Following their last day survival in the Barclays Premier League, Wigan Athletic have frozen their season ticket prices for the fifth season in a row. Even so, their support base remains limited, although if you look at it as a percentage of the local population it’s a great achievement, particularly given the local attachment to rugby league. There’s roughly the same population where I live and we can only sustain a third tier non-league club.Following their last day survival in the Barclays Premier League, Wigan Athletic have frozen their season ticket prices for the fifth season in a row. Even so, their support base remains limited, although if you look at it as a percentage of the local population it’s a great achievement, particularly given the local attachment to rugby league. There’s roughly the same population where I live and we can only sustain a third tier non-league club.
Elsewhere in Lancashire, Blackburn Rovers are also offering some of the cheapest prices in the top flight. Rovers claim that the tickets offer ‘incredible value’. I would be a bit cautious about that marketing line given that Tesco’s ‘value’ range really means ‘cheap and basic’. But then there is a market for that, not that I am suggesting that Blackburn don’t play quality football.
But are cheaper tickets necessarily good value? Someone has come up with a value league. I’m not clear what the methodology is and the interviewer on Radio 5 this morning was understandably sceptical, suggesting that it was about as precise as recent predictions of the end of the world (the Rapture has now been postponed to October 21st due to unforseen circumstances).
For what it’s worth, Manchester City are top of the league and Manchester United are mid-table, although as a neutral I would question the assumption that the football is more entertaining at the City of Manchester stadium. Tottenham Hostpur came bottom and Arsenal were not far away.
I don’t pay very much for my League 1 season ticket, but you get a lot of hoofball, including balls that are a threat to plans landing at London City Airport. Clogging that would earn a yellow card if used against a valuable Premiership star is waved away by the referee. Above all, there is not the sense of occasion you get at a Premiership or even Championship match.
I pay about 75 per cent of my League 1 season ticket for my non-league ticket. But I have a ‘lounge’ with a television I can sit in before the match and chat to other fans or perhaps even the manager. And I get a cup of tea out of the cold at half time. Good value in my view.