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Virgin Money's latest Football Fan inflation index shows that the average British football fan across all divisions spent around £1,080 following their team in 2007. That amounts to about five per cent of the UK average annual salary. However, the expense of following a Premiership team was significantly higher. The average Premiership fan paid £251 more (£1,331) for their tickets and match day essentials in 2007 compared to the national average. One in eight Premiership fans paid out as much as £3,000 for match tickets alone and around one in fourteen spent between £300 and £500 on club merchandise. Travel also put a dent in fans' pockets. The average amount spent on match day travel across the country was some £286, although Premiership fans typically paid more, £357.50 on average. Five per cent of Premiership supporters spent over £1,000 on match day travel.
Virgin Money said that fans' finances are being stretched to breaking point by a combination of the rising cost of basic essentials such as petrol, food and energy plus the extra strain caused by a tough financial climate. The company warned that fans' reduced disposable income could discourage fans from attending live games and might reduce spending on merchandise. Virgin Money spokesman John Franklin said, '2008 will be a real struggle for football fans, regardless of the team they support. And while 2007 saw some tough financial conditions, the outlook for 2008 is potentially even worse, meaning people's expenditure on football will eat into their disposable income even further.' Malcolm Clarke of the Football Supporters' Federation pointed out that in the 1991/2 season the cheapest seat at Arsenal was £10. 'In today's money that's £15.44 or £16.70 adjusted for rising wages. The cheapest seat at Arsenal this season is £32. That goes up to a whopping £46 for the big European and derby matches, as well as United and Liverpool. A time will come soon when football will look around at all the empty spaces in the stands and ask itself: 'Where did they all go'?
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