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.

Port Vale Scrap Matchday Price Increase / £5 Entry at Tranmere Next Saturday

Following on from Coventry City's recent decision to do so, Port Vale have scrapped matchday charges with immediate effect starting with this Saturday's home game against Leyton Orient.

Prices had previously gone up by £3 in the three hours before kick-off although chairman Norman Smurthwaite told the official club website that this was not a 'revenue-increasing' ploy but designed to ease both congestion and pressure on the ticket office as the game approached.

It's an ideal-world (or the Premier League as it is otherwise known) scenario in many ways but the reality at this level of the game is that a lot of people are not in the habit of buying tickets in advance and want the flexibility of being able to decide on the morning of a game whether they are attending or not.

Cash turnstiles, no matchday increases and unreserved seating areas can all go some way towards achieving this and even if it means a hundred extra people come through the gate who otherwise would not have gone then that makes a financial difference.

Meanwhile, 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.

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.

Tranmere Rovers Chairman Mark Palios told the official club website: “Johnny King’s achievements as manager of Tranmere Rovers are legendary at this club and the statue is a fantastic tribute to him.

"It would be wonderful to see a full Johnny King Stand at the game against Stevenage and our fans helping form a mosiac in his honour."

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.

Save Hitchin Town FC - 'No Pay Day' 29 November

Usually when I write about 'Pay What You Want' matches that are taking place around the country it has a positive air to it as the clubs involved are generally looking to increase awareness and goodwill in their local area and generate some extra support that then stays with them over the months and years that follow.

Hitchin Town's 'No Pay Day' which is scheduled for Saturday 29 November against Frome Town in the Southern League Premier Division (cup commitments not withstanding) has a slightly different but no less important aim.

The club's existence is under threat as the trustees of their Top Field ground, in use since 1865 and beautifully described as a 'welcoming if somewhat archaic place to watch the game', the Cow Commoners, have proposed to sell up to a property developer.

Chairman Terry Barratt said: “We are aware of the enormous groundswell of emotion around the issues of our ground. We want the support of everyone – not just our loyal fans, but the town of Hitchin, the non-league community and local businesses and enterprises. We urge them all to come along and show their support for our cause. We need the help of everyone to secure the future of senior football in Hitchin.”

The Save HTFC web page and official website have full details of the fight.

Remembrance Matchday at Watford FC

Watford FC play host to Millwall in the Championship on Saturday 1 November and the Hornets will also mark 100 years since the beginning of World War One by donning their special black and white away kit and prices that are made up from the digits 1914.

That means adult prices have been reduced to £14 for adults, £4 for concessions and £1 for under-16's in the majority of areas of Vicarage Road.

The club will also be donating money to the Royal British Legion from purchases of the kit and from a commemorative programme produced for the occasion.

http://www.watfordfc.com/news/article/141101-watford-fc-world-war-one-remembrance-matchday-v-millwall-1984975.aspx

School’s Out! Half-Term Affordable Football

A week off from school for most and plenty of family offers at games up and down the country.

Stevenage lead the way with their ‘half term, half price’ offer for the match against Burton Albion on Saturday 25th. All tickets purchased by 5pm on the Friday before the game are half-price for all home supporters aged 22 or under.

Coventry City have a family ticket available for the game against Peterborough on the same day. Two adults and two children can watch from the Family Zone for £30.

The following day is ‘Super Sunday’ at Morecambe FC as they mark their first ever league game on a Sunday with a number of offers for the visit of Exeter City.

Adult season ticket holders can bring two friends to the game (in the Bay Radio terrace) for £5 each and get a free transfer to that part of the ground themselves.

All adult and concession tickets for other parts of the stadium, if purchased before the day of the game, have been discounted by up to £5 and the club's Kids Go Free offer is also in place which allows an adult to bring up to 3 under-14's to the match for free.

It is also FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round weekend and a number of clubs have reduced their usual prices.

Stockport County for instance are charging £12 adults, £8 concessions, £3 for 11-17 year-olds and £1 for under-10’s for what is a tasty looking tie against Conference Premier side Chester FC.

The full list of fixtures is available at the official FA website

Then it is the turn of the Capital One Cup with the 4th Round stage taking place in the week commencing Monday 27th.

AFC Bournemouth versus West Bromwich Albion is priced at £12 for adults, £8 for over-65’s and students and £5 for under-16’s while all under-18 tickets at MK Dons v Sheffield United are £1.

One other thing to look out for over half-term are those clubs who put on an open training session which is usually free to attend and with some family activities going on as well.

Watford (Tuesday 28th from 10:15am) and Reading (the same day from 10:30am) are two such clubs.

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.

Plenty of Affordable Action in the Welsh Premier

One final line on the BBC's 'Price of Football Survey' which has been making the headlines over the past couple of days and the Welsh Premier League are rightly annoyed that their clubs were not included in the report, especially as this year it encompassed leagues as far and wide as the Swedish and Norwegian top-flights.

The perception that football in Wales begins and ends with Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham ignores the fact that WPL clubs feature regularly in European competition and that good terrestrial television coverage of the league is available on S4C.

A recent WPL fan survey showed that the most expensive adult ticket in the league is just £9 and certainly both here on the blog and on twitter we have highlighted offers from the likes of The New Saints and GAP Connahs Quay. Just this evening Carmarthen Town were offering free admission to their game against TNS to Cardiff and Swansea season ticket holders.

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.

Affordable England - Four for November

In addition to the men's senior team (against Slovenia on Saturday 15 November) and the women's senior team's first match at the new Wembley (against Germany on Sunday 23 November, adults £15, children £1) there are four other opportunities to watch England teams in action next month.

The under-20's take on Canada at AFC Bournemouth's Goldsands Stadium on the 12th at 7:30pm with tickets priced at £3 and £1 for Under-16's.

Two days later (Friday 14th) the under-19's meet their Italian counterparts at Rotherham's New York Stadium. Tickets £3 and £1 for children and Oaps.

There is free football on the 18th at the home of Halifax Town when England C meet Estonia under-23's with a 7:30pm kick-off.

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

Full details on the official club websites of the various host teams.

Some Thoughts on the Price of Football Survey

The BBC's 'Price of Football' survey has been making the headlines up and down the country on an otherwise slow football news day.

The top lines of the report could have been predicted before the findings were published. Premier League football is getting more expensive to watch, Arsenal have the dearest season ticket and comparisons with the Bundesliga aren't flattering.

There is a danger however that simply comparing on price misses out on a host of other factors and can lead to some dangerous over-simplifications.

The initial BBC story for League Two for instance was that watching Cheltenham was 'dearer than watching Man City' and that has subsequently been altered after Cheltenham said their had been an error with their initial submission.

Southend United are now used as the comparison against the Premier League champions but as Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker has told his club's official website today: "I do think it is somewhat unfair to compare our situation with Premier League clubs who are literally awash with money and could slash ticket prices if they really wanted to.

"The reality of life in the Football League is that ticket revenue is our most important revenue source."

Mr Baker and the club provide a detailed breakdown of their ticket structure and changes over the years and one of the strengths of the survey is that it does prompt or force clubs to explain these details as local media take the basic findings of the report and look for further information.

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.

BBC 'Price of Football 'Survey

Always an interesting read, the BBC's 'Price of Football' survey will be released on Wednesday and is sure to spark some debate up and down the country.

This year, for the first time, the survey delves into Europe with 31 clubs from 10 different leagues included to give a further comparison to the game in England, Scotland and Wales.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29613844

Move Quickly for Half Price Brentford Tickets

A slightly different kind of offer to one we normally see here on Affordable Football comes from Brentford FC who are selling a limited number of tickets for their home game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 13 December at half price.

According to the official club website: 'Tickets in Blocks 500, 501 and 502 in the New Road Stand will be available for 50 per cent of normal price – adults £12, seniors £9, students £8, juniors £3.

 

'Tickets in Braemar Road Blocks B300, B301 and B305 will also be reduced - adults £12.50, seniors £9.50, students £8.50, juniors £3.'

 

These go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday 14 October).

 

Also in the Championship, Ipswich Town have announced some ticket promotions covering the next month or so.

 

A 'group save' bundle ticket is available for the home games against Huddersfield, Watford, Leeds and Wolves which can save up to £21.40 on normal prices.

 

For the Watford fixture (Saturday 8 November) season ticket holders can also purchase up to four extra tickets at £1 for under-16's, £8 for concessions and £10 for adults.

And Sheffield Wednesday have a number of special family offers still available for this Saturday's home game against Watford at Hillsborough.