On the 2nd of August 2011 the BBC Sport released a report on the cost of going to see live football across the Scottish Premier League and the four English leagues. They found that only 11 out of 104 clubs offered a day out for less than £20. One of the attractions to me of Junior Football in Scotland was the low cost and this survey made me want to look in more detail to see if junior fans are getting best value for money.
How do you measure value for money though? It is a vague term with many aspects. To measure value I need to set some criteria. BBS Sport’s Price of Football survey looked at prices of an adult league match ticket; programme; pie; and tea. This seems like a good place to start. There are criteria that are measured numerically (quantitative) and those that are based on opinion (subjective).
The quantitative criteria are:
- Entrance Fee – the cost of an adult league match ticket.
- Food – the cost of a pie (or equivalent savoury, pastry based snack if pie not available).
- Drink – as well as mid-game beverage such as tea, coffee or can of juice I will include the prospective pre-/post-game pint of lager.
- Programme – where one is available.
- Other Miscellaneous Items – for example half-time raffle tickets etc
The subjective criteria are:
- Entertainment value – could include the quality of the match, skill level of the players
- Comfort of facilities – takes in all surroundings when watching the game including stadium, toilets etc.
What is the “Price of Football” for the Juniors?
I can only use my own experience of pricing from going to games – in particular Adamslie and Holm Park - and I want to make it clear that these are by no means definitive list of costs across all Junior clubs. Some clubs may charge more, some less but I think these values will be fairly common across the Junior Level. (Although it would be very interesting to hear your own experiences of what you pay – use the comments sections below this article).
Item |
Cost in £s |
Entry fee |
5.00 |
Programme |
1.00 |
Pie |
1.00 |
Drink |
0.80 |
Half-time Raffle |
1.00 |
IN-GAME COST |
8.80 |
Pre-game Pint |
2.50 |
TOTAL COST |
11.30 |
The total cost of our quantitative criteria (Table 1) for the day out is nearly a fiver less than the cheapest ticket price on offer by the SPL (£16.00 at Inverness Caledonian Thistle). According to BBC Sport’s survey ICT offer the cheapest day out at £21.90 which compared to my experience of a Junior Game (without pintage) is nearly 2 and half times more expensive. But is the football 2.5 times better?
Subjective criteria I set out earlier for this comparison is likely to divide opinion by its nature. With this in mind I will try to remain impartial.
Entertainment Value can be broken down into parts which combine to give the fan an overall level of satisfaction that her day has not been wasted and her time has been spent well. Of course this is down to personal taste – some fans love a goals-fest, others want to see a 22-man brawl whilst most simply want to see their own team playing well – preferably winning.
The skill level of players at the Junior Level must be lower than that of the SPL otherwise they’d be playing professionally. Some have personal/professional reasons they play at Junior level and there are examples of players making the step up but these are in the minority. But how big is the gap? Look at some of the recent performances in the Scottish Cup of Beith in 2010/11 or Irvine Meadow XI in 2009/10 season which suggest its closer than some people might like to believe.
Regardless of the skill level, two teams of evenly matched players pitted against each other cranks up the entertainment value – such is the beautiful essence of football. Last season one of the best games for entertainment I watched was Petershill draw at home to Kilbirnie Ladeside – two relegation threatened teams shared 4 goals between them to make me forget the heavy rain and ice-cold wind. It was a hundred times more entertaining than some of the games from 2010 World Cup – the pinnacle of player skill level.
Where the SPL obviously rules is in comfort stakes. The facilities of the top teams in Scotland will trump their Junior counterparts. Hardly surprising for the amount of investment that has been spent though. Many Junior grounds are old with the result that the facilities are “spartan” especially the toilets (God knows what its like for female fans). There are exceptions of course – Petershill’s redeveloped sports complex has first rate facilities easily comparable in class with Hamilton Accies’ ground if not in size. For what its worth I personally find plastic seats at stadiums very uncomfortable due to my height and I prefer the freedom of standing that I get watching the Juniors. I also like the charm of the old school grounds.
Value for Money
|
Cost in £s |
Cinema (ticket, popcorn & drink) |
15.00 |
Rugby (cheapest ticket for Scotland v Ireland) |
10.00 |
Gig (Shed Seven at Barrowlands, ticket only) |
21.50 |
Comedy (Jason Byrne at Fringe, ticket only) |
15.50 |
A day out watching the Juniors costs two and a half times less than the cheapest SPL equivalent but it is very debatable whether the difference in comfort is enough to merit this. I would even argue that the entertainment value is not diminished by the difference in skill level. The more comfort and skill level on offer the more you will pay (around £29 for the Old Firm who come in at 2nd and 3rd most expensive SPL days out curiously behind Hibernian!).
It is my opinion that Junior Football offers more value for money especially for families (concession tickets are available). I would urge all football fans to go along to watch their local junior team and find out for themselves. You might prefer your usual seniors game but at least the change in your pocket will more than cover a consoling pint.
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