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Fans Used To Pay How Much?

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Ticket prices and conversations on that topic are a pretty regular bugbear for fans in the modern game of football.

This last season alone has seen the continuation of the Football Supporters’ Federations efforts on the £20’s Plenty’ campaign and the Premier League this year in response to that stipulated a £30 cap on away ticket prices for all in the top flight.

Of course that doesn’t apply further down the football pyramid though and some clubs stand out with £20 deals of their own (Southampton and Reading for example) and there has been a growth in reciprocal ticket deals between clubs who strike agreement to charge away fans the identical sum across their two league battles in a campaign.

Rather than edging the arguments for and against in this piece though, it’s very simply a look back in history to the prices charged in the old First Division campaign in the year of 1983/84.

The game of football back then was certainly a different beast and the teams involved in the top flight that year perfectly echo that sentiment, but being prior to the financial rebrand and the decision to make football a ‘different’ thing as people saw the opportunity to get their fingers in a growing pie of cash, well the game is just remembered more fondly isn’t it with awful muddy pitches, proper battles and players not falling over because somebody farted near them.

Anyway, I digress, Tottenham Hotspur charged £9 for their dearest seat on offer back then but the most expensive cheapseats, a joint £4.50 with West Ham charging the same.

Compared to modern football that’s basically the price of a pint, a pie and double the price of the match day programme on average depending on which way you look at it.

With inflation, standards of livings, average wage packets and the like, obviously that has an effect on pricing back then as for many the £2 it cost to get into terracing at the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Ipswich and the others, well that £2 probably meant more to most than it would in the current economic climate but undoubtedly the ‘entertainment’ football has become a huge financial success and fans don’t get the breaks they should do from that when you look at the commitments fans make in season ticket books, match day tickets and merchandise and everything else we are now flogged in support of our team.

I’d have been five years old or so back at the end of that season so I can’t offer any real memories, but I’m sure there’s plenty on Vital that could if they were willing.

Table source – Official Site‘ target=’blank’>@thecentretunnel.

First Division Prices – 1983/84 – (increase prices from 1982/83)
Club
Standing
Increase
Children
Cheapest
Increase
Dearest
Arsenal
£2.20
£0.20+
£1.10
£3.50
£0.50+
£6.50
Aston Villa
£2.00
£1.00
£4.00
£1.00+
£5.00
Birmingham City
£2.50
£0.50+
£1.25*
£3.00
£0.50+
£5.00
Coventry City
(all seats) from £2.00 to £5.00
Everton
£2.00
£0.10+
£4.00
£0.20+
£4.00
Ipswich Town
£2.00
£1.00
£4.00
£5.00
Leicester City
£2.50
£0.50+
£3.50
£5.00
Liverpool
£2.00
£0.10+
£1.40
£3.40
£0.20+
£4.00
Luton Town
£2.50
£1.50*
£4.00
£5.00
Manchester United
£2.00
£0.20+
£1.00
£2.60
£0.40-
£4.10
Norwich City
£2.20
£0.20+
£1.00
£3.00
£0.50+
£5.00
Nottingham Forest
£2.00
£1.00
£3.00
£5.00
Notts County
£2.00
£1.00*
£4.00
£5.00
QPR
£2.50
£0.20+
£1.50
£4.00
£6.00
Southampton
£2.50
£0.30+
Not yet finalised
Stoke City
£2.00
£0.20+
£1.00*
£3.00
£0.30+
£4.00
Sunderland
£2.10*
£0.10+
£1.30
£3.20
£0.30-
£3.70
Tottenham Hotspur
£2.20
£0.20-
£1.10
£4.50
£9.00
Watford
£2.30*
£0.30+
£3.50
£0.50+
£6.00
West Bromwich Albion
£2.00
£2.80
£4.50
West Ham United
£2.30
£0.10+
£1.00
£4.50
£0.10+
£6.50
Wolves
£2.00
£1.00
£4.00
£5.00



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