Digital Editor’s Note: Huge thanks to the team over at https://seatpick.com/ for commissioning and sharing the following analysis with Sorted Magazine readers. They hope you find it useful!
Amid reports that 17 of the 20 Premier League clubs have raised their ticket prices for this season, up from 11 clubs in 2022-23, SeatPick were keen to identify the Premier League clubs with the most expensive ticket prices for fans.
To achieve this, the experts analysed changes in ticket prices for the 2023/24 Premier League season and compared these with the average wages per city, calculating the number of working hours required for fans to afford either a matchday ticket or a season ticket.
Here are the Premier League clubs with the highest rise in season ticket prices:
*Refers to teams that were promoted from the Championship to the Premier league for the 2023/2024 season. For the full dataset please see the methodology.
SeatPick can reveal that Fulham, who finished tenth in the 2022/23 Premier League season, have almost tripled their most expensive season ticket from £1,050 to £3,000, where fans will be seated in the redeveloped Riverside Stand. This averages at £157 per game, which is almost three times the cost of the most expensive standard ticket at Craven Cottage (£55). Surpassing Tottenham’s priciest ticket of £2,025, the extensive price rise makes it the most expensive ticket in the Premier League without hospitality. In addition, the club’s cheapest season ticket will set Cottagers back an extra 29%, now at £595 compared to £460 last season, meaning Fulham’s most budget-friendly option will demand an average of 27 working hours to become affordable. Given the ongoing impact of the cost of living crisis, it’s unsurprising that fans are expressing dissatisfaction with this substantial price hike.
West Ham United have seen the second-highest price increase for tickets. This is despite star player Declan Rice leaving the club to join Arsenal, with the most expensive season ticket for the Hammers seeing a 58% increase from £1,025 to £1,620 for the 2023/24 season. These premium seats, situated in both Billy Bonds stand and West stand, are almost double that of London rivals, Chelsea (£940), who froze prices from last season. Although prices have increased 4% since last season, the Hammers’ cheapest season ticket continues to be the lowest in the Premier League (£310), which would take less than 14 hours of work to afford (13.96 hours). This is just under half what would be needed for a ticket at Fulham, which would take 27 working hours. For fans of the Hammers who are unable to attend every game, standard ticket prices have been frozen again this season ranging from £30 to £100 – the second-highest amongst all Premier League Clubs.
Ranking third is Bournemouth, whose premium season ticket prices increased by 35% for the current season, costing £1,026. This is the club’s first price rise since the 2015/16 season and their first in the Premier League. The most affordable option at the Vitality Stadium will set Cherries fans back £590, 7% more than last season (£550), and over double the cost of a season ticket at Premier League champions, Manchester City. Despite this, the Cherries are able to purchase standard match tickets at reduced prices this season, with the most expensive option now costing 4% less, down from £55 to £53. Not only this, the cheapest ticket now costs £28, a 13% decrease from the 2022/23 season (£32).
Following a very successful 2022/23 season, Newcastle United fans were faced with largely increased season ticket prices. The cheapest option at St James Park will now cost fans of the Magpies £600, marking a 44% surge from the previous season (£417). This increase is the steepest among all Premier League clubs, amounting to almost five days worth of work (35.13 hours). Standard ticket prices have also changed, with the most expensive option increasing to £70 (previously £67) and the cheapest having decreased to £32 (previously £36). However, the club’s new ballot system introduced for the 2023/24 season now means those successful will be allocated a seat at random and have no choice of price.
Liverpool have the cheapest match day ticket at £9
Despite a 2% increase in both their most affordable (£699) and premium (£886) season tickets compared to the previous season, Liverpool lead the way by offering the most economical match day ticket at just £9 for the cheapest seats. This remains consistent with last year’s most affordable match day ticket, and is a staggering 83% cheaper than their Merseyside rivals, Everton. Notably, Everton has increased their cheapest ticket prices from £40 to £55 (a 38% rise), despite narrowly avoiding relegation last season. As a result, Everton’s cheapest matchday ticket now ranks as the second most expensive in the Premier League, trailing only 5% behind treble winners, Manchester City, who have set their minimum price at £58.
Main Photo Credit: Milly Pyne