Hey crew. I'm starting at a point of very very low knowledge and the websites I've looked at have looked either a bit dodge or unhelpful so, wondered if any of you could weigh in?

 

Long story short:

 

I'm looking to buy Premier League (I think - a famous club) tickets for a game around April or March time

I want to buy 2 tickets as a gift for someone else

I might end up going or they might bring someone else

I have literally no idea how to do this because it doesn't look to be as simple as just ordering 2 tickets and getting them posted to you.

 

Any pointers or give me some details of the process? Thanks folks!

Tickets for a famous club would be incredibly difficult (Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea). Usually you have to be a season ticket holder or a member. Can often get lucky with last minute tickets (e.g. on the day or 1-2 days before) when people return their tickets. For most of these tickets you're either going to have to know someone, go through a ticket tour or just get incredibly lucky. Most of the Premier League grounds (infact I think all of them) are signed up to E-Gates, so you actually buy your ticket and then scan it as you go in on your smart phone.

 

If you're wanting to go to a game, then I'd suggest trying to check out Manchester City. Quick scan of their official website and you can buy tickets for their home games against Brighton and Watford in March/April. Atmosphere will be terrible/dreadful. Newcastle also used to be a good ground to get tickets at, as they have a huge stadium.

Yeh as a Liverpool fan from Ireland I’ve only ever been to anfield 4 times in my life and it’s always through a person who’s got a season ticket who is t going to the game and it’s been lucky via a friend of a friend.

What's a season ticket?

 

Why is it so hard to buy a ticket? Surely the companies want the games to be sold out?

 

I will probably be looking to get one in London. I was thinking of spending £200 or so - would that be enough or am I being daft?

I can’t say much for tickets as I have only ever been to a couple of premier league games at most in my lifetime and one of those was at Anfield (Liverpool).

 

All I can say is if you want it to be in London that gives you the option of the following clubs;

 

Chelsea

Arsenal

Tottenham

West Ham

Crystal Palace

Brentford

 

You also have the option of Brighton or Watford which is just a short trip outside London.

 

If you were willing to consider a championship match (the league below the Premier League) tickets may be cheaper and you could choose from these London clubs;

 

Fulham

Queens Park Rangers

Millwall

 

Hope that is useful.

What's a season ticket?

 

Why is it so hard to buy a ticket? Surely the companies want the games to be sold out?

 

I will probably be looking to get one in London. I was thinking of spending £200 or so - would that be enough or am I being daft?

 

A season ticket is a ticket where you can go to all the home games of a team so there are seats block booked.

 

It’s so hard because Thatcherism took football over so it’s about consumerism and profit and not the fans these days like all sectors of British life it’s been comodified. This makes it good in some aspects but awful in others!

A season ticket is like a membership where you get to go to all the home games. Unfortunately, as Rooney said, for a "famous" premier league club you're going to have to be very lucky to get any tickets anywhere.

 

With regards to prices, it all depends on where you want to sit and who the opposition is. Taking Chelsea as an example, the most expensive ticket is £85.

A lot of the time the only way to get into one of the big clubs is via Hospitality. These are the VIP seats where you get a prime seat and usually a meal. They’re the most expensive tickets in the stadium tho but they are the only ones you could get to Old Trafford without paying for „official membership“ to be given the opportunity to go.

 

Cup games rather than league games tend to be easier to get tickets for but they tend to be released on much shorter notice because of the nature of the games. Typically the League Cup and the European games that aren’t in the Champions League Are quite easy to get as a non-member because they have a lower rate of Season Ticket attendance (when I had my United one, it only covers League games and you had to buy cup tickets. FA Cup And CL were mandatory purchases but the lessor cups you could opt out of. Many do which means that they’re easier to get)

 

I can only really speak deeply for my experience with United. They have 55k season tickets for a capacity of ~72k. So the majority of seats aren’t available full stop. Then the bigger clubs you’re always gonna compete for seats with tourists who will have bought the official membership. Old Trafford is a sellout, on paper, for every league game.

 

So, the best thing to try is a smaller club with a good atmosphere. More likely to get a ticket, will probably be cheaper, and the atmosphere will be better than at a top tier club that is easy to get tickets for (aka City. Who you can buy tickets day of easily because they have no fans but a massive stadium they fill once a year when United play them - and they have no atmosphere. That’s what happens when your club is as plastic as daddy sheiks amex)

 

 

 

Honestly, a better experience is the Bundesliga. Seats are cheap as hell and the atmosphere is electric. Seats for Hertha Berlin start at 15€ (ok when Bayern Are in town it starts a bit higher but generally they’re far better value) and you can drink while eyeballing the pitch (illegal in England). Plus the atmosphere is incredible. Hertha have a better atmosphere at a half full stadium (they use the Olympic stadium and it’s way too big for them. They know it and admit it and Are trying to build a new one but that’s not easy in Berlin!!) than nearly all PL clubs have at full capacity

If you're wanting a London game, then West Ham tickets are the best shout, as long as they're not playing a Top 6 side. They have a large capactity stadium and will be able to get tickets. Arsenal probably the next best shout, but with those two teams I'd just go through the official website and check what tickets are available. Best bet to look at are the Saturday 3pm games.

Arsenal have the most expensive tickets in the league tho.

 

Agree with West Ham tho. At the Olympic Stadium that’ll be a good off pitch experience too

I’m not a City fan but it’s a bit biased to say City are plastic fans, they have their core fan base (mainly from Manchester itself) but they haven’t been as successful as United over a long period of time so they get less tourists at their stadium so inevitably have more empty seats but in say 30 years they will be full houses. It’s the same with Liverpool they have a lot of tourist fans too.

I’m not a City fan but it’s a bit biased to say City are plastic fans, they have their core fan base (mainly from Manchester itself) but they haven’t been as successful as United over a long period of time so they get less tourists at their stadium so inevitably have more empty seats but in say 30 years they will be full houses. It’s the same with Liverpool they have a lot of tourist fans too.

 

Yeah possibly in 30 years City might be able to fill out their stadium, but they flog tickets quite regularly on Groupon ffs :lol: They have a core fanbase, but they don't fill out their stadoum every week and there's not a 10-15 year waiting list for season tickets. They rarely ever sell out Champions League games either. City having a dedicated fanbase relies on them constantly winning as they type of fans they attract will just move on to the next shiny thing.

I always laugh to myself whenever I see a fully grown adult who supports Man City. Unless they were born or lived in Manchester there's no way that they would have grown up supporting Man City when they were in the Championship or lower than that during the late 90's or early 00's or even decades prior to that. In 1999 they had to win a penalty shoot out to get promoted from League One via the play offs. I refuse to believe these people were getting behind the team then :lol:

 

 

For me once you've chosen the team you want to support that should be it for life no matter what happens in the future. Re the the question in the opening post: like others have said West Ham would be a good pick as it's a big stadium and has had some historic moments, there's also Westfield shopping centre nearby so it could be a good day out as a whole going there.

I'd go for West Ham regarding football tickets.

Thanks for all your help everyone. Its for my dad who's had a rough year. I have an ok salary so I don't mind paying a lot, this will probably be the only time I ever do this. Feel like I have a foot in the door of understanding the state of play now, thanks for laying things out simply.

 

Although it does seem wild given the stereotype of football being fairly working-class as an interest that to go to a game reliably might cost thousands! Is a season ticket tied to a team or a stadium?

Thanks for all your help everyone. Its for my dad who's had a rough year. I have an ok salary so I don't mind paying a lot, this will probably be the only time I ever do this. Feel like I have a foot in the door of understanding the state of play now, thanks for laying things out simply.

 

Although it does seem wild given the stereotype of football being fairly working-class as an interest that to go to a game reliably might cost thousands! Is a season ticket tied to a team or a stadium?

 

In that case I would go for hospitality tickets like Silas suggested earlier. You will pay over the odds, but it is much more of an experience (well, a very middle class experience rather than a "proper" football trip!) but you'll be able to get tickets for Arsenal/Chelsea that way.

 

Season tickets are tied to the stadium of the football club. E.g. if you're a Liverpool FC season ticket holder, you will be able to go to every single home game that season.