The SPFL has praised all 42 member clubs for their ongoing efforts to innovatively promote and attractively price the game for supporters, as the BBC published its annual Price Of Football survey.
Among the BBC’s highlight figures were that the cheapest Ladbrokes Premiership ticket across all 12 clubs is now £20.17 on average after a 1.2% fall in price against last year. This average figure is less than the equivalent in both England’s Championship and League One.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive, said: “This year’s BBC Price of Football survey backs the SPFL’s view that our 42 member clubs continue to invest significant time, money and effort in making the game as affordable and attractive as possible to fans.
“With around 75% of tickets either frozen or falling year-on-year, this has helped the current season get off to a strong start with attendances showing a 4.3% increase so far when measured against the whole of last season. The ground-breaking and positive changes that clubs signed up to in 2013 appear to be well received by fans and may well be reflected in this increase.
“We also know that our clubs individually promote some very innovative offers to try to attract new fans to our game and provide maximum value to them, which is vital if the sport is to grow and prosper. The SPFL is absolutely committed to supporting all of our clubs centrally and helping them to enhance the experience for fans.”
The SPFL’s own insight to activities across its 42 member clubs reveals that:
• Around two-thirds of clubs now offer some form of free entry to all league games for children, across varying age band categories
• The SPFL’s 42 member clubs provided almost 100,000 free tickets for league matches last season to community groups, charitable causes and others who would find it otherwise challenging to attend a game
• The average saving for supporters buying a league season ticket when measured against paying at the gate each week, across all 42 SPFL clubs, is just short of £100
• Almost 100,000 people (on average) attend SPFL matches each weekend – 2% approx. of Scotland’s population, a figure that remains one of the highest ratios in Europe
Neil Doncaster added: “SPFL clubs continue to carry out an abundance of good work in their communities and remain great examples of the positive and powerful force that football can be.”
