The Premier League is the pinnacle of English football, and widely regarded as the most entertaining league in the world. Fans come in their thousands to watch the country’s top teams compete against each other to win the coveted Premier League trophy. As the Premier League features many of the world’s best players, most games promise to be a spectacle, and demand for tickets is extremely high.
With the ticket prices rising every other year, fans may be looking at spending a large percentage of their monthly salary just to be in with a chance of securing a ticket. In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons why Premier League tickets are so expensive, and how you can get your hands on one.
How much are Premier League tickets?
The price of Premier League tickets can vary depending on several factors including the club, location, opponent and type of match. The most expensive Premier League ticket (excluding hospitality) is in Chelsea's Westview area, which costs £240 per ticket. Single tickets generally cost between £40-55, but it’s not as simple as just going to your team’s website and buying one. Unless you use a site like Ticket Compare, you will need a club membership, or a season ticket.
Season tickets for Premier League teams can also be pretty costly, with clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, and West Ham offering season tickets in excess of four figures.
The good news is that there is another way to attend Premier League games. You can purchase tickets on the secondary market through Ticket Compare and our trusted partners.
Browse ticket prices for all Premier League games here.
What are some of the reasons Premier League tickets are so expensive?
There are a number of reasons why Premier League tickets are so expensive. Let’s dive in and look at some key factors.
Limited supply
One of the main reasons Premier League tickets are so expensive is due to their limited supply. With each game, there are only so many seats in the stadium available, and there are more fans than there are seats. The limited quantity of tickets in relation to the number of fans therefore increases customer demand and drives ticket prices up.
High demand
As the Premier League is one of the most well-known divisions in the world, the demand to attend the games in person is always extremely high. This, paired with the limited supply, means ticket prices shoot up, as people are often willing to pay whatever it costs to see their favourite team play.
Size of the club
The club itself can also have an impact on ticket prices. Bigger clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool often charge more. People pay to see world-class players and a high standard of football, which these clubs provide. Bigger clubs also tend to have more supporters, so demand is higher.
Recent success of the club
Ticket prices can be influenced by the recent success of the club. If a team has been on a streak of victories, or has recently won a big trophy, prices can increase. In contrast, for teams that aren’t seeing much success, or are continuously nearer the bottom of the table, fans can expect to see lower prices.
Category of the fixture
The category of the fixture can also play a part in the price of a Premier League ticket. When a team puts tickets on sale, certain fixtures may be listed as category A - for example, local derbies, relegation battles, or important rivalries. Less significant fixtures may be listed as category B, or C, and therefore command a slightly lower price.
Footballers’ salaries
It’s no secret that there’s a lot of money in football, and the increasing amount of cash in the top flight means that the biggest earner is taking home nearly half a million-pounds per week, with many others pocketing well over £100,000 on a weekly basis.
One of the main ways in which players are able to earn these eye-watering wages is due to all the money that goes into football, which includes the high ticket prices.
Stadium facilities and upkeep
Maintaining football stadiums incurs significant costs, and revenue generated through ticket sales serves as a valuable means to support their ongoing maintenance and the enhancement of their facilities. Generally, the larger clubs possess the most costly stadiums, which consequently leads to them charging higher prices.
Financial fair play
Financial Fair Play (FFP) was established by UEFA to ensure that clubs were not spending more than they were earning, with the aim of preventing them from getting into financial troubles. This means that the more income the club receives, the more they are able to spend without breaching FFP. As one of their main revenue sources is tickets, it’s in the club’s best interests to charge more for them.
Why it’s important that fans are able to attend matches
As costs are so high, many diehard football fans are unable to afford to attend matches. Fans are a vital feature at any match; they enhance the game, and can play a major role in the performance of the team. Fans create an unrivalled atmosphere with their chants and songs, and games just wouldn't be the same without them.
At Ticket Compare, we partner with reliable ticket vendors to bring the best value tickets to football fans worldwide. Our site offers you the best chance of getting tickets for your desired game.
Browse all Premier League fixtures here.
How to buy Premier League tickets
Due to the reasons stated, it’s not surprising that getting your hands on Premier League tickets can be tricky. However, you can buy tickets for games here at Ticket Compare. We compare only safe and secure primary and secondary marketplaces in order to help you find the tickets for the games you want.
Alongside Premier League games, we also offer tickets to all the other biggest footballing events, including the Champions League, La Liga, French Ligue 1, and FA Cup.
Header image credit: Антон Зайцев, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons
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