Last week we compared the price of a Season Ticket for every League 1 club and found that Bradford City offered the most affordable price at just £149 for a full paying adult. This time, we have taken a look at the prices for League 2 clubs to find what fans are getting the best value for their money as the season ticks ever nearer.
Once again, we have solely looked at prices for a full paying adult and all prices are correct as of 9 June 2015. We have excluded from our guide any early bird pricing offered that has since expired. For example, Dagenham & Redbridge offered Season Tickets at just £199, but prices have since risen to £335 after the early bird deadline of 30th May passed. Many of the prices listed below are also for Season Tickets on terracing. Barnet FC are not included in the price chart below as the Bees instead offer a monthly membership package that differs from the standard pricing structure of other League 2 clubs.
Top of our chart for League 2 clubs we find recently relegated Leyton Orient whose season of turmoil and managerial chopping and changing saw the South London club relegated from League 1 on the final day of the season. To ease the pain of relegation and no doubt to placate some of the constellation emanating from the terraces towards the clubs owners, Orient have opted to reduce their Season Tickets for the forthcoming campaign and are offering tickets in the Baskin Robbins North Family Stand for adults at just £180. For 23 matches, O’s fans will be expected to cough up just over £7.80 per match and are comfortably the cheapest prices in League 2. The Orient faithful will be hoping for a far better season than last year’s campaign and by offering the lowest adult Season Ticket price of any League 2 club, Orient will hope that the Matchroom can be turned into a fortress, fueling a quick fire return to the 3rd tier.
Coming next on our affordability chart, and the only other clubs that are offering Season Tickets for under £250 are Wycombe Wanderers and Oxford United. Wycombe narrowly missed out on promotion last campaign but will be hoping to build on what was a fantastic if ultimately disappointing season for Gareth Ainsworth’s men by offering supporters Season Tickets in the Bucks New Uni Stand (Terrace) for just £236, or just over £10 per game. The Chairboys are offering Season Tickets at a 10% reduced rate from last season who have until July 31st to snap up these discounted prices before they rise. Coming close to Wycombe’s reasonable prices is Oxford United who are charging £239 in the East Stand for a Season Ticket which is a £15 reduction on last year’s prices.
Interestingly, AFC Wimbledon have incorporated into their pricing structure the innovative scheme of giving supporters a choice when purchasing their ticket to make a £50 ‘Optional Donation’ on top of the £260 which would get Dons fans a Season Ticket in the Your Golf Travel Terrace. It will be curious to see how many Dons fans will support the Optional Donation strategy that will serve to further fund Neal Ardley’s side who achieved their highest finish last season since returning to the Football League.
There are 6 League 2 Clubs who at this stage expect fans to splash out over £300 for a Season Ticket next season, with one of them being Carlisle United who just managed to survive in the division last season. Despite this, United will be quick to point that although the cheapest Season Ticket which is currently set at £321 and due to rise on Monday 15 June, places the club as the 6th highest in our pricing chart: Carlisle fans on purchase of a Season Ticket at Brunton Park get the benefit of 25% off all Travel with Virgin Trains throughout the season due to the clubs sponsorship with the train company. Irregardless of the Cumbirans geographical position, this is a fantastic benefit of purchasing a Season Ticket and will no doubt come in handy for Carlisle fans who once again will have to make extreme journeys to the likes of Plymouth and Exeter next season. Perhaps this kind of commercial partnership and additional benefit of a Season Ticket purchase could be an initiative other clubs take on in the future.
Finally, and suffering the ignominy of placing rock bottom in our price comparison chart is Plymouth Argyle. Plymouth fans making the pilgrimage to Home Park next season will be expected to cough up £380 for a full club membership which includes a ticket to all 23 league matches next season. Despite offering the most expensive prices, like most clubs Plymouth fans are not just purchasing a 23 match season booklet but will also be getting a 5% discount in the club shop and priorities on cup, play-off and away match ticket allocations. £380 also works out a slightly over £16.50 per match so despite being the most expensive of Season Ticket prices, it still works out as easily the most affordable way to watch the season unfold down at Home Park.
All in all, League 2 prices for Season Tickets do stack up rather favourably for the average supporters with many clubs incentivising purchasing a Season Ticket with other promotional offers. In equal measure, 16 of the 24 clubs initially in their pricing structures offered frozen ticketing prices or reduced the cost of watching League 2 football from last season prices in an effort to make football more affordable for fans.
With the trickling down of football’s wealth from the elite to the lower end of the professional football pyramid still disgustingly limited, income from Season Ticket sales continues to represent the essential stream of finance for many lower league clubs. Hopefully the prices on offer from your club have inspired you to snap up a ticket for the forthcoming campaign.
| 1- Leyton Orient | £180 -Reduced by 10% |
| 2- Wycombe Wanderers | £236- Reduced by 10% Until July 31 |
| 3- Oxford United | £239- Reduction |
| 4- Hartlepool United | £250- Till July 31 |
| 5- Accrington Stanley | £260.00 |
| 6- Wimbledon | £260- Optional donation of £50 |
| 7- Morecambe | £269 |
| 8- Cambridge United | £275 |
| 9- York City | £275- Price freeze till June 30 |
| 10- Crawley Town | £290- Price freeze ill June 13 |
| 11- Newport County | £290 |
| 12- Stevenage | £299 |
| 13- Bristol Rovers | £300 |
| 14- Yeovil Town | £305- Reduced prices |
| 15- Luton Town | £310 |
| 16- Exeter City | £312.80 |
| 17- Portsmouth | £320- Price freeze for 3rd year in a row till July 4 |
| 18- Carlisle United | £321- Till June 12. 25 % of Virgin Trains |
| 19- Mansfield Town | £330 |
| 20- Dagenham & Redbridge | £335 |
| 21- Notts County | £340- or £325 with 5 year price freeze plan |
| 22- Northampton Town | £350- Pice freeze |
| 23- Plymouth Argyle | £380 |
| N/A- Barnet | Adult membership price, £22 per month |
