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A new report by Creditfix has revealed the average Premier League supporter is spending over £3,000 per season, and up to 13% of their annual salary, to follow their team.
Creditfix compiled six common football expenses for each club for the season: the minimum cost of an adult season ticket, relevant TV subscriptions, cost of replica shirts, match programmes, away tickets and the cost of away train travel.
The total cost was then compared to ONS regional salary data to work out how much is being spent of supporters’ annual salary. Newcastle topped the table as the average fan can be expected to fork out £4,243.48 for the season, a huge 13% of their annual salary.
A key contributor to this enormous cost is the staggering travel bill for away games of £3,751.60, with fans having to travel more than 4,000 miles over the course of the season. The Geordies were followed in second place by AFC Bournemouth.
Premier League new boys Luton Town also ranked highly as one of the most expensive clubs in the league to support, with a total cost of £3,900.38.
With the minimum adult season ticket price at Kenilworth Road costing £510, coupled with the need to purchase extra TV subscriptions for their first season back in the top flight, Town fans will need to spend approximately 12% of their annual salary to follow the Hatters home and away this season.
On the flip side of the table, London clubs West Ham, Brentford and Crystal Palace were all found to be the cheapest clubs in the Premier League to support with all three clubs keeping travel bills below the £3,000 mark.
Nottingham Forest was also found to be one of the cheapest Premier League clubs to support although, due to the lower average salary, fans can still expect to pay 12% of their annual earnings to follow Steve Cooper’s men home and away this season.
Layla Johnson, Regional Manager at Creditfix said “As transfer speculation continues to dominate the front and back pages, money in football is a hot topic and our report has highlighted another major cost.”
“While ticket prices at some clubs continue to skyrocket, the added costs of multiple TV subscriptions and the cost of replica shirts really do add fuel to an already out-of-control fire. Households across the country are struggling enough as it is, without the cost of spending 6-13% of a person’s income supporting their football club.”
“With fans now running the risk of being priced out of football, we’re glad to have carried out this research to uncover the true cost that fans are now expected to pay. For anyone who might be struggling with their finances as a result, I can only advise that you reach out for help to talk through your options.”