Some background facts and figures for Don Foster
In a rather sad attempt to show how they are down with the people and so forth, the Lib Dems, in the form of Don Foster, have had a pop at the price of football season tickets.
Given that an awful lot of Lib Dems would not recognise economic liberalism if it scored a goal on the volley from 50 yards out, I suppose it would be utterly pointless to note the prices charged to watch football games are absolutely none of the business of the government, still less one that last held power in the 1920s.
However, because I'm feeling liberal, I am going to provide Donald with a bit of context:
Old Trafford - capacity 76,212
Stamford Bridge - 42,055
Highbury - 60,432 (Yes, I know they don't call it that any more)
Anfield - 45,362.
Compare this with the following:
San Siro - 85,700
Camp Nou - 98,772
Bernabeu - 80,400
Might Don draw a conclusion or two from this? Meanwhile, he is also unhappy that 'Last season we saw empty seats at premiership grounds'. Not at the homes of the top teams, no. Furthermore, the clubs with empty seats are not those with the most expensive season tickets etc, rather those lacking a big fan base like Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn, and football fans rarely make a decision on long term support based on ticket prices, so fans outpriced by the larger teams in the North West are not going to switch allegiance, drive a bit further and buy cheaper tickets, any more than there is much to-ing and fro-ing between say Chelsea and QPR.
Would folk like to pay to less for tickets? Erm, yes. Would they also like cheaper beer, balti pies / prawn sandwiches, replica shirts, parking / travel too? I think they probably would.....
Given that an awful lot of Lib Dems would not recognise economic liberalism if it scored a goal on the volley from 50 yards out, I suppose it would be utterly pointless to note the prices charged to watch football games are absolutely none of the business of the government, still less one that last held power in the 1920s.
However, because I'm feeling liberal, I am going to provide Donald with a bit of context:
Old Trafford - capacity 76,212
Stamford Bridge - 42,055
Highbury - 60,432 (Yes, I know they don't call it that any more)
Anfield - 45,362.
Compare this with the following:
San Siro - 85,700
Camp Nou - 98,772
Bernabeu - 80,400
Might Don draw a conclusion or two from this? Meanwhile, he is also unhappy that 'Last season we saw empty seats at premiership grounds'. Not at the homes of the top teams, no. Furthermore, the clubs with empty seats are not those with the most expensive season tickets etc, rather those lacking a big fan base like Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn, and football fans rarely make a decision on long term support based on ticket prices, so fans outpriced by the larger teams in the North West are not going to switch allegiance, drive a bit further and buy cheaper tickets, any more than there is much to-ing and fro-ing between say Chelsea and QPR.
Would folk like to pay to less for tickets? Erm, yes. Would they also like cheaper beer, balti pies / prawn sandwiches, replica shirts, parking / travel too? I think they probably would.....
Labels: Sane economics
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on Monday, August 13, 2007 at 9:32 am.
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If the players - many of whom still think the other foot is merely for standing on - were not paid such outrageous amounts of money for kicking a ball around for a couple of hours a week, then maybe prices could be brought more within reach of fans. Market forces etc notwithstanding.
There are some fairly jaw dropping pay packets out there. Jeremy Jacobs probably has the right idea in turning his back on top end football and instead following Margate. After all, it is the identification with a team rather than the skill levels that creates the bond between a serious supporter and a team.
I have been to maybe half a dozen professional games in the last 10 years (Atletico Madrid, En Avant Guingamp and West Ham....), but my level of interest is not enough to make forking out £50, £60 or so for an afternoon's entertainment every fortnight an appealing prospect.
I'm thinking of catching a game by one of the Croydon teams one of these days, which I do not suppose will cost more than a tenner or so.
When I lived in your neck of the woods Mr C a group of us used to go to Tooting & Mitcham one week and Wimbledon (then still amateurs and at Plough Lane) the next. On very rare occasions we would make the odd foray to Highbury, White Hart Lane, Stamford Bridge or Crystal Palace - and in those days it was still less than a quid to get in and the players were lucky to get £15 a week. Those were the days!! We were not one-team fanatics, we just enjoyed watching the game played relatively honestly and the best team did usually win.
Nomad, have you tried following rugby? Supporters mingle, drink and communicate without stabbing each other.
Flash... Sorry, nope! Gouging, punching, biting, stamping on each other and generally trying to inflict as much injury (surreptitiously and of course purely by accident)on one's opponents is not really my scene, although if I come across a game on the telly I might watch it if there is nothing else of more interest on.
Generally speaking, although I admit there are odd patches of utter lunacy, football supporters too mingle and drink together before and after a game with no violence experienced by either side's fans. But chacun a son gout, non) :=))
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