Unofficial Halesowen Town FC Forum

I know it’s a debate that’s been had on here a number of times, but I thought I’d add my personal prospective on it...apologies for covering old ground, so to speak.

The cheapest adult season ticket at the Albion is £349, which is the one I would be purchasing, not because it’s the cheapest but because it’s in the stand I have always sat and the home end of the Albion, the Birmingham Road End.

So far this pre-season I have purchased:
- Halesowen Town Adult season ticket - £170
- Halesowen Town shirt - £22
- Have taken part in the FOTG draw - £10
- Attended all 7 pre-season games (£5 each, I believe?) - £35

All in all that’s a total spend of £237, meaning that the Albion season ticket is still a £112 more than all the above!

To take this a bit further, assuming that away teams charge £10 entry fee, I can attend 10 away league games and the Albion season ticket would still be £12 more expensive than all the above!

So to summarise I can attend a total of 7 pre-season games, 29 league matches, purchase the home shirt all within the cost of a season ticket at the Albion and have a fair bit of change left over.

Frightening, especially when an Albion season ticket is very ‘cheap’ in comparison to fellow Premier League teams.

The cost of watching Premier league football is horrendous and extortionate, I don't think anyone can argue that. However, the way you broke down the cost of watching HTFC compared to WBA made me think 'hang on, the Albion is decent value!'

In its most basic form, and not including beer, pies, programmes etc, it would cost a little over £100 to attend all WBA home league games instead of following HTFC. Considering WBA is the (arguably) highest, most elite level of football in the world that actually seems good value. For £100 you can swap the 7th tier of English football for the top tier. For £100 you can watch (arguably) the best league in the world instead of the NPL. For an extra £100 you can watch the likes of Costa,Aguiero, Fabregas, Rooney, Sturridge and Silva instead of Joe Bloggs from Skelmersdale.

For £100 that actually seems AMAZING value!!!

And just to clarify I don't go to Premier League matches. When I'm free I bring my lad to watch HTFC as we enjoy it more. Which is why I found my initial 'reaction' to the cost not what I expected.

The difference between a WBA adult season ticket (cheapest) and a Yeltz adult season ticket, is £179. A big difference IMO.

Also at Prem level you get 19 games whereas at NPL level you get 23 games.

I agree with you, it's right to expect some differences between prices of the highest level and a lower league level, but that's one hell of a difference, especially when the top flight could easily cope without fans income whereas non league is dependant on it.

I've saved a fortune watching Halesowen compared to Villa. An away game with Halesowen will cost me less then a home game at Villa, and that includes the petrol contribution for the limo. It isn't just the cost of the match ticket either, compare also the price also of a half pint bottle of warm gnats piss that they call lager at the ground to a nice pint of ale in the JG Lounge or neighbouring pubs. Then you'll also pay a £1 for a bloody mars bar!

Premiership football is a rip off and whilst people are still going to pay it they'll continue to put the prices up. I honestly can't see me ever setting foot in Villa Park again. Last season I was offered a couple of freebies at Villa Park and chose to go and pay to watch Halesowen instead.

I won't pay for Sky either, they created the monster, and I sure as hell ain't going to feed the monster.

AVFCYELTZ wrote:I've saved a fortune watching Halesowen compared to Villa. An away game with Halesowen will cost me less then a home game at Villa, and that includes the petrol contribution for the limo. It isn't just the cost of the match ticket either, compare also the price also of a half pint bottle of warm gnats piss that they call lager at the ground to a nice pint of ale in the JG Lounge or neighbouring pubs. Then you'll also pay a £1 for a bloody mars bar!

Premiership football is a rip off and whilst people are still going to pay it they'll continue to put the prices up. I honestly can't see me ever setting foot in Villa Park again. Last season I was offered a couple of freebies at Villa Park and chose to go and pay to watch Halesowen instead.

I won't pay for Sky either, they created the monster, and I sure as hell ain't going to feed the monster.

Sky invest a lot of money, it needs to be regulated in a sensible fashion. That requires common sense from idiots who run the FA and Prem.

RaidenYeltz wrote:

AVFCYELTZ wrote:I've saved a fortune watching Halesowen compared to Villa. An away game with Halesowen will cost me less then a home game at Villa, and that includes the petrol contribution for the limo. It isn't just the cost of the match ticket either, compare also the price also of a half pint bottle of warm gnats piss that they call lager at the ground to a nice pint of ale in the JG Lounge or neighbouring pubs. Then you'll also pay a £1 for a bloody mars bar!

Premiership football is a rip off and whilst people are still going to pay it they'll continue to put the prices up. I honestly can't see me ever setting foot in Villa Park again. Last season I was offered a couple of freebies at Villa Park and chose to go and pay to watch Halesowen instead.

I won't pay for Sky either, they created the monster, and I sure as hell ain't going to feed the monster.

Sky invest a lot of money, it needs to be regulated in a sensible fashion. That requires common sense from idiots who run the FA and Prem.

Investing money they do, have they made the game any better? - No, not in my opinion. They've made half a dozen clubs at most the only clubs realistically who can win anything unless they have a Russian billionaire or rich Arab with oil money. What is the best that any newly promoted club could dream of achieving in the Premier League within 5 years? A top half finish, 7th at the very best. When the frenzy of excitement over finishing fourth in the Premier League is given more significance than winning the FA Cup that tells you all you need to know. It will never be regulated sensibly as unfortunately money talks. Without trying to sound patronising it's maybe harder for you to comprehend as you've grown up with the 24/7 sports news channels and that shouty twat on transfer deadline day sensationalising the latest loan deal. Modern football absolutely stinks, right from the top.

That's the point isn't it?

Sky are investors only. As long as they get their rights why should they care where that money then goes?

All this obscene money going into the accounts of top clubs, it could and should be spent on things other than inflated transfer fees and wages.

Subsidising tickets prices and helping communities and their local grass root / school sides with a view to feeding into the club to name two.

I don't blame Sky for how football has gone / is going. I blame the lack of regulations from relevant authorities on how that money has been used.

As you say it won't happen. Sadly.

Interesting debate, I agree in parts with what you say. I know the price of modern day football can be expensive and the fact Sky basically dictate when games are played with stupid kick off times can be incredibly frustrating.

I'll put my situation into perspective, I do happen to have a Villa season ticket this season as I have done for the best part of 20 years. Ok, jokes aside about the quality of football etc. I paid £406 this season, which to be fair is one of the cheaper seats at Villa Park and for 19 games that works out at just over £21 a game, which I don't think is totally unreasonable for Premier League football. In addition to my season ticket I also got £43 'Villa Cash' to spend on anything Villa related ie. match tickets, stadium tours or on merchandise. I opted to use this to but this seasons Away shirt which retailed at £48 however with my £43 off, I only had to pay £5. Granted, I wouldn't have paid £48 for it, absolute rip off to be honest but the fact it would only cost me a fiver was a no brained in my opinion.
As to comments about the price of food and drink of stadiums - well I don't pay for it as again complete rip off. Pre match pints happen in the local Irish pub near to Villa Park where a pint of Guinness is less than £3. I go to games with my dad and brother and we take it in turns to drive to games and also buy in rounds for drinks but only tend to have 1, maybe 2 pints anyway.

I do tend to go to about 5, maybe 6 away games a season too. I pick and choose games that I think will be a good day out and also to grounds I have never visited before. Tickets vary depending on the club but I refuse to pay over £40 for a ticket and don't tend to go to games that are on TV - unless it is a ground I have never visited before and not likely to visit again. An away day would inc. ticket, travel, beer and food and that normally would cost in the region of about £100, not cheap hence why I don't go to every away game.

Now onto Halesowen Town. I love coming down The Grove, I came to about 10 games last season and also 1 away game (Market Drayton.) Based on entry (£10) then beer and food a day/night out there can range between £20 and £40 (depending on how much beer I consume!)

In comparison to a 'one off' game at Villa Park it's cheaper by far, however I probably spend less and get better value on a game by game basis by being a season ticket holder at Villa Park. Don't get me wrong I love coming down to Halesowen Town - I enjoy myself but everything comes at a cost.

I guess you could say 'well you would get better value by getting a season ticket at the Yeltz' and maybe so but I am still in a fortunate position that I can still afford to have a season ticket at the Villa. Maybe when the time comes and I can't, I will probably be a 'regular' down the Grove rather than the 'part-timer' I am now.

I guess my point is, only spend what you can afford or what you are willing to spend. If you can't afford to do something then look at alternatives. Do whatever makes you happy. I'm happy(ish) with still going to Villa games and my trips down the Grove so I'd like to think I've got the best of both worlds!

Good points raised Dale, and I agree with you. If I was young, free and single i'd possibly still be going to the Villa and never have made the switch to the Yeltz. A house move, two young kids and the need to balance family time with my hobby certainly helped my decision. I think we all have our ways of following our team(s) and it isn't for me to judge anyone. I just don't think it is for me any longer. I feel exactly the same about watching England. I was a rare breed who always chose country over club, but that has gone by the wayside also.

Im not defending the finances of professional football in any way shape or form. I think absolutely everyone would be in agreement that the finances going into te game and its subsequent distribution isnt great. i just commented that when broke down and compared i was surprised that i actually thought it not bad value.

The point i was making was that my initial reaction to the post surprised me. Granted everyones finances are different but, as Raiden states, the difference between a season ticket at WBA(19 games) and HTFC(23 games) is £179. Not including sundries such as food/drink i still dont think that £179 difference over a whole season to watch top flight football is bad value. Im not saying the price of a WBA season ticket is good value either, im just saying in general i dont think an extra 200 quid to watch elite sport is an outrageous price to pay. And like Dalevillian says re his Villa season ticket, it breaks down to £21 a game. I think everyone would agree that 20 quid a ticket is probably about what Prem league teams should be charging. £20 is certainly on parity with Bundesliga prices and there pricing structure is being hailed as the correct way to do things.

I suppose a different, tongue in cheek way to look at it is that it would cost you £237 for a ticket to watch an Elton John tribute act. For an extra £179 you could get a ticket to watch the real Elton John. If your an Elton John fan(Im not!) its probably good value to pay a bit more and see the real thing??

Its an interesting debate and everyone will have their own financial constraints and decide how they spend their hard earned cash. The reality is that i dont see empty stadiums, so from a business point of view the prices will keep rising. Me personally id rather have a beer watching decent non league with my lad.