Reduced Prices as Queen's Park Prepare for Return To Hampden

Football returns to Scotland's National Stadium this Saturday (3rd January) after a year in which Hampden Park was transformed into one of the main venues for the successful Commonwealth Games.

For Scotland's oldest senior football club, Queen's Park, that has meant a year of groundsharing at Airdrie's Excelsior Stadium but the Spiders have coped well with the upheaval and return home in the top-half of the table.

Clyde FC are the first visitors to Hampden and Queens' have reduced prices for the fixture to just £5 for adults, £1 for concessions and children free when accompanied by an adult.

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/?p=9103

Looking further ahead, Hampden hosts two League Cup semi-finals on successive days with Aberdeen meeting Dundee United on Saturday 31 January and Celtic and Rangers renewing rivalries the following days.

Following agreements between all four clubs, adult tickets are available at £25 (North, East, West Stands) and £10 for under-16's (East and West).

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

The January Sales!

A round-up of the offers we've seen for the opening month of 2015, starting on Friday 2 when MK Dons host Chesterfield in an FA Cup Second Round tie that is being replayed by order of the FA after Chesterfield, who won at Stadium:MK on December 6, admitted fielding an ineligible player.

The game comes on the back of the busy festive period and the Dons have received special permission from the FA to reduce ticket prices below the usual minimum demanded to as low as £6 for adults and £1 for under-18's. Chesterfield meanwhile are laying on free travel for a certain amount of supporters and subsidised coaches thereafter.

The Third Round of the famous old competition begins the following day on Saturday 3 and a number of clubs have reduced adult prices to the £15 mark for their respective home games.

Special mentions to Southampton who have priced the St Mary's clash with Ipswich Town at £10 for adults, £5 concessions and £3 for juniors (the Suffolk side have requested extra tickets and are set to bring up to 5,500 fans to the game), Aston Villa who have adult tickets available from £10 as they host Blackpool and Huddersfield Town where adult prices for the Reading game are £10 for season card holders and £12 for general sale if purchased in advance of matchday.

Preston North End play Walsall in the first leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final on Wednesday 7 and Deepdale should be packed to the rafters after the club announced prices of £5 for ambassadors (ST holders) and £6 for non-ambassadors with under-16's priced at just £1 and £2.

It is 'Shire for a Fiver' day at East Stirlingshire on Saturday 17 for the game against Annan Athletic so adults can attend for £5 and concessions for just £2 as Shire wish their supporters a happy new year and also look to encourage new fans along to Ochilview.

Also in Scotland there are three special offers during the month at Inverness Caledonian Thistle including a ‘Pay What You Like’ fixture against St Johnstone on Wednesday 21.

Bristol City have a special promotion which allows fans who buy tickets for the games against Notts County (Jan 10) and Sheffield United (Feb 14) to receive a free ticket for either the visit of Fleetwood (Jan 31) or Port Vale (Feb 10).

And Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holders can bring a friend to the home fixture with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 17 for either £10 or £5 concessions.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

   

'Pay What You Want' Goes Well At Hendon FC - Updated

Although I noticed it slightly too late to give it a plug beforehand, well done to all at Hendon FC for their 'Pay What You Want' day on Saturday against Wingate & Finchley.

Taking advantage of the gap between Premier League and Football League fixtures on Friday and Sunday, Hendon entered into the spirit of such an initiative by offering a whole host of extras such as a free draw to win a season ticket and (a first that I have seen) even virtual 'Pay What You Want' for those who could not make the game with an e-programme sent out to those who donated online.

A crowd of 337 was attracted to Earlsmead which the club estimate is probably double the crowd they would normally expect.

http://www.hendonfc.net/News

Thanks also to Martin Woodward on Twitter for alerting me to Windsor FC's annual free entry match which also took place on Saturday with a fantastic 489 through the turnstiles for the 2-0 victory against Guildford City in the Combined Counties League.

http://www.windsorfc.net/news/match.php?ID=187

Merry Christmas

To everyone who reads the blog or follows on Twitter. Enjoy your Boxing Day football wherever you go.

Southampton & Ipswich Work Together To Boost FA Cup Crowd

Good times for Ipswich Town supporters as Mick McCarthy’s cut-price side continue to defy the odds at the top of the Championship and a 4,700-strong army prepares to travel to Southampton for the FA Cup Third Round tie at St Mary’s on Sunday 4 January.

The numbers making the trip are a testament to the two clubs working together to ensure as big a crowd as possible goes to the game for as affordable a price.

Agreement between the clubs meant that Southampton could charge the minimum adult price of £10 (£5 concessions and £3 juniors) and when that caught the imagination of Ipswich fans, who sold out their initial 3,100 allocation, the Blues of Suffolk asked about the possibility of another batch of tickets.

Away clubs are entitled to 10% of the tickets for an FA Cup tie on a ‘sale or return’ basis but a further allocation usually requires payment in full with the visitors taking the chance that they may not shift every seat.

The potential financial cost of this is what stopped Coventry City taking further tickets for their trip to Arsenal last season but here the two clubs have worked together as Lee Hyde, Town’s director of retail operations told the official Ipswich website.

"They’ve moved a number of conditions which are usually in place that can restrict a club’s reluctance to ‘gamble’ financially when taking the extra five per cent that away Club’s are entitled to in the Cup."

"Southampton have also agreed to move around 1,200 Season Ticket Holders to accommodate the increased allocation from Town."

Good work from the Saints and one that will hopefully boost the number of their own fans going to the game as they realise a big away following will be there to banter with and whip up an atmosphere.

Reduced Prices For The Game Nobody Wants!

MK Dons host Chesterfield on Friday 2 January in an FA Cup tie that neither side wants to play after an FA ruling this week over the Spireites' use of an ineligible player in the original fixture on December 6.

On-loan defender Georg Margreitter should not have featured as Chesterfield gained a 1-0 victory over their League One rivals but, instead of being expelled from the competition as has happened to teams in the past, the decision of the governing body has been to replay the match for the right to meet Scunthorpe United in the Third Round.

And the FA appear to have angered both sides, although not in the way you might think.

Chesterfield manager Paul Cook believes that: 'If we broke the rules, then we should be chucked out, and if we didn't, then we should be through,' while opposite number Karl Robinson said that Dons had: "Written a letter of support for Chesterfield - it's a great football club. It was just a very minor error."

Fixture congestion and the cost and inconvenience to fans have been cited as reasons not to have a replayed game but both clubs have done what they can to make it as affordable as possible to attend.

The Dons have asked and received special permission from the FA to lower the minimum price normally charged in the competition proper and adult tickets are available from £6.
Chesterfield, meanwhile, are subsidising both tickets and travel for their supporters.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

JPT Area Final: Great Value From Preston North End (And Pretty Good From Walsall Too)

Just 180 minutes from Wembley, Preston North End meet Walsall in the Northern Area Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy early in 2015 and both teams have announced very attractive prices for their respective home legs.

PNE, take a bow, with adult prices of either £5 (for Season Ticket holders/Ambassadors) or £6 for general sale, and just £1 (ST holders/ambassadors) or £2 for under-16's.

The Deepdale game is scheduled for Wednesday 7th January at 7:45pm and hopefully the result will leave plenty to play for at the Banks's Stadium on 4th February.

Walsall have announced prices of £10 adults and £5 for over-60's and under-18's.

Hopefully both clubs will be rewarded with full houses and a great atmosphere.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

A New Start At Hartlepool United

New owners, a new manager and (hopefully) a new start for Hartlepool United after a whirlwind couple of weeks at Victoria Park.

FA Cup defeat at the hands of Blyth Spartans and a relegation battle at the foot of League Two have made it a miserable campaign to date with two managers having already departed the club.

But this week has brought some fresh optimism as Aberdeen-based owners Increased Oil Recovery have ended their 17-year association with HUFC by selling the club to TMH 2014 Limited.

New chairman Peter Harris has made clear he wants to 'fully embrace and acknowledge the efforts of the supporters and we want them to engage with us with the aim of always doing what is best for Hartlepool United.'

And the first instance of this is a ticket offer covering the home games on Saturday 20th December against Oxford United (which will be Ronnie Moore's first match in charge) and Sunday 28th December when Morecambe are the visitors.

Tickets for these games are available at just £10 each for adults but, if purchased in advance, a ticket covering both fixtures will cost just £15.

Those who have already bought tickets for the game can also claim a refund from the Ticket Office by returning their full match ticket.

 

http://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/news/article/ticket-prices-slashed-for-hartlepool-uniteds-christmas-games-2147920.aspx

Non League Update: Barrow AFC, Gosport Borough, Colwyn Bay

A busy festive period is fast approaching at all levels of the English game and hopefully the weather will hold to allow non-league clubs to reap the benefit of some bigger than usual holiday crowds.

Starting this Friday when Grimsby Town host Forest Green Rovers and it is 'Kids for a Quid' at Blundell Park with vouchers being printed in the Grimsby Telegraph this week. Then on Saturday in the Conference Premier, Kids Go Free for Woking's 3pm kick-off game against Southport.

In the Vanarama Conference North, Colwyn Bay FC have an excellent offer available for under-12's who can attend this Saturday's home game with Solihull Moors for free with a paying adult and will be presented with a Christmas gift of a free season ticket for the remainder of the campaign.

Flying high at the top of that particular division, the Bluebirds of Barrow AFC have a Christmas ticket offer, covering games against Boston Town, Harrogate Town and AFC Fylde on 20th, 28th and 1st January respectively, which saves £5 on usual admission prices.

Further south, meanwhile, Gosport Borough have a 'one for all' ticket available for the visits of Basingstoke Town (Sat 20th), Concord Rangers (Sun 28th) and Havant & Waterlooville (Thu 1st Jan) which costs £30 for adults and £20 for concessions, saving £9 and £7 respectively on usual admission prices.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Watch Arsenal & Liverpool For Free This Week

Liverpool host Arsenal in a Premier League 'Super Sunday' clash on December 21 but both sides are in under-21 action before then and can be watched for free.

Boreham Wood FC are the hosts for Arsenal versus Bolton Wanderers on Monday evening at 7pm with admission free for all.

Liverpool, meanwhile, travel to Carrow Road on Wednesday for a 7pm kick-off against Norwich and the Canaries are looking to repeat the 10,000+ crowd they got through the gate against Tottenham earlier in the season when they offered free entry.

http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/norwich-city-liverpool-barclays-u-21-premier-league-2142176.aspx

Forget the Shopping: Next Saturday's Affordable Football

The final Saturday before Christmas sees a full card of matches up and down the country and a number of clubs have either reduced prices or are running special offers in a bid to stop people hitting the shops!

In League One, it is £10 for adults at both Coventry City (against Fleetwood, £5 concessions and £1 children) and Gillingham (against Chesterfield) while the same adult price applies at Carlisle United in League Two as they host Northampton Town. Concession prices at Brunton Park range from £8 to free of charge for children under 11.

Cardiff City have offers in place for both existing and former Season Ticket Holders for their game against Brentford. Current ST holders can bring up to two guests for £10 per adult (£5 under-16's or seniors) while those who have held a season ticket for any season from 2010/11 onwards can watch the match themselves for £10 and bring a guest for the same price.

It's 'Kids for a Quid' as Sheffield United play host to Walsall and, in the Conference, 'Kids go Free' when Woking entertain Southport.

In Scotland, Clyde FC fans can bring a friend for a fiver (with each paying adult), season ticket holders can take two guests for the same price.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

FA Cup Third Round: Southampton Quick Off The Mark With Reduced Prices

Southampton have announced that their home tie against Ipswich Town will be priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions (young adults 17-21 and over-65's) and £3 for under-17's.

A sensible move from the Saints given that they have already hosted Manchester United in December and have high-profile home games against Arsenal and Chelsea before the FA Cup tie.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/20141211-ipswich-tickets-on-sale-friday-2138219.aspx

'Shire For A Fiver' Day at East Stirlingshire FC

East Stirlingshire's first home game of 2015, at the Ochilview ground they currently share with Stenhousemuir, is against Annan Athletic on Saturday January 17th and the club are hoping for a bigger than usual crowd by reducing adult admission to £5 and concessions (senior citizens, students and high school pupils) to just £2.

“We recognise money is always tight for people after the festive holiday,” said club secretary, Tadek Kopszywa. “And that can mean a day out at the football can come down the list of spending priorities.

“But this initiative is aimed at encouraging people to think again about coming along to a game and enjoying themselves when they might be suffering a dose of the post-Christmas blues."

These hopefully are positive times for Shire who finished bottom of the Scottish League for five consecutive seasons up to 2007, inspiring a book about their plight, television documentaries and the attentions of Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday.

Now owned and run by supporters they are hoping to return to their home town of Falkirk soon and into a new community stadium.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.
 

Update: Exeter City

In September we looked at Exeter City and their decision to scrap an unpopular matchday surcharge on tickets that was partly being blamed for low attendances at St James's Park.

Crowds and results have steadily improved since then and the Exeter Express & Echo has carried a positive leader column this week about the club's attempts to engage with fans and consult them over prices for next season.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/CITY-OPINION-Great-Exeter-City-learning-ticket/story-25521869-detail/story.html

Burnley, Liverpool & Newcastle United Subsidise December Trips to Manchester

The Premier League's 'away fans fund' of £200,000 per club, per season to assist with the costs of attending away fixtures in the top-flight, is being utilised by three clubs to reduce the price of December visits to Manchester.

Always an eagerly-awaited fixture in the football calendar, Liverpool visit Old Trafford on Sunday 14 December and the Anfield club have subsidised every away ticket by £10. The Reds also say that first-team players have contributed to the fund and have 'directly helped supplement the discount for this game'.

Of course this match would have been a sell-out at the original prices and travel-wise it is a short journey for those based on Merseyside.

The nature of the away fans fund means there will always be a decision to be made as to how it benefits supporters the most but in this instance the Liverpool supporters who manage to get tickets will be those with the most points accumulated from away visits and so their loyalty is being rewarded.

Also facing Manchester United in December are Newcastle United and their trip to Old Trafford on Boxing Day has been subsidised for away fans to the tune of £10.

Much-maligned in many ways as a club, the Magpies have gone beyond the remit of the fund in recent seasons with a number of reciprocal price deals in place that have made a significant difference to the cost of away tickets for their supporters.

New to the Premier League this season, Burnley have opted to use a percentage of their fund money to cut the cost of tickets (available to season ticket holders only) for the match at Manchester City on 28 December.

Again, there is a balancing act to be made as to how best to use the money (in the absence of any kind of league-wide agreement or even legislation on away prices) and Burnley would presumably have taken a large support to the Etihad Stadium anyway.

But, with the original price of an adult ticket being £47 (concession prices ranging from £39 to £28), the discount to £25 (£20 and £15 for concessions) is a substantial one.

Pre-Christmas Offers at Carlisle United & Cardiff City

Following on from Coventry City and Gillingham's decision to cut prices to a maximum of £10 for their games on Saturday 20 December, Carlisle United are also looking to get as many people as they can through the Brunton Park turnstiles for the final match before Christmas.

Crowd numbers have again been a hot topic in Cumbria recently (Carlisle featured a number of times here on Affordable Football last season including their offer of free entry to anyone dressed as Father Christmas) and they will hopefully be boosted by prices of £10 adults, £8 seniors and young persons (18-22) and £5 juniors (11-17) for the visit of Northampton Town.

Also on that day, Cardiff City have put offers in place for both current and former Season Ticket Holders.

Supporters with a season ticket for the current campaign can bring up to two guests to the Brentford game for £10 adults, £5 under-16's and seniors.

Fans who have held a season ticket for any season since 2010/11 can attend the match themselves for £10 and also bring a guest for the same price.

http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/cardiff-city-season-ticket-special-offer-brentford-2125475.aspx

And Crawley Town's match against Port Vale on Saturday 20th is £5 for under-18's and £1 for under-11's.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Grab an Early Bird Bargain for WSL 2015

Four clubs already have season tickets on sale for the 2015 FA Women's Super League season and there is a bargain to be had.

Reading FC Women season tickets purchased before 31 December are priced at £20 for adults and £10 concessions.

Durham Women FC prices are £25 and £10 (no date on when promotion ends).

Yeovil Town Ladies £25 and £10 if purchased before 10 December with the first 25 sold receiving a free merchandise pack.

Millwall Lionesses £24 and £10 (again no date on when promotion ends).

It's worth noting a couple of things.

Firstly that season tickets allow entry to all home league matches but also any home FA Cup and Continental Cup fixtures.

Secondly that the WSL generally offers excellent value for families wishing to watch good quality football in friendly surroundings. In the examples given above the maximum adult price of a season ticket after the early bird is only £35.

Details of these prices were found by following the club links on the official FA WSL site.

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.