Hanley Town FC

Reading the latest When Saturday Comes magazine this week, I was really interested in an article that highlighted the great work being done by former Stoke City manager Lou Macari for homeless people in his adopted home town.

Searching for a little more information led me to Hanley Town of the North West Counties League Premier Division and now with the name of the Macari Foundation proudly displayed on the back of their shirts.

A fantastic example of how a football club, even in the absence of any action on the pitch, can still be at the heart of its local community, Hanley's home ground is also currently being used as Covid test centre.

The Yearly Article on Stoke City!

And no apologies for doing so because while other clubs only seem to be waking up to the possibility of keeping prices as low as possible given the income they have coming in from television, that has been part of the Stoke story since promotion to the Premier League.

For the ninth consecutive season, Season Card prices have been frozen for the 2016/17 campaign with Adult tickets available from £294, 10,000 seats available between £344 and £359 and a number of offers available for younger supporters.

Speaking to the official club website, chief executive Tony Scholes said: "Whilst the cost of following football has been a major talking point in recent weeks, affordability is an issue that has been fundamental to us for many years.

 

“We feel very strongly that no-one should miss out on the opportunity to watch us in action at the Britannia Stadium because of cost."

Stoke City: Affordable Football from the World's 30th Richest Club

Good times indeed to be a Stoke City supporter as the Potteries club prove that you can punch your weight in the Premier League and attract high-quality players from home and abroad while still maintaining strong links with your fanbase and keeping admission prices realistic and affordable.

I've written before about how Stoke, with a clear sense of what people in the local area can and cannot afford, have frozen season ticket prices since 2007 with the slight dip in sales in the summer of 2013 having been more than made up for ahead of the 2014/15 campaign.

They also introduced free travel to all away games.

This week saw City named as the world's 30th richest club and an interesting piece in the Stoke Sentinel saw chief executive Tony Scholes explain how that status can still fit in with keeping football affordable.

Stoke City Expecting to Beat Season Ticket Record

After a drop in season ticket sales of around 2,000 last summer Stoke City have made up that shortfall in the current close season and are expecting a record number of over 22,000 to sign up for the 2014/15 campaign.

A freshening up of things on the pitch, with Mark Hughes taking over from Tony Pulis and guiding the Potters to a ninth-place finish, has contributed to the steady sales but Stoke have continued to peg prices at the same level as when they came into the Premier League in 2007.

Back in March we highlighted the club's decision to resist a price increase and it wasn't the first time we had mentioned the Potters after their decision to provide free coach travel for all away games in the Premier League last season.

A Mention for Stoke City & Liverpool On Season Tickets

It isn’t always here on Affordable Football that we delve into the top-flight of the English game. The nature of the offers we are highlighting means we focus more on the Football League and below as clubs try and attract supporters through the turnstiles.

But two announcements on season tickets have caught the eye this week…

For the seventh consecutive season (and with Premier League football again likely to be on the menu after an excellent win at Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon), Stoke City have frozen season ticket prices at the Britannia Stadium.

"It's evident since my time here, and to someone who's been to other clubs, how much the club takes on board what fans are saying and the economics of the area,” manager Mark Hughes told the Stoke Sentinel and the Potters will be hoping that a good season of home results under Hughes and the price freeze will win back some of the season ticket holders who did not renew last summer, an issue which we highlighted back in September.

http://affordablefootball.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/attendance-worries.html

Liverpool have no such worries about filling their stadium on a regular basis but it is to the credit of the club that, with one eye firmly on the future, they have reduced the price of junior season tickets to £200 in all areas of Anfield whereas previously that price had only been available in one family-specific section of the ground.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, managing director Ian Ayre said: “It's always been a big challenge for Liverpool FC as with the crowds we get and the massive demand for seats, we just don't have the capacity, but making the right price and opportunities for kids is important. We have an ageing fan base and it's vital that we encourage youngsters to come to games.”

Attendance Worries

With summer well and truly over and the football season slowly getting into full swing, Affordable Football looks at some of the stories around attendances and prices that have made the news recently.

Stoke City are looking at ways of boosting ticket sales after being around 2,500 short of capacity for their first two Premier League home games, including an attractive looking fixture against Manchester City.

“Our season-ticket sales are down, although I don’t have the precise figure of how much, and therefore we have to fill more seats on match days," said chairman Peter Coates, quoted in the Stoke Sentinel.

“We are looking at a number of initiatives I’d rather not go into at the moment, but we do feel they can work."

The Potters have tried hard during their time in the Premier League to keep prices realistic for their fan base and were also very quick to use the increase in television money this summer to offer free away travel for their supporters.

Their small drop in attendances looks like being down to a combination of factors, not least the general economic climate and the fact that being in the top-flight is no longer a novelty for the club, but a top-price ticket of £47 for the City game would not have convinced casual fans to come along.

The BBC's well-publicised 'Price of Football' survey, released last week, claimed Ipswich Town had the costliest season ticket in the Championship as well as the most expensive match-day experience in the division.

Some of the headlines in the survey were misleading as they related to a very specific type of ticket and a club spokesman told the BBC:  "We recognise that we are more expensive in some areas of ticketing than a number of Championship clubs but in other areas we are very comparable with our league rivals," said a club spokesperson.

"We have frozen season ticket prices for the third successive year and the seventh time in 11 years. Our supporters under the age of 11 could again purchase a season ticket for just £10."

What is indisputable is that Town recorded their smallest league attendance since 1999 (15,276) against Middlesbrough at the weekend. Those who were at Portman Road saw an impressive 3-1 win and boss Mick McCarthy said his aim was to keep putting out a successful team in the hope that more people would be tempted back.

But good results on the pitch and low prices are not always a foolproof combination if supporters feel alienated from the club they support.

To try and offset some of the cost (financially and emotionally) of moving the club away from the city that bears its name, Coventry City (my own club) offered the lowest season ticket prices in League One.

The Sky Blues have also won three and drawn one of their four 'home' games so far this season but recorded their lowest ever league gate when Colchester came to Sixfields recently and have yet to tempt more than 1,676 of their own fans to make the journey.

It's not that people don't want to watch Steven Pressley's exciting young team. Around 4,000 are expected follow City at Port Vale this weekend!

Affordable Football to look out for in the next few days includes England's Senior Women as they embark on their World Cup qualifying campaign.

As they embark on a new era after the departure of Hope Powell from the FA, the Three Lions take on Belarus at Dean Court, Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon and Turkey at Fratton Park, Portsmouth on Thursday 26 September.

Tickets for both games are available for just £5 for adults and £2.50 for concessions, There are further discounts for family and group tickets.

Getting To The Game - Every Little Helps

Getting to and from games can be a major part of matchday costs and, as the slogan goes, every little helps in this regard.

Stoke City announced at the start of the season that they would be offering their fans free away travel by coach to all 19 Premier League games in 2013/14, funded by the increase in television money that the club have received.

The Potters never seem to have forgotten since reaching the top-flight that their supporter base remains local and that attending games will eat into a big slice of their disposable income. Their season ticket prices have been realistic and the free travel offer has been widely applauded.

I noticed this week that Notts County supporters can park their cars for free and then travel on the city's tram network to Meadow Lane for £2 return this season. A quick look at the official website for the system shows that the deal also applies to Forest fans making their way to the City Ground.

As a Coventry City fan this is the kind of offer that should have been in place at the Ricoh Arena where the green travel plan envisaged before the stadium was opened never really materialised.

A 'Football Special' bus was in place but cost £4 on top of either paying to park your car in the city centre or for a further journey home by public transport. What a contrast to when the stadium hosted the Olympics and an army of smiling volunteers showed you the way to the buses that were included as part of your ticket price.

Affordable Football to look out for over the next week or so includes the Chelsea versus Spurs Under-21 game which takes place at Aldershot’s ground on Friday 9th August and which is free for all spectators.

Sheffield United have sold over 23,000 tickets for the England versus Scotland Under-21 international on Tuesday 13th August. A family of four can watch the match for £20 and a two-for-one offer has been running for Blades season ticket holders and members.

UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship takes place in Wales between 19 and 31 August

It is the first time Wales has hosted a UEFA tournament and there is free admission to all group games.