The cost of watching football

When people talk about the credit crunch, it's usually in relation to mortgage deals, supermarket goods and working out who can supply you with the cheapest electricity. It can't be long before the spotlight turns on sport though.

I mention this because one of my colleagues wanted to go and watch Spurs play at Fulham last weekend, and the cheapest ticket price he was quoted was £40. Apparently for Upton Park it would have been £45.

When times are good, the economy is booming and people go to stadiums with a spring in their steps as opposed to dragging their heels, those prices are still outrageous, but they somehow never make the headlines.

Fast forward to now, when unemployment is rocketing, banks are going to the wall and people are hacking £25k – or more – off their house prices just to sell them, then it's about time the way football fans in particular get royally fleeced week in, week out is challenged.

The Premier League has long been the home of silly prices, and it's got away with it, in my opinion, because all the shows which debate the subject are stuffed with ex-pros, most of whom can't see a problem with mediocre footballers living in mansions at the expense of the rest of us.

But the 'L'Oreal' argument ("because they're worth it..") holds less sway with people trying to work out how to save £10 on the weekly food shop, and it's showing.

If you set aside the big clubs who can rely on large nationwide fan bases, the rest in the Premier League are looking at dwindling crowds.

But it's not just in the self-styled 'best league in Europe' that people are voting with their feet, the Championship chickens are coming home to roost as well it seems.

Sheffield Wednesday, who could always bank on 20,000+ turning up every other week, had 16,119 watching them lose to Coventry on Saturday, the lowest league crowd there since 2002.

Birmingham City have been among the pacesetters since August, but despite their recent spells in the top flight, are struggling to hide the banks of empty seats at St Andrews.

Bristol City are on the up attendance-wise, but I'd argue that's because the club are still riding the crest of the promotion wave from two seasons ago, a wave sustained by last season's play-off push.

The sad reality is that without a similar campaign this season, that will tail off. I say that because a large bulk of the crowds at the moment are made up of season ticket holders. The matchday prices can make you wince (£28 in the Dolman for example), even though Ashton Gate is by no means the most expensive place to watch Championship football.

Any season ticket holders who don't renew for next campaign are unlikely to be replaced by casual fans, who these days are more selective of which games they attend.

When Bristol Rugby sent out their appeal for new investment last week, one of the telling quotes spoke of lost revenue due to stay-away fans. Rovers, on the face of it, are also losing out if you look at current Memorial Stadium attendances compared to previous spells in League One.

It's no longer a question of if we're in a recession, it's a question of how long it will last.

For football, and other sports that rely on supporters digging deep, the question is not how many people are dropping off the radar now, but what percentage of them will return.

Let's put it in context. One of my friends has a season ticket at Ashton Gate. It was a decent deal, but still a fair chunk of cash to hand over in one go.

Because of interest rate fluctuations, at one point in the summer she found herself looking at a monthly increase of £200 on her mortgage. Things have calmed down a bit now, but for a few weeks that season ticket looked a very foolish purchase indeed.

Twice recently I've had to fight the urge to throw my radio out the window when commentators bemoan low crowds when games are live on TV.

Fan loyalty is to be admired, but simple logic dictates that if you can watch a match for free, why pay the equivalent of a night out or a trip to Sainsbury's to go along?

Back to Sheffield Wednesday for a bit of common sense (not a phrase you hear very often).

Manager Brian Laws, when asked about the low crowd against Coventry, said this, which we can all agree with: "Any football game is expensive now and sometimes you have to make a decision when there are a lot of games to be played.

"The supporters will probably pick and choose their games because if it's the difference between buying your son a present at Christmas or going to a football game, I think I'd be choosing the present."

Then it all comes down to who your Dad supports I suppose. If they're a Tottenham fan choosing between your present and a couple of tickets for Fulham away, you're laughing.