While Middlesbrough’s defence was as porous tonight as their security (two fans ran across the field in fancy dress costumes during the second half), the match at Riverside Stadium revealed another disturbing fact: All those empty seats.
We broached the topic last week after Boro’s home match against Chelsea. But in that match and others, the commentators have dismissed the low crowds as being a result of people still on holiday. Although the holiday claims may sound plausible, I don’t believe them for a second.
While not scientific, I reviewed Boro’s home attendances for the beginning of last season and compared them to now. Here’s what I discovered:
- When Boro lost 3-0 at home against Charlton on August 28, 2005, the attendance was 26,206. Tonight’s attendance was 24,834. The capacity of Riverside Stadium is 35,100. Boro’s attendance for the Chelsea match last week was 29,198.
So attendances are down for Boro and there are more empty seats than last year. But the issue is not just at Middlesbrough. Throughout the Premiership, fans are voting with their feet regarding the high priced tickets for matches.
While the prices are high for Middlesbrough fans ($45 to $60), how does that compare with a ticket to a NFL game? To go see the Miami Dolphins game against Buffalo Bills in September, tickets run anywhere from $39 to $250 (with $39 being in the nosebleed section, something Boro fans don’t have to worry about). Of course, there are far fewer NFL matches during a season, but the comparison is interesting nonetheless.
6 responses so far ↓
1 The Gaffer // Aug 28, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Here are a couple of interesting articles submitted by The Tokyo Toffeeman from, well, Tokyo:
1. Unfortunately these figures are a year out of date but still the point about Premiership match tickets is clear.
2. Another article via When Saturday Comes illustrating the rip-off aspect of Premiership ticket prices…
2 Anonymous // Aug 28, 2006 at 9:02 pm
It would be more pertinent to find a detailed comparison of ticket prices in other European leagues - the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A & Division 1 in France are much less pricey for fans. The rip-off of the Premiership will be starkly apparent.
3 Frank Garrison // Aug 29, 2006 at 12:29 pm
During my two trips to Arsenal last season, the price for ONE ticket was 44.50GBP (about $80). Now I know Arsenal have the highest prices in the league, and I didn’t mind paying that price for the 4 home matches I saw, but there is no way i could justify a season ticket (or really even more than 8-10 matches a season) on those prices. I fear that Arsenal will have many poorly attended matches this season (particularly if our form stays the same!).
4 fsquid // Aug 29, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Soccer was supposed to be a place for the British worker to unwind on Sat and cheer on his “tribe”. These prices have priced out the blue collar worker. Combine that with more matches on TV in the UK and you have your attendance problem.
5 jason // Aug 29, 2006 at 5:14 pm
I don’t blame Arsenal for having high ticket prices. With a season ticket waiting list of 30,000 people, Arsenal should charge an arm and a leg for a match ticket; especially a club which neeeds to fund a squad expected to compete in the Premiership and the European Cup.
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