IT is now ‘cheaper to go to Disneyland’ than bring a young family over to a Premier League game, the head of an official Irish supporters’ club has said.
It comes as Manchester City play their first game today since being found guilty of 114 charges relating to financial cheating between 2009 and 2018 – contributing to inflated prices for fans.
For decades, Irish fans of English clubs have travelled across the water to attend games.
But numbers are dropping thanks to ‘absolutely crazy’ ticket pricing, according to Irish supporters’ organisations who spoke to the Irish Mail on Sunday this week as clubs prioritise the one-off tourist who’ll spend big.
Martin Stummvoll, Dublin Arsenal Supporters Club chair, said football travel is still ‘huge business’ for Irish airlines, who hike prices as soon as fixtures are confirmed.
Numbers are dropping thanks to ‘absolutely crazy’ ticket pricing, according to Irish supporters’ organisations who spoke to the Irish Mail on Sunday this week as clubs prioritise the one-off tourist who’ll spend big
But matchday trips are ‘definitely decreasing, because people just can’t afford it anymore’.
As an official Arsenal affiliate, his fan club gets 10 to 20 tickets for each home game – ‘like gold dust now’ thanks to the North London side’s recent fortunes – to distribute to members at face price (from around €45 to around €130).
Fans can become members of Arsenal Football Club and buy tickets directly – but then they’ll be in competition with ‘people from around the world, basically fighting for anywhere from four to 5,000 tickets,’ Mr Stummvoll said.
Those who want guaranteed tickets, and seats beside each other, can buy them through Arsenal’s only officially affiliated travel agent in Ireland – at a huge markup.
Single tickets for Arsenal’s next four games on the company’s website range from €414, for Tuesday night’s Champions League game against Lille, to a minimum of €1,181 for a clash with Man City November 29.
Buyers also get bonuses like VIP lounge access, a stadium tour and a matchday programme.
And Mr Stummvoll stressed: ‘That’s without travel or accommodation. That’s crazy. OK, it’s in the corporate seats, in the middle tier.
‘But that’s what normal people have to go through to get a ticket without using a non-licensed source.’
Those who want guaranteed tickets, and seats beside each other, can buy them through Arsenal’s only officially affiliated travel agent in Ireland – at a huge markup
The Austrian native – who has been living in Ireland for almost 30 years – said the cost to bring a young family is ‘like going to Disneyland, really’.
‘It’s crazy money unless you can get a reasonable ticket from someone like us. Even then, travel, food, a hotel for a family of four… probably cheaper to go to Disneyland.’
In today’s 4:30pm kick-off, Liverpool host Man City in the Premier League, in City’s first game since the seismic ruling that found them guilty of financial doping across nine years.
The club broke rules to buy their way to several league titles, helping to inflate the global transfer market in the process, further driving up ticket prices.
Mr Stummvoll said: ‘Manchester City pushed out the boat illegally, as we probably know now’ – an appeal is in train – ‘and the other clubs had to follow it’.
‘It’s a hyper-inflated market where the Premier League has the biggest transfer fees. That has to be paid somewhere, and in the end the fan has to shell out for it.’
The IT worker said clubs across the league are prioritising the fan who spends more on match days.
‘Is that the person that comes every two weeks for a home game, maybe gets a pint, maybe gets a pie, and then goes back home? Or is it the tourist that comes from LA or Japan, goes into the shop, buys some merch, probably has more than one beer? That’s who they make money on.’
Jonathan Smyth, chair of the Liverpool fan club You’ll Never Walk Alone Irish Reds, agreed, saying his beloved team ‘don’t want me going over every week because I don’t go to the club shop, and I don’t spend €100 or €200 – they want people who go over once’.
His fan club also gets an allotment of tickets for home games, but, like most Premier League teams, Liverpool is squeezing out such supporters.
In today’s 4:30pm kick-off, Liverpool host Man City in the Premier League, in City’s first game since the seismic ruling that found them guilty of financial doping across nine years
‘We’ve had the experience where we’ve sent tickets back to the club that we were selling for €70. We’d go back in and then all of a sudden, that ticket in Anfield Upper is now being sold as a hospitality seat.’
These resales also come as package deals with perks like an offsite meal with an ex-player.
‘But their seat within the ground is something they would have sold for €70, now selling within that package for €500. It’s crazy.’
Clubs are clamping down on fans buying season tickets and selling those for matches they can’t attend.
Last month, Manchester United banned 685 ticketing accounts and issued warnings or sanctions to a further 464 accounts.
Supporters protested, with the United fan group The 1958 accusing the club of ‘sanctioning and banning loyal, generational Reds.’
Mr Smyth said: ‘These owners want rid of lifelong match-goers… It’s a cull.’
‘If it’s a normal Joe Soap who can’t go over 10 times a year but is willing to give that ticket to somebody at cost price, I don’t see why there should be an issue with that.’
Another issue is an increasing amount of last-minute fixture changes to accommodate TV audiences, leaving supporters forking out more to revise dates.
Irish Ferries recently launched a ‘Football Flex’ offer, so fans can amend their booking at no extra cost when a fixture is changed.
In the UK, the Football Supporters’ Association has facilitated a campaign to freeze ticket prices.
Meanwhile, Dublin-based agents Cassidy Travel offer specialised Women’s Super League packages.
They said ‘a lot of demand centred around Arsenal – who recently had Irish star Katie McCabe, now of Chelsea – and are a traditional powerhouse’.
