The BBC announced their annual Price of Football report this week which looks at the price clubs charge for match day and season tickets, shirts, programmes, pies, tea and away tickets. I take a look at how the South Yorkshire clubs compare in prices for this season.
It comes at no surprise that Sheffield Wednesday’s infamous ticket prices, ordered by Dejphon Chansiri after becoming the owner, topped the South Yorkshire chart with the Owls’ most expensive match day ticket standing at a whopping £49 – the highest in the Championship.
Barnsley have the second highest match day ticket at £38 followed by Sheffield United at £29 and Rotherham at £27. League Two Doncaster Rovers’ most expensive ticket of £21 is below their league’s average price and is less than Barnsley and Rotherham’s cheapest ticket of £25.
Sheffield Wednesday also top the season ticket prices, with a mammoth £705 being their most expensive. Their cheapest, £415, is similar to fellow Championship clubs Rotherham and Barnsley’s most expensive at £460 and £450. Sheffield United’s dearest is similar too, at £441, whilst their cheapest is £288. Doncaster range between £299 and £384.
If you’re looking for the cheapest pie in South Yorkshire football, the Keepmoat is where you need to be with pies priced at £3.10. The Blades offer the most expensive pie at £3.50.
The away ticking prices have proven to be controversial at Hillsborough this season and BBC’s report shows why. Wednesday’s cheapest away ticket is £20, the same as Sheffield United’s and cheaper than Barnsley and Rotherham’s cheapest of £23. However, their most expensive ticket stands at £42, which is the most expensive away ticket in the entire Football League; higher than visits to Old Trafford and Anfield. A visit to the Keepmoat could be as cheap as £10.
Replica shirt prices are next on the agenda and, at this point, no prizes are available for guessing which club charges the most. An adult Owls shirt costs the most in the Championship at £55. Even a child’s shirt is £45, which is 31% above the league average and more expensive than the Millers’ adult replica shirt at £39.99. A shirt from the New York Stadium is the cheapest in the Championship. Wednesday’s child’s shirt is also more expensive than an adult Doncaster shirt and the same price as an adult Blades or Tykes shirt.
Overall, there are no surprises in the cost of South Yorkshire football. Lowest ranked Rovers offer the cheapest match day experience. The prices set by Thai businessman Chansiri may seem outrageous but Wednesday have still attracted an average 26,000 crowd this season and are the highest ranked team in South Yorkshire. In the modern era, perhaps that’s the price of football.
