Reduced Prices as Queen's Park Prepare for Return To Hampden

Football returns to Scotland's National Stadium this Saturday (3rd January) after a year in which Hampden Park was transformed into one of the main venues for the successful Commonwealth Games.

For Scotland's oldest senior football club, Queen's Park, that has meant a year of groundsharing at Airdrie's Excelsior Stadium but the Spiders have coped well with the upheaval and return home in the top-half of the table.

Clyde FC are the first visitors to Hampden and Queens' have reduced prices for the fixture to just £5 for adults, £1 for concessions and children free when accompanied by an adult.

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/?p=9103

Looking further ahead, Hampden hosts two League Cup semi-finals on successive days with Aberdeen meeting Dundee United on Saturday 31 January and Celtic and Rangers renewing rivalries the following days.

Following agreements between all four clubs, adult tickets are available at £25 (North, East, West Stands) and £10 for under-16's (East and West).

The January Sales!

A round-up of the offers we've seen for the opening month of 2015, starting on Friday 2 when MK Dons host Chesterfield in an FA Cup Second Round tie that is being replayed by order of the FA after Chesterfield, who won at Stadium:MK on December 6, admitted fielding an ineligible player.

The game comes on the back of the busy festive period and the Dons have received special permission from the FA to reduce ticket prices below the usual minimum demanded to as low as £6 for adults and £1 for under-18's. Chesterfield meanwhile are laying on free travel for a certain amount of supporters and subsidised coaches thereafter.

The Third Round of the famous old competition begins the following day on Saturday 3 and a number of clubs have reduced adult prices to the £15 mark for their respective home games.

Special mentions to Southampton who have priced the St Mary's clash with Ipswich Town at £10 for adults, £5 concessions and £3 for juniors (the Suffolk side have requested extra tickets and are set to bring up to 5,500 fans to the game), Aston Villa who have adult tickets available from £10 as they host Blackpool and Huddersfield Town where adult prices for the Reading game are £10 for season card holders and £12 for general sale if purchased in advance of matchday.

Preston North End play Walsall in the first leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final on Wednesday 7 and Deepdale should be packed to the rafters after the club announced prices of £5 for ambassadors (ST holders) and £6 for non-ambassadors with under-16's priced at just £1 and £2.

It is 'Shire for a Fiver' day at East Stirlingshire on Saturday 17 for the game against Annan Athletic so adults can attend for £5 and concessions for just £2 as Shire wish their supporters a happy new year and also look to encourage new fans along to Ochilview.

Also in Scotland there are three special offers during the month at Inverness Caledonian Thistle including a ‘Pay What You Like’ fixture against St Johnstone on Wednesday 21.

Bristol City have a special promotion which allows fans who buy tickets for the games against Notts County (Jan 10) and Sheffield United (Feb 14) to receive a free ticket for either the visit of Fleetwood (Jan 31) or Port Vale (Feb 10).

And Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holders can bring a friend to the home fixture with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 17 for either £10 or £5 concessions.

'Pay What You Want' Goes Well At Hendon FC - Updated

Although I noticed it slightly too late to give it a plug beforehand, well done to all at Hendon FC for their 'Pay What You Want' day on Saturday against Wingate & Finchley.

Taking advantage of the gap between Premier League and Football League fixtures on Friday and Sunday, Hendon entered into the spirit of such an initiative by offering a whole host of extras such as a free draw to win a season ticket and (a first that I have seen) even virtual 'Pay What You Want' for those who could not make the game with an e-programme sent out to those who donated online.

A crowd of 337 was attracted to Earlsmead which the club estimate is probably double the crowd they would normally expect.

http://www.hendonfc.net/News

Thanks also to Martin Woodward on Twitter for alerting me to Windsor FC's annual free entry match which also took place on Saturday with a fantastic 489 through the turnstiles for the 2-0 victory against Guildford City in the Combined Counties League.

http://www.windsorfc.net/news/match.php?ID=187

Merry Christmas

To everyone who reads the blog or follows on Twitter. Enjoy your Boxing Day football wherever you go.

Southampton & Ipswich Work Together To Boost FA Cup Crowd

Good times for Ipswich Town supporters as Mick McCarthy’s cut-price side continue to defy the odds at the top of the Championship and a 4,700-strong army prepares to travel to Southampton for the FA Cup Third Round tie at St Mary’s on Sunday 4 January.

The numbers making the trip are a testament to the two clubs working together to ensure as big a crowd as possible goes to the game for as affordable a price.

Agreement between the clubs meant that Southampton could charge the minimum adult price of £10 (£5 concessions and £3 juniors) and when that caught the imagination of Ipswich fans, who sold out their initial 3,100 allocation, the Blues of Suffolk asked about the possibility of another batch of tickets.

Away clubs are entitled to 10% of the tickets for an FA Cup tie on a ‘sale or return’ basis but a further allocation usually requires payment in full with the visitors taking the chance that they may not shift every seat.

The potential financial cost of this is what stopped Coventry City taking further tickets for their trip to Arsenal last season but here the two clubs have worked together as Lee Hyde, Town’s director of retail operations told the official Ipswich website.

"They've moved a number of conditions which are usually in place that can restrict a club’s reluctance to 'gamble' financially when taking the extra five per cent that away Club’s are entitled to in the Cup."

"Southampton have also agreed to move around 1,200 Season Ticket Holders to accommodate the increased allocation from Town."

Good work from the Saints and one that will hopefully boost the number of their own fans going to the game as they realise a big away following will be there to banter with and whip up an atmosphere.

Reduced Prices For The Game Nobody Wants!

MK Dons host Chesterfield on Friday 2 January in an FA Cup tie that neither side wants to play after an FA ruling this week over the Spireites' use of an ineligible player in the original fixture on December 6.

On-loan defender Georg Margreitter should not have featured as Chesterfield gained a 1-0 victory over their League One rivals but, instead of being expelled from the competition as has happened to teams in the past, the decision of the governing body has been to replay the match for the right to meet Scunthorpe United in the Third Round.

And the FA appear to have angered both sides, although not in the way you might think.

Chesterfield manager Paul Cook believes that: 'If we broke the rules, then we should be chucked out, and if we didn't, then we should be through,' while opposite number Karl Robinson said that Dons had: "Written a letter of support for Chesterfield - it's a great football club. It was just a very minor error."

Fixture congestion and the cost and inconvenience to fans have been cited as reasons not to have a replayed game but both clubs have done what they can to make it as affordable as possible to attend.

The Dons have asked and received special permission from the FA to lower the minimum price normally charged in the competition proper and adult tickets are available from £6.
Chesterfield, meanwhile, are subsidising both tickets and travel for their supporters.

JPT Area Final: Great Value From Preston North End (And Pretty Good From Walsall Too)

Just 180 minutes from Wembley, Preston North End meet Walsall in the Northern Area Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy early in 2015 and both teams have announced very attractive prices for their respective home legs.

PNE, take a bow, with adult prices of either £5 (for Season Ticket holders/Ambassadors) or £6 for general sale, and just £1 (ST holders/ambassadors) or £2 for under-16's.

The Deepdale game is scheduled for Wednesday 7th January at 7:45pm and hopefully the result will leave plenty to play for at the Banks's Stadium on 4th February.

Walsall have announced prices of £10 adults and £5 for over-60's and under-18's.

Hopefully both clubs will be rewarded with full houses and a great atmosphere.

A New Start At Hartlepool United

New owners, a new manager and (hopefully) a new start for Hartlepool United after a whirlwind couple of weeks at Victoria Park.

FA Cup defeat at the hands of Blyth Spartans and a relegation battle at the foot of League Two have made it a miserable campaign to date with two managers having already departed the club.

But this week has brought some fresh optimism as Aberdeen-based owners Increased Oil Recovery have ended their 17-year association with HUFC by selling the club to TMH 2014 Limited.

New chairman Peter Harris has made clear he wants to 'fully embrace and acknowledge the efforts of the supporters and we want them to engage with us with the aim of always doing what is best for Hartlepool United.'

And the first instance of this is a ticket offer covering the home games on Saturday 20th December against Oxford United (which will be Ronnie Moore's first match in charge) and Sunday 28th December when Morecambe are the visitors.

Tickets for these games are available at just £10 each for adults but, if purchased in advance, a ticket covering both fixtures will cost just £15.

Those who have already bought tickets for the game can also claim a refund from the Ticket Office by returning their full match ticket.

 

http://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/news/article/ticket-prices-slashed-for-hartlepool-uniteds-christmas-games-2147920.aspx

Non League Update: Barrow AFC, Gosport Borough, Colwyn Bay

A busy festive period is fast approaching at all levels of the English game and hopefully the weather will hold to allow non-league clubs to reap the benefit of some bigger than usual holiday crowds.

Starting this Friday when Grimsby Town host Forest Green Rovers and it is 'Kids for a Quid' at Blundell Park with vouchers being printed in the Grimsby Telegraph this week. Then on Saturday in the Conference Premier, Kids Go Free for Woking's 3pm kick-off game against Southport.

In the Vanarama Conference North, Colwyn Bay FC have an excellent offer available for under-12's who can attend this Saturday's home game with Solihull Moors for free with a paying adult and will be presented with a Christmas gift of a free season ticket for the remainder of the campaign.

Flying high at the top of that particular division, the Bluebirds of Barrow AFC have a Christmas ticket offer, covering games against Boston Town, Harrogate Town and AFC Fylde on 20th, 28th and 1st January respectively, which saves £5 on usual admission prices.

Further south, meanwhile, Gosport Borough have a 'one for all' ticket available for the visits of Basingstoke Town (Sat 20th), Concord Rangers (Sun 28th) and Havant & Waterlooville (Thu 1st Jan) which costs £30 for adults and £20 for concessions, saving £9 and £7 respectively on usual admission prices.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Watch Arsenal & Liverpool For Free This Week

Liverpool host Arsenal in a Premier League 'Super Sunday' clash on December 21 but both sides are in under-21 action before then and can be watched for free.

Boreham Wood FC are the hosts for Arsenal versus Bolton Wanderers on Monday evening at 7pm with admission free for all.

Liverpool, meanwhile, travel to Carrow Road on Wednesday for a 7pm kick-off against Norwich and the Canaries are looking to repeat the 10,000+ crowd they got through the gate against Tottenham earlier in the season when they offered free entry.

http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/norwich-city-liverpool-barclays-u-21-premier-league-2142176.aspx

Forget the Shopping: Next Saturday's Affordable Football

The final Saturday before Christmas sees a full card of matches up and down the country and a number of clubs have either reduced prices or are running special offers in a bid to stop people hitting the shops!

In League One, it is £10 for adults at both Coventry City (against Fleetwood, £5 concessions and £1 children) and Gillingham (against Chesterfield) while the same adult price applies at Carlisle United in League Two as they host Northampton Town. Concession prices at Brunton Park range from £8 to free of charge for children under 11.

Cardiff City have offers in place for both existing and former Season Ticket Holders for their game against Brentford. Current ST holders can bring up to two guests for £10 per adult (£5 under-16's or seniors) while those who have held a season ticket for any season from 2010/11 onwards can watch the match themselves for £10 and bring a guest for the same price.

It's 'Kids for a Quid' as Sheffield United play host to Walsall and, in the Conference, 'Kids go Free' when Woking entertain Southport.

In Scotland, Clyde FC fans can bring a friend for a fiver (with each paying adult), season ticket holders can take two guests for the same price.

FA Cup Third Round: Southampton Quick Off The Mark With Reduced Prices

Southampton have announced that their home tie against Ipswich Town will be priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions (young adults 17-21 and over-65's) and £3 for under-17's.

A sensible move from the Saints given that they have already hosted Manchester United in December and have high-profile home games against Arsenal and Chelsea before the FA Cup tie.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/20141211-ipswich-tickets-on-sale-friday-2138219.aspx

'Shire For A Fiver' Day at East Stirlingshire FC

East Stirlingshire's first home game of 2015, at the Ochilview ground they currently share with Stenhousemuir, is against Annan Athletic on Saturday January 17th and the club are hoping for a bigger than usual crowd by reducing adult admission to £5 and concessions (senior citizens, students and high school pupils) to just £2.

“We recognise money is always tight for people after the festive holiday,” said club secretary, Tadek Kopszywa. “And that can mean a day out at the football can come down the list of spending priorities.

“But this initiative is aimed at encouraging people to think again about coming along to a game and enjoying themselves when they might be suffering a dose of the post-Christmas blues."

These hopefully are positive times for Shire who finished bottom of the Scottish League for five consecutive seasons up to 2007, inspiring a book about their plight, television documentaries and the attentions of Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday.

Now owned and run by supporters they are hoping to return to their home town of Falkirk soon and into a new community stadium.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.
 

Update: Exeter City

In September we looked at Exeter City and their decision to scrap an unpopular matchday surcharge on tickets that was partly being blamed for low attendances at St James's Park.

Crowds and results have steadily improved since then and the Exeter Express & Echo has carried a positive leader column this week about the club's attempts to engage with fans and consult them over prices for next season.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/CITY-OPINION-Great-Exeter-City-learning-ticket/story-25521869-detail/story.html

Burnley, Liverpool & Newcastle United Subsidise December Trips to Manchester

The Premier League's 'away fans fund' of £200,000 per club, per season to assist with the costs of attending away fixtures in the top-flight, is being utilised by three clubs to reduce the price of December visits to Manchester.

Always an eagerly-awaited fixture in the football calendar, Liverpool visit Old Trafford on Sunday 14 December and the Anfield club have subsidised every away ticket by £10. The Reds also say that first-team players have contributed to the fund and have 'directly helped supplement the discount for this game'.

Of course this match would have been a sell-out at the original prices and travel-wise it is a short journey for those based on Merseyside.

The nature of the away fans fund means there will always be a decision to be made as to how it benefits supporters the most but in this instance the Liverpool supporters who manage to get tickets will be those with the most points accumulated from away visits and so their loyalty is being rewarded.

Also facing Manchester United in December are Newcastle United and their trip to Old Trafford on Boxing Day has been subsidised for away fans to the tune of £10.

Much-maligned in many ways as a club, the Magpies have gone beyond the remit of the fund in recent seasons with a number of reciprocal price deals in place that have made a significant difference to the cost of away tickets for their supporters.

New to the Premier League this season, Burnley have opted to use a percentage of their fund money to cut the cost of tickets (available to season ticket holders only) for the match at Manchester City on 28 December.

Again, there is a balancing act to be made as to how best to use the money (in the absence of any kind of league-wide agreement or even legislation on away prices) and Burnley would presumably have taken a large support to the Etihad Stadium anyway.

But, with the original price of an adult ticket being £47 (concession prices ranging from £39 to £28), the discount to £25 (£20 and £15 for concessions) is a substantial one.

Pre-Christmas Offers at Carlisle United & Cardiff City

Following on from Coventry City and Gillingham's decision to cut prices to a maximum of £10 for their games on Saturday 20 December, Carlisle United are also looking to get as many people as they can through the Brunton Park turnstiles for the final match before Christmas.

Crowd numbers have again been a hot topic in Cumbria recently (Carlisle featured a number of times here on Affordable Football last season including their offer of free entry to anyone dressed as Father Christmas) and they will hopefully be boosted by prices of £10 adults, £8 seniors and young persons (18-22) and £5 juniors (11-17) for the visit of Northampton Town.

Also on that day, Cardiff City have put offers in place for both current and former Season Ticket Holders.

Supporters with a season ticket for the current campaign can bring up to two guests to the Brentford game for £10 adults, £5 under-16's and seniors.

Fans who have held a season ticket for any season since 2010/11 can attend the match themselves for £10 and also bring a guest for the same price.

http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/cardiff-city-season-ticket-special-offer-brentford-2125475.aspx

And Crawley Town's match against Port Vale on Saturday 20th is £5 for under-18's and £1 for under-11's.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Grab an Early Bird Bargain for WSL 2015

Four clubs already have season tickets on sale for the 2015 FA Women's Super League season and there is a bargain to be had.

Reading FC Women season tickets purchased before 31 December are priced at £20 for adults and £10 concessions.

Durham Women FC prices are £25 and £10 (no date on when promotion ends).

Yeovil Town Ladies £25 and £10 if purchased before 10 December with the first 25 sold receiving a free merchandise pack.

Millwall Lionesses £24 and £10 (again no date on when promotion ends).

It's worth noting a couple of things.

Firstly that season tickets allow entry to all home league matches but also any home FA Cup and Continental Cup fixtures.

Secondly that the WSL generally offers excellent value for families wishing to watch good quality football in friendly surroundings. In the examples given above the maximum adult price of a season ticket after the early bird is only £35.

Details of these prices were found by following the club links on the official FA WSL site.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

December Update

Some new offers since we first looked at December's Affordable Footy in this post
 
1st Free under-21 football at Goodison Park (7pm) as Everton take on Sunderland with a host of family activities taking place before the game kicks off.

2nd Eastleigh FC have designated their Conference clash with Dartford (7:45pm) as free admission for all as a thank you for the levels of support that the Spitfires have experienced this season so far.

11th Back to Goodison for the Toffees last Europa League group game and reduced prices mean it is a maximum of £15 for an adult to watch the Krasnodar match, £12 for season ticket holders and half-price for concessions.

20th Gillingham are looking to boost their pre-Christmas crowd for the home fixture against Chesterfield with admission £10 for adults, £5 for under-18's and £1 for under-12's.

20/28th Sheffield United have a number of offers covering their games against Walsall (20th) and Scunthorpe United (28th). The Walsall fixture is 'Kids for a Quid', season ticket holders can bring a friend to the Scunthorpe game for £10 (£5 concessions) and any adult ticket brought for the Scunthorpe game qualifies to get one for the Walsall game for £10.

28th Burnley have used some of their ‘away fans fund’ money to subsidise season ticket holders who want to go the Manchester City away game. The price of adult tickets has been cut from £47 to £25 with sharp reductions in concession tickets as well.

Everton Say It With Reduced Prices for Krasnodar Clash

As both a long-standing admirer of Everton Football Club (from studying in Liverpool and games against Coventry at Goodison watched with friends who followed the hosts) and someone whose televison consumption of live football comes mainly from ITV4, it has been a pleasure to watch the Toffees in the Europa League this season.

No rotation, no moaning, no wishing they weren't there in the first place. Roberto Martinez has approached the competition with the style that has become his trademark and has been rewarded with qualification for the knockout stages with a game to spare.

The fans look to have had a ball as well, on trips to Lille and Wolfsburg and to say thank you, the club have significantly reduced prices for the final group stage fixture when Krasnodar visit Goodison Park on Thursday 11 December (8:05pm).

Season Ticket holder prices are £12 for adults, £6 for over-65's and 16-20's and £5 for under-16's. For non-Season Ticket holders it is £15, £7.50 and £5 respectively.

Before then there is free entry to Goodison Park for this Monday's under-21 game against Sunderland (7pm) with lots of family activities taking place beforehand.

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2014/11/27/krasnodar-ticket-information

Coventry City, Gillingham & The Game Before Christmas!

Traditionally seen as a game that attracts lower than average attendances, the Saturday fixture before Christmas suffers from being on the last major shopping day before the big occasion and without the kind of family turnout that normally ensures a good turnout in the games between Christmas and New Year.

A hangover from Friday night's partying may also be a factor so to act as a kind of footballing alka-seltzer, Coventry City and Gillingham have both reduced admission for their League One home matches on Saturday 20 December.

The Sky Blues have cut prices for the game against Fleetwood at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday 20 December to £10 adults, £5 concessions and £1 children.

Similar prices apply as the Gills host Chesterfield, £10 for adults, £5 for under-18's and £1 for under-12's.

Free Conference Football at Eastleigh Next Week

It's not reduced prices and it's not even a 'Pay What You Want' game.

Eastleigh's Vanarama Conference clash with Dartford at 7:45pm on Tuesday 2 December is completely free for home and away fans.

A simple statement on the club website merely says: 'The club has been delighted with attendances both home and away this season and would like to thank the fans for their continued support.'

Tickets are avaliable at the turnstiles on a first come first served basis.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

December’s Affordable Football

Christmas is coming and there’s plenty of reasons to avoid the shops…

1st Brighton & Hove Albion host the first of three under-21 games to be staged at the Amex Stadium this season when they entertain Arsenal with a 7pm kick-off. Season ticket holders can attend the game for free, admission otherwise is £5 for adults and £2 concessions.

5/6/7th The Second Round of the FA Cup takes place so check out your local team for any offers. Scunthorpe United, for example, have reduced prices to £12 (seating) and £10 (standing) for adults and £2 for under-16's as they host Worcester City.

6th Hitchin Town’s home game against Poole Town (3pm) is a ‘Pay What You Can’ fixture and kicks off after a march in the town aimed at highlighting the potential sale of the club’s historic Top Field ground.

10th Bristol City host Coventry City in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and, like their FA Cup tie against Telford three days earlier (Sunday 7th, 2pm), are offering 'Kids for a Quid' tickets for under-12's.

13th The first of three Mansfield Town home games that are part of a special cut-price ticket offer is against Cheltenham Town. Matches versus Exeter City in January and Northampton Town in February are also available at just £7 each.

17th After attracting 10,000 to their last under-21 fixture at Carrow Road, Norwich City will again be hoping for a big crowd when they take on Liverpool (7pm kick-off). Tickets in the Jarrold Stand are available free of charge at the official club website, on the telephone or in person.

20th Shrewsbury Town’s two Christmas home games against Morecambe and Wycombe Wanderers (28th) are covered by a special ticket deal with a reduction in matchday prices when bought together.

20th Coventry City The Sky Blues have reduced prices for the match against Fleetwood at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday 20 December to £10 adults, £5 concessions and £1 children in a bid to get a big pre-Christmas crowd supporting the City.

20th Barrow AFC have a Christmas ticket offer in place which covers the games against Boston United (20th), Harrogate Town (28th) and AFC Fylde (1st Jan) and which gives a £5 saving on usual admission prices.

26th Sheffield Wednesday's first home Boxing Day clash since 2009 has been designated as a 'Kids for a Quid' fixture meaning all under-16's can attend for just £1.

Full details on the official websites of the relevant clubs.

As always, this is just a sample. Please Tweet me with anything that your club is doing.

'Pay What You Like' Hits Scotland's Top-Flight

As part of a whole raft of offers and initiatives to get more people through the gates of the Tulloch Highland Stadium, Inverness Caledonian Thistle have designated their top-flight fixture against St Johnstone on Wednesday 21 January as a 'Pay What You Like' game.

At the time of writing, Inverness sit proudly level on points with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership but they have always faced a struggle to boost attendances.  

One Caley Jags fan, writing on the Daily Record website this week, suggests that the slightly inhospitable nature of the stadium may put people off but a bigger factor may be the club's rapid rise from their formation in 1994 as a result of a merger between two Highland League sides and the difficulty that then ensues trying to build a fanbase when loyalties in the local area already lie elsewhere.

The club have also announced the following: Saturday 13 December v Partick Thistle - season ticket holders can take up to 2 under-16's to the match free of charge.

Sunday 4 January v St Mirren - season ticket holders can bring a friend for a fiver while under-16's (max 2 per adult) can attend for free.

Saturday 31 January v Ross County - all under-12's (home and away fans, accompanied by a paying adult) can go free.

Last season in Scotland saw Albion Rovers enjoy great success with a 'Pay What You Like' fixture and their decision to extend that to season tickets in the summer has seen attendances rise by around 40% at Cliftonhill.

“Things are going well and there is a great feelgood factor in the community and around the club," said player/manager Darren Young with his side in the hunt for promotion from League Two.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Update: March for Hitchin Town Before Some Free Football

We looked last month at a planned 'No Pay Day' in the battle to save Hitchin Town and their historic Top Field ground from plans to sell up to property developers.

The 'No Pay Day' will now take place on Saturday 6 December for the game against Poole Town which kicks off at 3pm. It will be preceeded by a march to raise awareness of the campaign.

More details are available at http://savehtfc.wordpress.com/

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Update: Oxford United Pleased With Ticket Offer Response

We looked last week at a pleasing initiative from Oxford United in which the U's were contacting around 700 lapsed season ticket holders from last season were being offered a free ticket for the AFC Wimbledon game tomorrow (22 November).

Around half of that number have contacted the club to book their place and, quoted in the Witney Gazette, Kevin Smith, the man responsible for sales and marketing at OUFC, said: “It won’t change the attendance massively, but hopefully the 300 will remember why they used to come every fortnight and even those who haven't take it up will appreciate it.

"We could’ve done nothing and we can’t do that. I think this is the right thing to do.”

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Can Norwich City Break Crowd Record Again?

As a perfect example of how under-21 football, marketed properly and with a family-friendly kick-off, can be a win-win for clubs and supporters, Norwich City take a bow.

Free entry to their October clash with Tottenham Hotspur saw 10,405 come through the gate at Carrow Road, a record crowd for a Barclays Under-21 Premier League clash.

An exciting 3-1 victory for the hosts followed and the initiative is being repeated when Liverpool are the visitors on Wednesday 17 December for a 7pm kick-off.

Tickets are available now from the club via the official website, over the phone or in person at the ticket office.

Birmingham City Launch Grassroots Tickets Initiative

Birmingham City have featured more than once before on these pages and it is clear that the club, despite its struggles on the pitch and the turmoil created by distant owners off it, has people within its ranks who realise the importance of the club to the local community and the duty they have to maintain those links.

That is perfectly illustrated by this week’s announcement of a new initiative that will see local clubs and leagues sell Blues tickets - at a discounted rate of £10 adults, £5 for 13-18 year-olds and £3 for under-13’s – and receive 50% of the proceeds for themselves.

“We view it as a win-win for all sides,” commented Wayne Cowen, Blues' head of ticketing and retail at Birmingham City. “We understand how important grassroots football is through the work we do in our academy and we want to be supportive of it. The added bonus for us is extra supporters in the stadium, many of them youngsters who will hopefully become future Birmingham City fans.”

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Come Back and See Us Say Oxford United

I'm always pleased when I come across an offer of a kind I haven't seen before and Oxford United have come up with an excellent one for their home game against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday 22 November.

Deals for season ticket holders (while always welcome) can sometimes be of limited value. Reduced admission prices for a match (again, generally a positive thing) does run the risk of upsetting slightly those who have paid in the summer for a season of football and rewarding people who may have no intention of coming again or have not shown a commitment to the club in the past.

Charting something of a course between the two, Oxford are offering a free ticket for the Wimbledon game for season ticket holders from 2013/14 who didn't renew this time around.

As a former Coventry City season ticket holder I recognise the words of U's chief executive Mark Ashton who told his club's official website: "I know that deciding not to renew a season ticket at your football club is a big decision and one that I am sure was not taken lightly."

Mr Ashton arrived at the club in the summer and this iniative is part of his drive to engage with supporters.

Those people who qualify for the offer are being contacted by email and post in the next couple of days.

http://www.oufc.co.uk/news/article/00141114-wimbledon-offer-2083627.aspx

More 'Football for a Fiver' at Coventry City

This photograph was taken at the Ricoh Arena on Wednesday night as Coventry City repeated their 'Football for a Fiver' offer for the visit of Plymouth Argyle in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

It was the second successive game that the Sky Blues had reduced prices for following on from Sunday's FA Cup tie against Worcester City (the result of which I will gloss over) and a crowd of 7,121 came through the turnstiles to watch the home side triumph 2-0.

City are also aiming for a big pre-Christmas gate when they entertain Fleetwood at the Ricoh on Saturday 20 December, traditionally a day when attendances are slightly lower, and admission for this game is £10 adults, £5 concessions and £1 children.

Free Football in Bracknell This Saturday

Just a quick glance at the official Bracknell Town FC website tells you that this is a club that aims to place itself firmly at the heart of the local community with the 'Winter Ale & Sausage Night' looking particularly inviting!

And the Robins have partnered with their local newspaper the Bracknell Times to offer free football this Saturday when they entertain Cheltenham Saracens in the Uhlsport Hellenic League at 3pm.

A voucher will be included in this Thursday's free edition of the 'paper which just needs to be cut out and handed over at the turnstiles.

Premier League International Cup

A new competition organised by the Premier League themselves, the International Cup pits eight English under-21 teams, from clubs with category one youth academies, against eight European clubs on a group basis.

An excellent article by Ian Herbert on why the tournament has come about, and the demise of the NextGen competition, can be found on the Independent website

Because of the politics involved, all of the games, including those between two European sides, are being played in England and coming up before the end of November there are scheduled for fixtures at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, Upton Park and Goodison Park.

As with the Premier League under-21 Cup competition, the next round of which is scheduled to begin in the week commencing November 24, this does give supporters the chance to watch a competitive fixture in their club's own stadium for a relatively small outlay.

Leicester's two upcoming matches, for example, are 7pm kick-offs against Schalke on Tuesday 18 and Benfica on Monday 24 November with admission £3 for adults, £1 for under-18's and over-65's and all profits donated to the LCFC Community Trust.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Mixed Messages from Cheltenham Town?

Cheltenham Town's decision to class their FA Cup home game against Swindon as a Category A fixture with tickets priced accordingly has led to criticism of the Robins at a stage of the competition where the majority of league clubs drawn at home have made some kind of reduction to their normal matchday prices, recognising that this is an additional fixture at a busy time of year.

Chairman Paul Baker issued a lengthy statement on the club website in defence of the prices.

This blog doesn't exist to criticise clubs for the prices they charge, more to highlight when good value is on offer, and Mr Baker makes many sound points regarding the increased costs that will come with policing what is a high-profile local derby and the difficulties that exist in trying to successfully run a football club on a limited budget.

However I do feel he is unwise in saying, about season ticket holders: 'Is an extra £2 really going to be the difference between coming to this mouth watering fixture and staying at home?' Most cup games represent an extra outlay for season ticket holders anyway and it is possible to offer them some kind of discount whatever prices you are charging.

Anyway, fast forward four days and the Robins have decided to cut the price of terrace tickets for the home fixture against Wycombe Wanderers on November 22 with adults able to stand for £10, a saving of £6.

Mr Baker said: "We are trying to show we are listening to the fans, some of whom were not happy with the prices for the Swindon FA Cup tie."

Again, it doesn't help season ticket holders too much but it's an offer and hopefully it will entice some more people out to the game.

Quick Update

On a couple of earlier articles. Reduced FA Cup prices are in effect at Dagenham & Redbridge for the game against Southport on Saturday 8th. Adult terrace tickets are £10 (seats £12) with 10-16 year-olds £1 (£2) in advance.

Notts County have cut prices to £12 and £5 for under-16's as they host Accrington Stanley on Sunday 9th.

Hitchin Town, meanwhile, have moved the date of their 'pay what you want' fixture from Saturday 29th November to Saturday 6th December (against Poole Town) to coincide with other 'Save HTFC' events taking place on that day.

November’s Affordable Football (Part 2)

Something for the second half of the month…

17th There is free admission for under-19’s and both students and staff from Bucks New University as Wycombe Wanderers host Burton Albion on a Monday evening in addition to special offers for both Chairboys season ticket holders (bring a friend for £5) and those from other clubs in the area such as MK Dons and Queens Park Rangers.

18th England C, representing the best non-league players in the country, take on Estonia under-23's at The Shay in Halifax. Admission is free for the 7:30pm kick-off.

18th (and 24th) The Premier League International Cup is a new competition for this season and offers supporters the chance to watch some of the most talented youngsters from some of Europe's top clubs. Leicester City under-21's for example host Schalke (Tuesday 18th) and Benfica (Monday 24th) at the King Power Stadium. Both games are 7pm kick-offs with admission £3 and £1 and all profits donated to the LCFC Community Trust.

20th As part of their Victory Shield campaign England Under-16's meet Scotland at Yeovil's Huish Park at 8pm. £3, £1 for children/Oaps and a group ticket also available for parties of 15 or more.

22nd After some negative feedback from supporters regarding pricing for the FA Cup match against Swindon, Cheltenham Town have reduced terrace tickets to £10 adults and £5 concessions for the visit of Wycombe Wanderers.

23rd England's Senior Women play their first game at the New Wembley in a friendly against Germany. Adult tickets are £15 with children priced at just £1 and over 40,000 have already been sold for the fixture.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

An Affordable Opportunity to Watch Chelsea at the Bridge

Jose Mourinho’s after-match comments about a lack of atmosphere at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, as his side battled to defeat Queens Park Rangers and maintain their cushion at the top of the Premier League, have drawn a response from Chelsea Supporters' Trust chairman Tim Rolls who told the BBC that ticket prices mean those most likely to make some noise cannot afford to come in.

"Until the clubs recognise that and do something about affordable pricing for young people and creating sections of the ground where they can sing and make some noise then the situation is unlikely to improve," said Mr Rolls.

The response from a club spokesman was that "We work hard within the constraints of the current stadium to keep ticket prices down, and have frozen those prices in seven of the last nine seasons.”

There is a good opportunity for families to watch a game at the stadium next week however and it should be a game of some quality as Chelsea and Manchester United Under-21’s meet on Sunday 9 November with a 1:05pm kick-off.

Tickets are priced at £5 for adults and £3 for juniors and seniors.

FA Cup First Round

The First Round of the FA Cup takes place over the weekend of 8/9 November and the involvement of the BBC, back as a broadcast partner of the FA, and some innovative coverage plans will hopefully make it a special weekend and one that whets the appetite for the remainder of the competition.

We have already seen the return to prominence of the cup draw itself with a peak time slot on Monday evening televison and radio and the Beeb are also hosting a special edition of Final Score next Sunday with highlights and goals as they happen from the eight games that have been scheduled for 2pm starts on that day.

I'm not sure whether this is something that they will be carrying on in later rounds and there are obviously some issues with travel for away fans on a Sunday but at this stage the promise of national television coverage and the £12,500 fee per club makes it an innovation worth trying.

For many non-league clubs of course this has been their aim throughout the qualifying rounds but for League One and Two sides the focus is avoiding an upset now and hopefully making it into the Third Round themselves.

A home draw then is welcome from that point of view but can be a difficult sell ticket-wise so plenty of clubs have already announced reduced prices as follows;

Mansfield Town v Concord Rangers - £10 adults and £5 concessions
Hartlepool United v East Thurrock United - £10 adults and £5 for over 60's and Under-16's
Coventry City v Worcester City - £10 adults and £5 children
Barnsley v Burton Albion - £10 adults, £5 concessions, £1 under-11's (this is an online only offer)
Tranmere Rovers v Bristol Rovers - £12 for adults, £8 for over 65's and young persons, £4 for under-17's
Northampton Town v Rochdale - £12 adults, £8 for senior citizens and under-21's, £5 for under-18's
A number of other games have been reduced to £15 for adults with various concessions.

Special Ticket Offer & Reduced FA Cup Prices at Mansfield Town

The Stags host Concord Rangers of the Vanarama Conference South in the First Round of the FA Cup on Saturday 8th November and will be hoping to kickstart a run that could again see them rubbing shoulders with the likes of Liverpool in later stages of the competition.

A home game against the Reds of Anfield in January 2013 had no problems selling out in record time but to try and boost the gate against Concord, Mansfield have reduced prices to £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Fair play to their opponents too as they have to agree on the prices charged for an FA Cup tie.

Mansfield chairman John Radford also launched a ticket offer this week, picking out three home games both from before and after Christmas for reduced prices which supporters can attend any of for just £7 each.

The matches in question are Cheltenham Town (Sat 13 Dec), Exeter City (Sat 17 Jan) and Northampton Town (Sat 14 Feb).

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

November's Affordable Football (Part 1)

A bumper crop this month so split into two parts...

1st Watford FC host Millwall in the Championship and the Hornets are marking 100 years since the beginning of World War One with a special ‘Remembrance Home Game’. Ticket prices are made up of the digits 1914 with adult tickets priced at either £14 or £19. As of Wednesday this week ticket sales had been very brisk for this game.

Also, to mark the unveiling of a statue commemorating former manager Johnny King on Saturday 1 November, Tranmere Rovers are hoping to fill the Prenton Park stand that is also named after him for the game against Stevenage and to do this, adults, seniors and young persons (17-22) can buy tickets in the Johnny King Stand for £5 with under-17's £2.

4th Free admission at West Didsbury & Chorlton FC as they play their re-arranged game at home to Congleton Town after the first fixture was abandoned due to floodlight failure.
 

11/12th A busy midweek programme of area quarter-finals in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. A number of clubs have reduced adult prices to £10 with various offers for children and concessions such as Under-18's being admitted for just £1 at Crawley Town's game with Gillingham. 

Coventry City are also repeating their 'Football for a Fiver' offer for the home tie against Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday 12th. 

12th England Under-20's host Canada at Bournemouth's Goldsands Stadium, kick-off 7:30pm and adults £3, £1 for under-16's.

13th Bristol Academy Women play the second leg of their last 16 UEFA Champions League tie against Barcelona at Ashton Gate, kick-off 7:30pm with tickets £10 for adults and £1 for under-16's.

14th Rotherham host England Under-19's against Italy, kick-off 7:45pm with tickets similarly priced at £3 and £1 for children and 50p for Oaps. 

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.