After gathering a select set of data from the teams around Greater Manchester, we have found that Stockport County is the cheapest football club to travel to, from Manchester Piccadilly train station. The most expensive football club to travel to is Oldham Athletic, at the price of £12.60.
After speaking to Adam Street, the supporter liaison officer on the phone about the high cost of the train he stated: “I know it can be difficult for fans, especially for families, sometimes I will notice the midweek attendance at games are lower, but this is expected as there have be many train strikes recently.”
There are other ways around the train he said: “the trams are another way to get to our games, however it takes a long time, and the trams are unreliable at times.”
It isn’t just the fans struggling, the 21/22 season saw Oldham Athletic relegated from League 2, currently the club is in financial debt of £600,000. A dispute over player wages during the corona virus pandemic and an ongoing difficult relationship with former captain David Wheater overshadowed a lifeless few seasons on the pitch.
A continuance of unpaid rent on the stadium, as well as safety concerns over the North stand has led to more frustration for the Oldham fans. Nineteen-year-old supporter of Oldham Athletic Leon Gordon said: “it is baffling how a train ticket can be more expensive than a ticket to a non-league football game, I can understand why people take their car to the game instead.”
At the other end of the chart, it is only costing a Stockport County fan £2.00 for a return ticket from Manchester Piccadilly to the ground. In recent years we have seen them rise up the football league. Last season they fell at the final hurdle with defeat in the League 2 play-off final against Carlisle, however it hasn’t seemed to dampen their performances as they sit top of the League 2 table, six points ahead of second place.
Olivia Hanvey the head of commercial & supporter services at Stockport County said: “everyone who works for County sees the club as a family environment, we believe the fans feel the same… It’s a shame some fans are choosing not to attend matches due to transport prices, but it’s understandable.”
With all the financial backing the club is receiving, the club has a real opportunity to invest in the stadium and upgrade their facilities to an even higher standard. Currently, the stadium’s capacity is 10,852, however the club are hoping to expand the ground to 20,000.
The club released a statement to start working on a travel plan in the summer of 2023 to aid fans to allow them to travel to home matches. Using sustainable modes of transport minimises the impact on the local community.
Owen Gallagher who has been a fan for over twenty-five years now has enjoyed seeing the growth of his club, he said: “it is extremely cheap and accessible for me to go to matches, rather than supporting a bigger club like Manchester United or City, where tickets are more expensive, and it doesn’t feel you are part of a family.”
From the graph we can see the top five cheapest grounds to go to are:
- Stockport County
- Manchester United
- Manchester City
- Wigan Athletic
- Avro
The most expensive are:
- Oldham Athletic
- Atherton Laburnum Rovers
- Daisy Hill
- Cheadle Heath Nomads
- Cheadle Town
