Football ticket prices are down - but are still too expensive for young fans

Football ticket prices have fallen for a third year in succession, but concerns about high costs are still keeping young adults from watching live matches.

According to the BBC Price of Football study of more than 200 clubs in the UK, almost two-thirds of ticket price categories have been “reduced or remained the same” across clubs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, a separate BBC poll of 1,000 18 to 24-year-olds found 82% felt ticket costs were “an obstacle to them going to more matches”, while 65% said the cost of travelling to matches was too much.

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The BBC Price of Football report found 55% of young fans said they had stopped going to matches completely or attended fewer games because it was too expensive, despite 135 clubs offering reduced prices for teenagers and young adults, not taking into account student concessions.

Football finance expert Rob Wilson, who works at Sheffield Hallam University, told the BBC: “These fans are the next generation of season ticket holders but they have been brought up in a sanitised and expensive environment.

“With this in mind, they are reluctant to pay so much to watch their teams play and these findings should act as a warning to the Premier League elite - they ignore this group of fans at their peril.”

What the BBC Price of Football study also found:

• young adult fans can save £146.94 on season tickets in the English Premier League and Football League;
• in Scotland, the average saving on a season ticket is £143.66 for young adult supporters;
• Premier League young adult fans bought 4% of all season tickets this season, and
• a ComRes poll found 61% young fans are more likely to engage in football by playing games on a console or PC, while 37% play in a team.