After an analysis of club’s ticket and programme prices within the Greater Manchester area, the data revealed that Stockport Georgians has the cheapest prices in total.
Tickets for the club cost as little as £5 and programmes can be bought for only £2 extra.
With multiple clubs increasing their prices this season by one pound, it is a shock to see that Stockport Georgians have not joined in too.
After speaking with the head of media and marketing at Stockport Georgians, John Baines, he was: “quite satisfied”, to hear that they led the way with the cheapest matchday costs.
Baines said: “We made a conscious decision not to increase it. We think five pounds is plenty in this day and age and everyone seems to be happy with it… We promote it as footy for a fiver so it’s a marketing thing as well”.
Baines continued: “We know a lot of clubs have put prices up and it’s understandable… we think five pounds is pretty much fair.”
With the capacity of their home stadium Cromley Road being 1000 and averaging just under 200 fans on a matchday, they’re somewhat short of filling the stadium.
Improving attendance, however, isn’t a massive concern of theirs.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester City has been found to have the most expensive total cost at £75 per ticket and £4 per programme.
City fans Adam Grice and Patrick Hardman admitted that after events such as the treble win last season, and their success over the past decade, the high prices are probably worth it.
Hardman went on to say: “You’re watching arguably the best team in the world which means they are likely to win, which means its more likely to be an enjoyable trip”.
Grice did say however, with the prices being so high: “It’s not great as it restricts the amount of people that are able to attend games”.
Hardman also said: “It depends on what you want from it. If you just want to support your team then obviously the price isn’t justified … but I think most likely the price is justified.”
For many City fans, it’s accepted that the price will be one of the highest in the UK let alone Greater Manchester.
For Grice personally it’s trying to get a hold of a ticket that is the problem. It’s mainly just about trying to get to the games when he can.
So although prices are justified as the team is great to watch, it makes attending games difficult as not everyone can afford these sort of prices.
With Stockport Georgians topping the charts for the cheapest matchday experience, they were delighted to gain this title and can hope for increased recognition within Greater Manchester.
Baines emphasised that Stockport Georgians is more about family than the matches themselves.
This is sure to have a positive impact on the overall fan engagement and enjoyment of the game.
Baines shed light on the sacrifice of possible hundreds of pounds which could have been gained from increasing their prices, but they still decided against it.
Stockport Georgians can benefit from building a strong sense of community due to fans not having to spend big for an enjoyable day out.
It’s important to recognise the affordability that Stockport Georgians offer to their fans. Their commitment to providing an affordable matchday experience sets them apart from the other 36 teams in the county.
