They’re two of the most famous clubs in world football, and both have a reputation for playing patient, attacking football. However, fans of Arsenal have more than a few complaints about the amount of money they’re being charged for the privilege of watching their team and it’s easy to see why when looking at the stats.
Priced out?
A survey by the BBC of football clubs throughout England and Scotland revealed that, among other things, a season ticket at the Emirates Stadium could cost close to £2,000, an eye-watering amount for even the richest Gunners fan to pay. An individual match-day, though cheaper, is still pretty costly too.
£26 is the lowest price for an adult’s ticket, although they go up to as much as £126
A programme, pie and cup of tea at the Emirates will cost a combined £8.30 per person
That plus transport costs to and from the Emirates from Central London or parking fees can make a trip to see Arsenal something many ordinary fans will find unaffordable, but if they want to watch top-class football, where else can they go?
Next stop, the Netherlands…
They share a lot of characteristics with Arsenal, produce a huge amount of young talent and play football in the right way, but are Ajax Amsterdam, the current leaders of the Dutch Eredivisie, any less expensive to watch, even when considering travel costs? In terms of the basic cost of watching them, the answer appears to be yes.
Tickets for a typical league game at the 51,000-capacity Amsterdam ArenA are usually around £16-£39 in the lower tier, while the upper tier has tickets for between £15.20-£29.50, which is much less than the prices for Arsenal games. Higher-profile matches in Europe and against the bigger Eredivisie teams are more expensive though, with maximum prices going up to £64!
The price of extras including refreshments is usually a little less than at the Emirates, but factoring in flights to Amsterdam as low as £76 (source), is it any less? The overall cost including flights is a little higher for going to see Ajax than Arsenal, but as a break from the norm, it might be worth doing if, say, Arsenal are playing away against one of the Premier League’s lesser lights like Stoke City.