Premier League ticket prices: Arsenal breaks £2,000 barrier

The average cost of a top-of-the-range season ticket to watch a team in the Premier League has risen by three times the rate of inflation to more than £900, and the increasing cost of following a team has prompted a protest march by out-of-pocket fans.

More than half the clubs in the top division have hiked season ticket prices, reports the Daily Mail, despite the fact they are also reaping the rewards of a new TV deal worth £5.5bn over three years.

"With clubs out to maximise revenues to be able to compete in the Premier League within the constraints of Financial Fair Play, fans are once again paying increased prices and 13 sides have raised season-ticket prices this season," says the paper.

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In percentage terms the biggest increases come QPR and Burnley, two of the clubs promoted to the Premier League. Leicester, however, have increased their season ticket price by only two per cent.

The most expensive season tickets are, as ever, at Arsenal, where the cost of a season-long pass has now broken the £2,000 barrier. Spurs are not far behind: White Hart Lane tickets can cost up to £1,895.

"Arsenal's ticket pricing has been under scrutiny for some time, with opposition fans being extremely vocal in their unhappiness at having to party extortionate prices to attend matches the Emirates," says the Mail.

Last week the Football Supporters' Forum announced plans for a protest march on 14 August, two days before the new Premier League season begins.

The group said that the increase in TV revenue meant that the clubs would have been better off than last season even if they had not charged for tickets.

"The game is swimming in money like never before, with clubs pocketing record amounts from broadcasting deals while squeezing everything they can out of their fanbase with some of the highest ticket prices in a generation, and something has to give," says chairman Malcolm Clarke.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker appeared to lend support to the cause, with a tweet accusing the clubs of "avarice".