Opinion: ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ statement

A statement was released earlier on today (30th) regarding ticket prices for home and away fans in the Football League by Birmingham City fans group Blues Collective and I thought I would have my say on it.

In a previous article on Vital Football Birmingham, we brought you the statement in full and I couldn’t agree more with what the FSF are trying to achieve.

Ticket prices for fans, both home and away, are getting beyond a joke now and for the average fan, paying £37.50 to go and watch Leeds United vs Birmingham City just isn’t an attainable target.

At most, tickets should cost no more than £25 in my opinion. I know the campaign is to get all tickets priced at £20 and under but we have to be realistic here.

Take a look at Southampton vs Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup for example. The Saints have managed to keep prices at just £12 for adults! That is more than a third less than what Blues fans are expected to pay for Leeds away.

I understand that clubs have the right to charge astronomical prices for tickets because they know fans will pay it. I concede that I have paid over the odds for tickets before but that is just what you do to go and watch your team play.

Premier League teams are the worst for charging over the odds for tickets. An example is the fact that a ticket to go and watch Stoke City vs Liverpool on the opening weekend of the new season was £40.

The price of that ticket would put most people off considering it was on Sky Sports as well but because the Potters know fans will pay it, they can charge it!

By introducing this new campaign, I personally hope that clubs will begin to listen to fans because after all, if fans stopped going to games, the club would just begin to crumble into the backdrop of the ever growing industry.

Looking at it from a distance, most fans will admit to having spent a large amount on a ticket for the pure fact that they can’t bare to miss a game.

I think Blues are just as bad as Leeds with ticket prices to be honest. For an adult to come and watch the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, it is going to be £35! That just isn’t on but the club know people will pay it, like I have said before.

For me, you look at most grounds in the Championship, League One, League Two and sometimes even the Premier League and they are never really full to capacity and that is because of ticket prices.

If clubs reduced prices to what they charge in the cup, like kids for a quid, then stadiums would be back to capacity.

Blues fans, what do you make of my opinions? Do you think I am right when I say if ticket prices are lowered fans will come back to watch their teams? Let us know in the comment section down below!