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IS
FOOTBALL selling itself too cheaply?
from
1970-71 season 'Football League Review',
edition 50B (Kevin Hector and Henry Newton on the
cover)
The question has been asked several times already this
season and no one has yet come up with a completely
satisfactory answer.
Some clubs, particularly those lower down The League
scale who wage a continuous fight for their financial
survival, claim that the public should pay more to watch
League football, that minimum admission prices should be
on a par with those in other entertainment industries.
Fourth Division Stockport County have even taken the bold
step of raising their ground charge-to stand on the
terraces at Edgeley Park-from the minimum laid down in
The League regulations of 30p (6/-) to 50p (10/-). It is
too soon to assess whether this increase has been
successful at Stockport, but so far it has not been the
salvation the club initially hoped for.
There is still a large body of opinion in the game
however, which feels that 30p is the most suitable
minimum admission charge for League football. One gauge
for this charge over the years has been that to watch
football from the terraces costs about the same as a
packet of 20 cigarettes. This still applies.
It is interesting to look at the graph plotting
football's minimum admission charge back to the last war.
From 1946-47 season to 1950-51, the fixed lowest charge
was 1/3 including entertainment tax. The exceptions were
for servicemen in uniform and boys under the age of 14.
For two seasons from 1951-52, the charge was raised to
1/6 when women also counted as special exceptions.
The next price-rise took the minimum admission up to 1/9
for seasons 1954-55 and 1955-56, which again included
entertainment tax and allowed concessions for women and
schoolboys.
By 1956-57, you had to pay 2/- to watch your football
from the terraces unless you were a woman or a schoolboy.
It was hard luck if you were a woman soccer follower
after the 1959-60 season because the exemption for women
spectators ended in that season although the special
reduction covered all school children, girls as well as
boys.
For the 1964-65 season it cost 2/6 to watch from the
terraces, unless you were a school child and a year
later, old age pensioners were allowed into grounds at
reduced prices. The minimum charge for the 1967-68 season
was increased to 4/-and two seasons later was raised to
5/-.
This season the minimum admission was increased to 'not
less than' 6/- or 30p after Decimal Day, with special
concessions still available for school children and
pensioners.
SUCCESS MAKES A DIFFERENCE
IT MAY APPEAR a big jump, from 1/3 immediately after the
war to 6/- (30p) this season, but football's rising
prices have kept well below the general increase in the
cost of livi ng over those 25 years.
Stockport County are one of the clubs who believe that
spectators are getting their League football too cheaply.
Faced with desperate and growing financial problems, the
club increased their lowest admission prices just before
Christmas and other Third and Fourth Division clubs are
watching the results of this rise in price at Edgeley
Park, with interest.
"The present minimum charge is only economical for
the successful sides", says Stockport's secretary
Terry McCreery.
"Our increase from 6/- to 50p (10/-) was forced on
us by financial pressure. Last season was a disastrous
one for the club.
We had no money to strengthen the team, we struggled all
through the season and finally failed".
Average attendances at Edgeley Park before the increased
admission were around 3,500. "Our average has
dropped to just over 2,000. partly because of the team's
poor results and partly because of the rise in
admission", reports Mr.McCreery.
Apart from increasing the ground admission, the club also
asked season ticket holders to make a voluntary
contribution of 25p at every home game to boost club
finances.
"Our really faithful supporters are continuing to do
this", says the Stockport secretary. "There
have been a loyal band of fans who have backed us despite
the rise in price. We had eight letters criticising us
when we announced the increase, but far more supporters
said they understood the club's difficulties".
Stockport County are only one example of how harsh
football life can be in the 'seventies.
The club have tried to find a way round the problem but
admit that they have not yet found the answer. " All
clubs are dependant on success on the field", says
Mr. McCreery. " Every time you have a bad season,
you are in trouble. Something has got to be done to help
clubs like ourselves. . . and soon".
Whether increasing admission prices, as Stockport have
done, is the answer to the problem, remains to be seen.
One thing is certain, clubs can never hope to correct the
financiai balance until they take a careful look at their
expenditure.
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