'Pack The Park' As Pompey Aim To Boost Impressive Average Gate

One of the earliest posts on Affordable Football concerned Portsmouth FC's opening day fixture of the 2013/14 season and the attendance it attracted as Pompey fans celebrated becoming the largest community-owned club in the UK.

We commented at the time that ‘18,181 packed out Fratton Park and, although their team suffered a heavy defeat, the majority did so because they felt a genuine part of their club and community.’

Despite another season of struggle on the pitch which has seen Portsmouth come perilously close to the Football League trapdoor, average gates at Fratton Park have climbed from 12,232 in League One in 2012/13 to 15,262 in the current campaign.

And that figure will be boosted by what should be a near sell-out for the game against Cheltenham on Saturday 8 March. Billed as ‘Pack The Park’ day, tickets are priced as follows; Adults, seniors (60+) and young persons (17-22) can purchase a seat for just £10, with juniors (under 17) paying £5. A child under 10 (accompanied by an adult) can buy a ticket for only £1.

http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/article/pack-the-park-against-cheltenham-1374339.aspx

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.

On England, Wembley and Euro 2016

The strange decision by UEFA to make the finals of their flagship international tournament, the European Championships, a 24-team affair from 2016 onwards means that the qualifying rounds are likely to be a lengthy, drawn-out process in which only just over half of the teams who enter will be knocked out.

England's comfortable-looking group, the lack of attractive opponents and the fact that even third-place in it will probably mean a play-off spot, has led to criticism of the FA which is unfair in my opinion.

Henry Winter, writing in The Telegraph, stated: 'England’s Euro 2016 draw against low-key opposition shows up fully the FA’s folly of rebuilding Wembley.'

Jan Molby, for Eurosport, said: 'England’s Euro 2016 draw highlights Wembley’s stature as a white elephant.'

The merits of building a new Wembley have been discussed at length in the past but a decision by UEFA some seven years after the stadium re-opened can hardly be used as a stick to beat the FA with.

“We are very aware that we need to price appropriately and make it as attractive as possible,” said the chief executive of Club England Adrian Bevington in response to the draw but, in all fairness, going to an England game is affordable in comparison to a lot of Premiership football (certainly in London) and there are a lot of family tickets available with two adults and two children able to watch the Denmark game next week for £60.

When I say affordable I mean, of course, in terms of ticket prices but is the location of the venue and often the times of the games which make Wembley unaccessible for many who would like to go and watch England in action, myself included here in Sheffield.

It would be great to have the San Marino game at St James' Park or entertain Lithuania at Villa Park but the die was cast a long time ago and within the constraints they work under I feel the FA do a good job and Bevington is right to point out that crowds for international games remain the envy of most countries.

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.

Free Football For Dave's (Or Dewi's) Next Saturday!

Anyone by the name of David (or Dewi) has the chance to watch some free football next weekend as Colwyn Bay celebrate St David's Day with free admission to anyone who shares the name of Wales' Patron Saint.

Chairman David Messom told his club's official website: "As a David who is a proud supporter of Colwyn Bay FC, who fly the Welsh flag in the English football pyramid, I say to all my fellow David’s on our Patron Saint’s Day March 1st come on down to Llanelian Road and watch the Mighty Bay play for free."

"The characteristics of the name David are Confidence, Discipline and Organisation, which are a match for the current Colwyn Bay FC team.

"It’s great that all people named David which also means “Beloved” can come in for free on St David’s Day and watch their beloved team play Barrow."

http://www.colwynbayfc.co.uk/2014/02/davids-day-st-davids-day-colwyn-bay/

March's Affordable Football

Some of the offers that have come up so far for the month ahead. Keep checking our Twitter page @affordablefooty for more as they come up. There may be some that are advertised at short notice in March as a number of clubs are dealing with fixture backlogs due to the bad weather.

Barnet FC have extended their family ticket deals and Kids for a Quid offers to include two upcoming home games, against Woking on Saturday March 1 and Gateshead a week later. The family ticket deal allows 2 adults and 3 concessions to watch a game for £30.

West Bromwich Albion have subsidised away tickets for the important trip to Swansea on Saturday 15 March, making an adult ticket £20. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, face a long midweek trip to Middlesbrough on Tuesday 11 March and the club are offering free coach travel to anyone with a ticket for the game.

The all-English Women’s Champions League clash between Birmingham City Ladies and Arsenal Ladies takes place in March. Tickets for the first leg at St Andrew's which takes place on 24 March are priced at £6 for adults and £3 concessions. The return will be played at Barnet's The Hive on Sunday 30 March when it is £5 adults and £2.50 concessions.

The FA Women’s Super League also kicks off with the opportunity to watch some of the top players from around the world for very affordable prices in a family-friendly atmosphere. Arsenal Ladies, for instance, have season tickets on sale for 2014 priced at just £35 for adults which includes entry to all 7 WSL home clashes and any home games in either the FA or Continential Cup.

Scotland’s Under-21’s take on Hungary at Dundee United on March 5 and a group of 5 adults and 20 children can watch the game for £30.

Bath City host their first Community Day on Saturday 22 March and have designated the game against Chelmsford City as a ‘Pay What You Like’ fixture.

More details on the official websites of the clubs/associations named.

West Bromwich Albion Subsidise Support For Big Swansea Clash

Although the Premier League as a whole comes under fire regularly for the cost of attending matches, the organisation and a number of its member clubs have worked hard this season on the specific aspect of away support and how to maintain the atmosphere in grounds that is a major selling point of the league to those watching overseas.

The away fans fund, together with the work done by the Football Supporters' Federation has seen iniatives such as capping ticket prices at £20, reciprocal arrangements between clubs so that their fans are charged the same at both grounds and subsidised travel to games.

West Brom are the latest to offer a concession to their travelling support with the club subsidising tickets for their next away game at Swansea so that they will cost £20 for adults and £10 for concessions. With a full allocation of 2,000 tickets requested, the Baggies are hoping that the extra support will give them an edge in an important match at the foot of the table.

Chief executive Mark Jenkins said: “We’ve got some important games coming up and our supporters can play a big part in our remaining 12 fixtures.

“We hope the subsidised ticket prices for the Swansea game will encourage our fans to travel in numbers and get right behind the team.”

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.

http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/reduced-prices-for-swansea-trip-1358338.aspx

@AffordableFooty

Is our Twitter address, where I try and tweet about all of the ticket offers that I come across whereas here on the blog page I try and go into a bit more detail about those deals that really catch the eye.

Tweets this week that are relevant to this weekend's football include reduced prices for under-21's at Alfreton Town against Aldershot and also £5 off for Newcastle United season ticket holders who go to watch Gateshead against Woking.

https://twitter.com/AffordableFooty

WSL Fixtures Kick Off Busy Spell For Women's Game

This Thursday sees the announcement of the fixtures for the new Womens' Super League season with the competition now split into two divisions of 18 teams.

The restructure of the elite level of the game has not been without controversy with one of the games established names, Doncaster Rovers Belles demoted into the second tier at the expense of Manchester City.
 
With a host of new signings having been made by many clubs during the winter, the Womens' game provides a very affordable, family-friendly source of top quality football. Arsenal Ladies, for instance, have season tickets on sale for 2014 priced at just £35 for adults which includes entry to all 7 WSL home clashes and any home games in either the FA or Continential Cup.

Also coming up is the all-English Champions League clash between Birmingham City and Arsenal Ladies. Tickets for the first leg at St Andrew's which takes place on 24 March are priced at £6 for adults and £3 concessions. The return will be played at Barnet's The Hive on Sunday 30 March when it is £5 adults and £2.50 concessions.

And England's Senior Women play their latest World Cup qualifier at the Amex Stadium, home of Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 April when Montenegro are the visitors for a 12:55pm kick-off. Adult tickets are £5 with discounts for concessions, families and groups.

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/womens-world-cup-qualifier-tickets-1345404.aspx

http://www.birminghamcityladiesfc.co.uk/news/champions_league_tickets_on_sale.html

http://www.arsenalladies.com/tickets.html

FA Cup 5th Round Affordable Football

Two games away now from a semi-final and with the Premier League top four all set to play each other this weekend that means Wembley dreams are coming into focus for quite a few unfancied names.

It may be the last 16 but there is still plenty of Affordable Football across the weekend, starting with the saturday lunchtime kick-off between Sunderland v Southampton, an 8th home game in cup competitions for the Black Cats this season and for the 8th time they have reduced prices to adults £15, over-65's and under-18's £5.

The Steel City has an FA Cup weekend of its own, Sheffield Wednesday taking on Charlton Athletic on Saturday afternoon (adults £20, £10 for over-65's and £5 for under-18's with reductions in place for SWFC season ticket holders if purchased in advance before close of business on Friday) before Sheffield United host Nottingham Forest 24 hours later (prices agreed by both clubs are adult £15, adult season ticket holder £10, concessions £10, (these three categories rise by £3 on matchday) under-16's £5). 

Holders Wigan Athletic have made a spirited defence of the trophy so far. They travel to Cardiff City on Saturday where adult tickets are priced at £15 with all concessions (over-60's and under-21's) priced at £5.

Then, to round things off, Brighton & Hove Albion take on Hull City on Monday night. Prices start at £15 for adults, £10 for over-65's and £5 for under-16's.

Details are on the official websites of all the host clubs.

'Pay What You Want' At Bath City Community Day

The growing popularity of 'Pay What You Want' days continues with Bath City using it for their first ever 'Community Day' on Saturday 22 March when Chelmsford City are the visitors for a 3pm kick-off.

This follows on from last year's 'Pack the Park' day when, with both Bristol clubs not playing at home, supporters were urged to attend Bath's game against Staines at a time of financial crisis for the Romans. That produced the season's highest crowd but this time fans will be allowed to choose their admission fee with the boost to the attendance helping to generate extra money from food and drink sales, programmes and sponsorship.

The 'Pay What You Want' initiatives that have worked the best this season have been those that have been flagged up well in advance, allowing clubs to market the game locally and nationally through social media. With Bristol City away at Colchester United that day and Bristol Rovers at home on Friday night there should be plenty of scope to get a good crowd for this one.

 

As part of the community aspect of the day, the club will be supporting the Cancer Care Centre at the RUH in Bath, by donating 10% of all the money taken at the gate to the Forever Friends Appeal.

Upwardly Mobile But Bradford City Keep Season Tickets Down

One of the most consistently successful experiments with ticket pricing over recent years has been Bradford City's decision in the summer of 2007 to offer season tickets at a big discount in a bid to build and retain their fanbase irrespective (as much as possible) of fortunes on the pitch.

Over 12,000 season tickets were sold for the 2007/08 season and average gates jumped from 8,694 in 2006/07 (in a higher division) to 13,756 the following year, not dipping below 10,000 since.

The move may have been born out of necessity at a time when the Bantams had fallen from the Premier League into the basement of the Football League but it has proved to be such a success that it has been maintained as City have become more upwardly mobile with their promotion back into League One and the famous run to Wembley last season.

Last week saw the announcement about season tickets for 2014/15 with adult tickets priced at £199, concessions at £149 and under-16's at £99, the third campaign in a row for which prices have been frozen, and with a decent 'early-bird' window from March to May in which to purchase.

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.

February's Affordable Football Update

What's happening for the rest of the month (weather permitting)...

This Saturday (Feb 8) in League Two, Wycombe Wanderers have cut prices for their important game against Accrington Stanley while Dagenham & Redbridge celebrate their annual 'Daggers Against Racism' day with tickets from as little as 50p for concessions on the terraces (if purchased in advance so do that tomorrow if you are going).

Sheffield Wednesday's game against Wigan Athletic before Christmas, where tickets were reduced to £10 for adults, was abandoned after half-time. As well as all tickets being honoured for Tuesday (Feb 11) when the re-arranged fixture takes place the Owls have again kept adult ticket prices at £10.

Across the city on Sunday (Feb 16) it is FA Cup 5th Round action when Sheffield United host Nottingham Forest and the two sides have agreed ticket prices of £15 for adults reduced to £10 for season ticket holders if purchased in advance.

Burton Albion have cut prices for their game against Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday (Feb 15) as part of a celebration of local football.

Chesterfield host the 2nd Leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy area final against Fleetwood on Tue 18 with tickets priced at £12, £8 and £5 while on the same evening Gloucester City try again with their 'Pay What You Can' fixture against Barrow.

Details on the official club websites of all the home teams involved.

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.

Football From 50p At Dagenham & Redbridge This Saturday!

The 5th annual Daggers Against Racism day takes place when Dagenham & Redbridge host Hartlepool United this Saturday (8th February) and the League Two side are pulling out all the stops to make sure a large crowd is able to celebrate the event.

Tickets for the terraces are priced at a superb £2.50 for adults and 50p for concessions while seats are on sale at £4.99/£9.99.

Not only that but the Daggers, for whom being a community club is the only way forward given the huge competition they face for support in London, have been marketing the game brilliantly on Twitter with loads of ticket giveaways and plugs for the day.

Discounted prices are only available in advance so get along to the website now if you're anywhere near the area on Saturday and want to watch a vital League Two fixture.

http://www.daggers.co.uk/news/article/hartlepool-h-on-sale-1291307.aspx

Also in League Two, when Dagenham & Redbridge travel to Burton Albion one week later (Saturday 15th February), the Brewers have reduced prices to £15 and £13 for adults as part of a celebration of Junior Football when around 1,000 local junior players will be attending the match.

Wycombe Cut Prices For A Huge Game

Out of the relegation zone on goal difference only, Wycombe Wanderers face a huge clash against Accrington Stanley this weekend and the Chairboys have moved to boost numbers at Adams Park by cutting prices.

Adult tickets are available for £10, concessions at £5 and under-7's for free with family tickets costing £25 (two adults and two children). Season-ticket holders can also bring a guest for £5.

It's a good example of the way clubs are reacting more quickly to reduce prices for specific games and utilising socal media to spread the word, Wycombe using #herewego to publicise the offer which, to their credit is also open to Accrington supporters.

http://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/article/here-we-go-big-game-small-prices-1337542.aspx?

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.

'Pay What You Like' Stretches Far And Wide

From the top of League One in England (Brentford) to the Second Division of the Scottish League (Albion Rovers), it has been a pleasure to report on 'Pay What You Like' matches this season.

On Saturday it was the turn of Walsham le Willows in the Premier Division of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League to try the initiative. A gate of 90 watched the match against Wivenhoe Town, up from the 65 who saw the previous home fixture versus Godmanchester Rovers.

On their own website the club say it was 'certainly an experiment that we will do again' after plenty of pre-match publicity in the local press and a very enjoyable 4-0 win for the home side.

Walsham le Willows website

Gloucester City's attempt at a 'Pay What You Like' game was washed out last week but they will try again for the visit of Barrow on February 18th as the club, like so many up and down the country count the cost of recent postponements (and worse given the damage that has been done to pitches and grounds by the bad weather.

http://www.gloucestercityafc.com/?p=4245