Lucrative TV deal reflects the level of Season ticket prices

In the off-season, there is a lot of speculation flying around regarding which players will join which club, which managers will get the boot, what some players are choosing to with their free time. However, in this post, I am choosing to focus on arguably the most important component of the beautiful game... the fans. The fans are the ones who make it happen, because without the demand and the passion received from the fans, football would simply not be the median in which pulls together people from all around the world.

One direct effect on the fans is the price of tickets, in particular the price of season tickets for the select few. Over the years, it has been said that fans have been unfairly exploited by the Premier League clubs as they can charge whatever price they want, in the knowledge that fans will continue to turn up regardless. For example, the most expensive season ticket is at Arsenal at an extortionate £2,013, this is compared to the lowest at a Premier League club which is surprisingly Manchester City, who charge £299 for their least expensive season ticket. Analysing this with some basic demand and supply theory, allows us to see that most clubs are able to charge whatever prices they desire and demand exceeds the supply, as there will always be fans who are willing to pay more if the incumbent holders choose to give up their season tickets, with most clubs having waiting lists to be signed up to be a season ticket holder.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Manchester United have decided to freeze their season ticket prices for the fourth consecutive season, whilst Arsenal have also announced a freeze, which also includes non season ticket prices - a victory of sorts for fans of the club. Other clubs including Stoke City and Crystal Palace have in fact cut their early season ticket prices; a decision that should be celebrated amongst the football community.

Overall, if clubs do really care about their supporters, more cuts and price freezes will hopefully be seen in the future, considering the increasing amount of funds they are receiving from the TV deals. Clubs can afford to freeze prices and should do, because the fans make the clubs what they are, so it is only fair to give something back to the fans.