CAS Trust Member Samantha Mason considers the results of the annual BBC survey. In case you missed it – we are almost top of the league.
Results on the pitch may be a cause for alarm at the moment but some solace can be taken from the fact that Charlton are a close third (behind Reading and Bradford)in offering the cheapest season ticket to watch football at home across all four English divisions.
A recent BBC Annual Price of Football survey shows that our £175.00 season ticket is an impressive 47% below the average price in the Championship and that even the most expensive Charlton season ticket is still 6% below the average. A season ticket at Reading is £135.00 (but only for 18 to 24 year olds) and Bradford is £149.00.
A handy calculator shows that overall Charlton are relatively good value even if it sometimes doesn’t often feel like money well spent when watching a lacklustre display on a cold Tuesday night. According to the survey it cost Charlton supporters £4.68 for each home goal last season. That is arguably a bargain for the priceless Jackson and Cousins comeback goals against Fulham.
When it comes to match-day ticket pricing, Reading again top the league along with Huddersfield on providing the cheapest tickets at £10.00 for both home and away supporters. Charlton don’t fair too badly with £17.00 for a home game which is 17% below the average. However the cheapest away tickets are between £22.00 to £26.00, above the twenty’s plenty price cap campaigned for by the Football Supporters Federation. In contrast, with Sheffield Wednesday’s away tickets ranging from an extortionate £30.00 to £39.00 Charlton are clearly a much better priced away fixture for visiting fans.
For those concerned about Charlton fans flocking to the Olympic Stadium once West Ham are installed, their new cheapest ticket announced for the 2015/16 season is £289 if they remain in the Premiership. Based on 2015/16 prices it will become the lowest in the Premiership but is still a 61% increase on Charlton and, with pressure mounting to release details about the stadium deal, who knows how long they will be able to maintain this ?
It’s good to see Charlton coming out well in this survey, but, without taking anything away from the club’s efforts to attract supporters, the cheaper season ticket was achieved to some extent at the cost of longstanding season ticket holders who were priced out of their seats in the 2014/2015 season. Therefore, while a lesson remains to ensure that all loyal fans (not clients as we’ve now become) are taken into consideration when new pricing policies are being considered, let’s not miss this opportunity to celebrate being the top of one league – almost.