Posted on 20th February 2025
Rising ticket prices one of biggest issues facing football – Ipsos poll
The rising cost of ticket prices at football remains one of the biggest concerns among football fans according to a survey conducted by a leading polling agency.
At the end of 2024, polling firm Ipsos surveyed just under 3,000 members of the public to learn more about what they thought were the biggest issues in the game.
41% of UK adults thought rising ticket prices was the most serious challenge to professional football- the largest category of concern by some distance. This number rose to 60% among matchgoing fans, and 50% among football supporters generally.
Respondents were asked to select from a range of topics what they thought the biggest issues in football were – everything from VAR, discrimination, ownership and governance – but ticket prices came out on top.
Long term trends
As the Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign makes clear, the cost of attending football has risen significantly since the 1990s. Football ticket inflation has outstripped many goods by a huge amount – as last year’s Football Price Index showed.
If lager had matched the price increase of your bog standard football ticket, it would average £11.80 a pint by now. Similarly a pint of milk would set you back £2.93.
Now consumer anxiety – football fans in this case – is taking root amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. Ipsos’s polling data confirms what we’ve all suspected in recent seasons: ticket prices are a big issue and clubs cannot keep squeezing matchgoing fans.
Young people priced out?
The ageing of Premier League crowds has been an issue for a number of years now and FSA would argue the Ipsos data reflects that lack of access for young fans at the top level.
Concern about rising ticket prices was highest among those aged 57-75, the Baby Boomers, followed by Gen X.
Gen Z and Millennials were least concerned about the threat of increasing ticket prices – though it was still registering as a significant issue with 30% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials putting it in the top four.
FSA Premier League network manager Thomas Concannon said: “Ipsos’ survey further showcases the need for our #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign.
“Rising ticket prices are clearly a concern for all age groups, with the threat of eroding concessions and increases in prices for adults meaning this issue is clearly on the minds of supporters.
“If clubs and football authorities do not take the appropriate action now, this issue will only intensify.”
