The Black Scarf Movement welcomes Arsenal
ticket price freeze
16 January 2015
Today Arsenal have announced that they are freezing ticket prices for the 2015/16 season. We welcome this announcement and the news will be welcome relief to our core support.
Through our discussions with the club, they were very much aware that last season’s 3% price rise did not sit well with matchgoing Arsenal fans, bearing in mind costs to watch matches at Emirates Stadium were already among the highest in football. Indeed, 94.9% of respondents in our Summer 2014 survey said the price rise was unjustified.
Ivan Gazidis remarks in the club’s announcement, that the Arsenal board “works to strike a balance between the expense of coming to games” for supporters against “the club’s ever-increasing costs and expenditure as it develops on and off the pitch”. What this statement doesn’t take into account is the huge uplift in the club’s commercial income, including some £300 million received from deals with Emirates and Puma, as well as a large rise in TV broadcast revenue which saw Arsenal pocket around £94 million last season – a 35.8% increase compared to the season prior.
In May 2011, Ivan Gazidis actually cited the club’s work to secure improved commercial revenue to help counteract reliance on the matchgoing supporter:
“I agree that we need to reduce the club’s reliance on ticket revenue as a source of income to compete at the highest level. At present, we are more reliant on ticket revenue than any of our major competitors.
“Our strategy in terms of commercial revenue has already begun to produce results and I believe we can develop significantly over time. We are also working hard to maximise our income from our remaining property activity.
“The results of those investments will not be instantaneous but they are already beginning to make a difference. Coupled with initiatives to build our fanbase around the world, this will reduce our reliance on the matchday fan as our biggest source of income. We are working hard to get to that point but we are not there yet”.
We appreciate that the club will have certain increases in running costs and player wages, however, our improved commercial activity plus increased TV revenue is there to counteract this – as mentioned by Gazidis in the quote above.
Some work has already taken place in this area, which Gazidis refers to in the club’s announcement (lower prices for the League Cup and certain matches which see teenage fans pay less) but more can be done to improve the whole matchday experience – from pricing, to season ticket payment options, and recognising the long-term commitment (both financial and support) from many season ticket holders some of whom have held their tickets for decades.
Our matchgoing supporters are, and have always been, vital to the success of Arsenal Football Club. Their dedication and loyalty should never be taken for granted. Without the fans, football is nothing.
Up The Gunners.
Today Arsenal have announced that they are freezing ticket prices for the 2015/16 season. We welcome this announcement and the news will be welcome relief to our core support.
Through our discussions with the club, they were very much aware that last season’s 3% price rise did not sit well with matchgoing Arsenal fans, bearing in mind costs to watch matches at Emirates Stadium were already among the highest in football. Indeed, 94.9% of respondents in our Summer 2014 survey said the price rise was unjustified.
Ivan Gazidis remarks in the club’s announcement, that the Arsenal board “works to strike a balance between the expense of coming to games” for supporters against “the club’s ever-increasing costs and expenditure as it develops on and off the pitch”. What this statement doesn’t take into account is the huge uplift in the club’s commercial income, including some £300 million received from deals with Emirates and Puma, as well as a large rise in TV broadcast revenue which saw Arsenal pocket around £94 million last season – a 35.8% increase compared to the season prior.
In May 2011, Ivan Gazidis actually cited the club’s work to secure improved commercial revenue to help counteract reliance on the matchgoing supporter:
“I agree that we need to reduce the club’s reliance on ticket revenue as a source of income to compete at the highest level. At present, we are more reliant on ticket revenue than any of our major competitors.
“Our strategy in terms of commercial revenue has already begun to produce results and I believe we can develop significantly over time. We are also working hard to maximise our income from our remaining property activity.
“The results of those investments will not be instantaneous but they are already beginning to make a difference. Coupled with initiatives to build our fanbase around the world, this will reduce our reliance on the matchday fan as our biggest source of income. We are working hard to get to that point but we are not there yet”.
We appreciate that the club will have certain increases in running costs and player wages, however, our improved commercial activity plus increased TV revenue is there to counteract this – as mentioned by Gazidis in the quote above.
Some work has already taken place in this area, which Gazidis refers to in the club’s announcement (lower prices for the League Cup and certain matches which see teenage fans pay less) but more can be done to improve the whole matchday experience – from pricing, to season ticket payment options, and recognising the long-term commitment (both financial and support) from many season ticket holders some of whom have held their tickets for decades.
Our matchgoing supporters are, and have always been, vital to the success of Arsenal Football Club. Their dedication and loyalty should never be taken for granted. Without the fans, football is nothing.
Up The Gunners.
