cost of the ticket, and the competitive and compelling nature of Premier League football does a great job in keeping fans coming back for more."
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: "People coming to games today are more diverse than they have ever been and they now enjoy their football in a state-of-the-art stadium built and financed by the club.
"Our aim is to provide ticket prices that appeal to a broad cross-section of supporters and we are particularly keen to ensure we appeal to the next generation of Arsenal fans."
The Premier League's Away Supporters' Initiative was set up last season, where each club set aside a minimum of £200,000 to fund anything from travel to ticket prices.
And Everton chief executive Robert Elstone says the focus on away fans' value for money is higher than ever.
"We agree at Everton that the price of Premier League football should be scrutinised and challenged, which is why we sit on the Premier League's working group to find a solution to pricing that is too high, particularly the price that has to be paid by our away fans.
"Clubs are considering an extension of the Away Supporters' Initiative, a price cap and a range of other initiatives to give a fair deal to away fans."
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany added: "Everybody knows the impact a crowd can have on the game; I can tell you that the idea of the 'twelfth man' is very real to all of us. That atmosphere, that wall of sound, is one of the things that makes so many people love the Premier League.
"It means a lot when I can look up and know that my kids are in the crowd. At the Etihad the whole North Stand is actually a 'Family Stand' - for me, the fact that football is an activity that young children and families, people from all backgrounds and all ages, can enjoy together is very important.
"Football has the power to unite people, and a football stadium is one of the places where you really see that in action."
