'The Cost of Football' - or The Beautiful Game's Ugly Truth

For years now, one of the favourite pastimes of the average football fan has been to compare the modern game to that of days gone by. While pub-talk conversations about the speed of the game, the quality of the pitches, stadiums, players themselves and even haircuts inspire great debate over whether the contemporary state of the sport is preferable to decades ago, one area around which there is little debate is the cost of football. Now, thanks to a startling in-depth survey by BBC Sport, football fans across the country are finally able to provide tangible proof for what we've all known for ages: the game is more expensive now than ever. 

The essential basis of the survey is as follows: every club in all division across England and Scotland have told the good ol' BBC a number of statistics about the cost of various aspects of watching their team at home. The survey itself is a quite brilliant idea, and one imagines that only the BBC would be able to pull it off in a climate where it is safe to assume a fair few clubs were reluctant to air their dirty laundry. The figures provided are the price of the cheapest ticket available at any point in the season, the most expensive ticket available, the average price of a pie or other food item in the stadium, the price of a matchday programme and the price of a cup of tea. The results are very interesting, and provide statistics that are eagerly and helpfully dissected on the BBC website. 

While the recession angle that The Sun or The Daily Mail spin on the results of the survey may seem a little bit cliché, it does not mean that it isn't completely true. At a time when so many people struggle for money and household spending power continues to be severely restricted, it is quite shocking to see the amounts that football fans are forced to pay on a weekly basis. The refreshing aspect of the BBC's analysis is that the total values and the subsequent 'league tables' are based on the cheapest possible day spent at each stadium, rather than the sensational values the tabloids bandy around with such relish. 

As an Arsenal fan, such 'sensational values' are unfortunately an unavoidable bi-weekly way of life. The prices at the Emirates Stadium somewhat unsurprisingly top the league tables, and provide the papers with yet more proof of how Gunners fans are ripped off. The most expensive ticket at Arsenal, for a prime-location seat at a so called 'Category A' game (e.g Man United, Chelsea or Spurs), is an incredible £100. This is, of course, the value that is thrown around in newspapers to show how expensive the game has gotten. Obviously, however, this is not reflective of an average game, nor is the figure a million miles away from the £87 at Chelsea or £80 a Tottenham. Regrettably, Arsenal is also the most expensive ground in England to purchase a pie, which will set you back an eye-watering £4. 

Arsenal is not, however, the most expensive 'day out' in the Premier League. Arsenal's cheapest ticket costs £35, the same as the cheapest available at Premier League new boys Swansea City and QPR. There is one more expensive ticket available, though, which pushes the club in question to the summit of the 'Hall of Shame', a fact that bewilderingly the papers have by and large ignored in the hysteria of that hundred-pound-monstrosity in North London. The club is Liverpool, and the cheapest ticket that can be purchased at any time in the season, even a midweek game at home to Wigan Athletic, is £39. £39!  The cheapest 'day out' at Anfield, admittedly probably not the amount it would cost a regular visitor to the ground who will rarely buy all three items, is £46.95. 

The discrepency between the most expensive and the cheapest clubs in the Premier League is startling. Liverpool's total is balanced by an entirely affordable £17.50 at Blackburn, a total brought about because of an incredibly cheap £10 ticket. This places Rovers in a unique group of clubs who offer tickets for a tenner. I feel these deserve special mention in the modern game. So here they are: Blackburn, Watford, Rochdale, Preston North End, MK Dons, Rotherham, Torquay United and  Plymouth Argyle.

I, like many others, feel a mix of strange emotions when I see these figures. Of course, it's fun to pick apart the different values and scoff at some of the numbers involved. However, it is important to remember that these astronomical figures represent genuine problems. Genuine sacrifices. I don't just mean that people sacrifice going to football matches, because football lovers will always find a way to return to their spiritual homes every Saturday. I mean that often people face choices between forking out for that ticket to see the derby match, or buying a new pair of shoes that they need. Buying a present for a loved one. Football fans should not be punished by their clubs. After all, without these faithful fans the clubs wouldn't even exist. They wouldn't have anyone they could rip off. Football clubs should remember who are the most important people in the game, and restore some sanity amongst the soaring prices and the gold-leaf, diamond encrusted pies.  

Arsenal's summer of discontent.

Over a brief hiatus from writing and updating this blog, i've taken time to relax and enjoy myself. As I see newspapers filled with pictures from the latest Premier League star's holiday, hair transplant, affair or transfer rumour, i've reflected on the summers of the past. While the sweltering summer sun beats down over the UK, tennis lovers greedily consume their Pimms, cricket fans keep tabs on England's inconsistent form, while football fans experience one of the oddest periods of all. The summer is a relentless carousel for a football fan, spinning wildly and leaving many feeling worse-for-wear. While ridiculous transfer speculation swirls mindlessly across the back pages, there of course isn't even any real football to sugar the pill. No, just months...and months...of waiting.

Not just waiting for the new season to begin. The cruel practice of releasing the fixtures for the upcoming campaign months in advance aside, all us lovers of the beautiful game have to focus on is the speculation that surrounds our teams. This period is arguably worst for one club in particular, especially out of the biggest clubs England, and this is the club that I, as a foolish 6 year-old, decided to spend the rest of my life following. Summer is never a good time for an Arsenal fan. As season after season stutter to increasingly frustrating climaxes, the summer months feel like trying to cross a desert with a tablespoon of water. Arsenal fans are powerless to do anything but sit and wait for the latest attempt on their most prized assets - be it Henry's consistent near-exits from 2005 onwards, perpetual rumours over beloved captain Patrick Vieira, or the never-ending pursuit of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. As much as you try and keep your hand steady, the beating sun means that eventually, the water will be spilled. 

Henry left for Barcelona. Vieira to Juventus. Fabregas will undoubtedly leave for his Catalan home, if not this summer then next. I'm not suggesting that this process is unique to Arsenal fans. Of course, fans of every Championship and lower Premier League team with a star player will more often than not be resigned to his exit. Sunderland completed the signing of promising Ipswich striker Connor Wickham this week, Reading have conceded that it is unlikely they would be able to hold on to free-scoring striker Shane Long, while players such as Peter Odemwingie, Scott Parker and Gary Cahill will all almost certainly be poached by a bigger club over the break. However, the frustrating this for Arsenal fans is that the club is in a position where it should not be powerless to stop this. Fabregas, Henry and Vieira - each individually at one time or another arguably the most influential player in their team, should not just be destined to leave. This arguably naive view, especially in Fabregas' case where there are so many other influences at play, would not be as painful if there was some sense that these players would be adequately replaced. However, even at a time when everyone at the club, from Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis to Wenger himself, are promising multiple transfers, I can't help but worry that August will roll around with at most one or two new arrivals. 

If Fabregas leaves, then it is perhaps inevitable end point of a lengthy process. Barcelona, much like a bigger, stronger man who your wife has cheated on you with, will swoop in and take your beloved off into the sunset. They're better than us, they're richer than us, and he wants to play for them more than us. Which is more, what with the rise of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, the acquisition of just one experienced central midfielder would adequately fill this void. However, if impressive midfielder Samir Nasri and longest-serving player and quasi-sole left-back (in my opinion Kieran Gibbs is way more than one season away from first-team quality) Gael Clichy also leave then the task becomes daunting. Three top class players would now be needed, and this is before we even begin to address the obvious deficiencies that already exist in Arsenal's squad. Every fan has his own opinion, his own priority. A goalkeeper, a leading central defender from the Adams mould, a bossy midfielder or a clinical 25-goal a year man. All arguably as important as each other, however if all three players leave and need to be replaced, this leaves Arsenal with seven signings to make - something that just won't happen under Wenger. 

Not only are there problems on the pitch. Former Director Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith has aired the board's dirty laundry all over Twitter; first claiming that David Dein is the root cause of all of Arsenal's current problems, then backtracking and praising him as the catalyst for all of the club's success. Then, earlier this week, she quite astonishingly claimed that every member of Arsenal's current board should be sacked, including Stan Kroenke - the multi-billionaire who she sold her shares to. Such turmoil upstairs can only be unsettling for Wenger and the players at a very volatile and fragile time for Arsenal Football Club. Mistakes have undoubtedly been made. The long-term sponsorship deal with Emirates for shirt and stadium naming rights has proved a costly error - the contract has bound Arsenal for an exceedingly lengthy period to a contract which now seems like a steal. Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Aston Villa now have more lucrative shirt sponsorship contracts than Arsenal do, a situation which is quite ridiculous for a club of Arsenal's stature. The comparative lack of revenue will mean that Arsenal's stadium debt will linger on for longer than it ever needed to, while at present it restricts Wenger's spending power to just a fraction of those available to Ferguson, Mancini et al. 

There are transfer rumours. Arsenal fans will also be aware that there are always rumours. The players that i've seen us linked to include Juan Mata, Christopher Samba, Gary Cahill, Gervinho, Roman Lukaku, as well as all manner of sixteen year-olds. However, while the rumours persist at Arsenal, other clubs are actually signing players. Man Utd have completed the signing of impressive young goalkeeper David De Gea, a player that one can only assume would have worked wonders at the Emirates, as well as Ashley Young and Phil Jones. Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City will all undoubtedly sign several players before the new season, while a haul of three would delight most Arsenal fans used to the Professor's economic discipline and stringent transfer policy. 

This is the most important few months in Arsenal's recent history, and will, without exaggeration, undoubtedly determine the direction of the club for the next five or ten years. If the captain, the longest serving player and one of the most talented players all leave and aren't replaced, Arsenal will only go backwards. If, however, one of the three stays, the other two are replaced and one or two others arrive, Arsenal may be able to use results on the pitch to turn around the waining fortunes of other aspects of the club. As an Arsenal fan, I can only hope that August comes quickly.