Premier League fans will fork over £1.3bn ($1.7bn/€1.5bn) during the 2019-20 season to follow their teams, according to a new report.
The eToro Fan Financial Statement found that increasing home ticket prices, TV subscriptions and merchandise purchases are all burning a hole in the pockets of fans across the nation.
The report, which was carried out by multi-asset investment platform eToro in association with KPMG Football Benchmark, explored spending by match-going football fans over the past five Premier League seasons, incorporating car and rail travel, merchandise, tickets, in-stadium food and drinks and TV subscriptions.
Individually, football fans will on average spend £1,888 each this season, with the biggest cost increases being home tickets, TV subscriptions, merchandise, and food and beverages in stadiums.
While ticket prices make up a significant proportion of this total cost, the overall cost of tickets for a ‘dedicated fan,’ who the report classifies as an adult who attends all 19 home matches and travels to at least five away games, has risen only one per cent since 2014/15.
Arsenal is the most expensive team to support with dedicated fans each paying £2,238 per season. Arsenal offers the most expensive single-match tickets in the Premier League, costing as much as £97. It also has the most expensive season ticket for the 2019-20 season, costing an eye-watering £891.
Newcastle United is the only club outside of the traditional ‘top six’ to feature in the six most expensive clubs to follow, with its season ticket costing £417 this year.
Iqbal V. Gandham, UK managing director at eToro, said: “We wanted to do something on behalf of the fans, to look at the hard costs involved in being a loyal fan, and how that financial investment has changed over time.
“By doing so we hope to start a conversation about the future of football and how we can work together to bridge the gap between investment and value for the fans who are at the very heart of the game.”
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