Football fans are up in arms about the skyrocketing prices of Premier League tickets, and young fans are among the hardest hit. 

Watching live football is a cornerstone of English culture, with millions dedicating their life to supporting a single team. For young fans, attending matches can ignite a lifelong passion for the game. Whether you’re already a die-hard supporter or just discovering football, going to matches can strengthen community bonds and deepen connections with others. But now, these experiences are being challenged by soaring ticket costs.

Once a sport for the working class, the bitter irony is how expensive Premier League tickets have become. According to the Football Supporters Association (FSA), the cost of some top-flight football tickets has risen by almost 900 per cent since 1990. To put that in perspective, beer prices have only gone up by about 300 per cent in the same period—and we all know how ridiculous beer prices are right now.

These insane costs affect all football fans, leaving many wondering if following their team is even financially feasible, especially with the ongoing cost of living crisis. Fans of clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham, and Nottingham Forest, especially younger supporters, are painfully aware of how out of hand things have gotten.

Younger fans, often still in college, university, or early in their working life can no longer justify the steep cost of supporting their club in person, with Premier League season tickets going for more than £1,000 at some clubs.

Sam, a 21-year-old Arsenal fan from Barnet, has held a season ticket at Emirates Stadium for 18 years. It’s a family tradition, with his dad and grandad being former Highbury Stadium ticket holders and lifelong Gunners.

While Sam’s dad helps fund his season ticket, the rising cost is starting to feel too steep for the young fan.

“I do think prices are too high. My dad pays about £1,300 a year and that’s for 19 home games in the Premier League, [plus] probably about six Champions League and FA Cup games as well—so around 26 games a season. That works out to about £50 per game, which I think is a lot.”

Sam went on to explain: “I’m very lucky to be in this position. I know that when you get to club level or a box, anything that’s not a standard ticket, [prices are] well above £4,000 to £5,000, but obviously, that’s not for your average 21-year-old trying to get to a game, so it’s not in my thought process.”

Now working as a trainee accountant, Sam also worries whether he could afford his ticket on his own income in the future.

Like many young fans, Sam’s loyalty to his team is deeply ingrained, and match days are as much about the social experience and community as they are about football.

While Sam can head to the Emirates most weekends, he sympathises with other Arsenal fans who struggle to get tickets. This is partly due to points systems and membership tiers. Fans of all 20 Premier League clubs must buy memberships before purchasing tickets, and even then, there’s no guarantee.

“There’s two aspects to it. On the one side, it’s on a point system, so if you don’t have a season ticket, it’s quite hard to go. If you give that up, it’s even harder to get tickets. Arsenal is a big part of my life, so I’d be willing to pay whatever. But to pay a lump sum of £1,300 is still a lot.”

“Because I have a job now, I have my own income and I’ll be able to pay for my own ticket. When you get older and you’re working, you only have Saturday and Sunday to do stuff and if you’re going to football that’s a big part of your weekend so £1,300 isn’t so much when you’re working but before that, it would have been a lot of money.”

Across North London, Tottenham’s season ticket prices for the 2024/25 season range from £800 to over £2,000.

Louis, a long-term season ticket holder for the Spurs, has shared a ticket with his dad since 2017—a tradition they’ve both committed to for years.

However, Louis feels that rising Premier League ticket costs overshadow what fans of lower-league teams are paying, particularly in London.

“The prices do seem high, but we are in London, so that’s something to factor in. My mate’s a Watford fan, and he only pays £200 for his season ticket. So yeah, things feel a bit steep at Tottenham and Arsenal.”

As a university student at Leeds University, Louis also has to juggle the cost of his education with his passion for football. Even though he’s a lifelong Spurs fan, he admits that funding a season ticket on his own would be a stretch in the future.

“As a university student, I definitely couldn’t afford a season ticket, it would be impossible and not feasible. I would definitely like to go as much as I possibly can, but if it gets too much I’d have to reconsider.”

Charlie, 18, has been attending matches at the City Ground since 2014. During his decade of dedicated support for Nottingham Forest, he’s sat in the same seat through the tough years in the Championship and now, their return to the Premier League.

However, his club presented him with another tough challenge this year, as season ticket prices were hiked by up to 20 per cent. Youth category tickets even rose by 50 per cent, leaving some fans with big decisions to make over their season tickets.

Despite being a student at the University of Salford, Charlie doesn’t qualify for any concessionary rates after the club scrapped the student pricing. Now, at just 18, he’s paying adult prices, which he believes are too high.

“Personally, I would say that my season ticket is too expensive at this moment in time. My ticket is currently priced at £700, which averages to £36.84 per Premier League Home Fixture in the ‘Adult Category’ (18 – 65-year-olds),” Charlie to SCREENSHOT.

“Due to the club’s dramatic rise to the top flight in 2022, and their PSR issues, Forest has had to increase ticket prices to increase matchday revenue, which has led to my season card increasing from £90 in 2022 to £190 in 2023 and £700 in 2024.”

With help from his grandad, Charlie was able to afford his ticket this season, but funding it entirely on his own as a student would be a real challenge.

“I am putting some money towards the ticket as £700 is a lot of money. If [my grandad] stopped buying it for me, I would probably struggle to fund my ticket and may have to give it up, though my parents may put towards it. £700 is an expensive price for an 18-year-old student.”

Since Premier League clubs released their 2024/25 season ticket prices, fans have been increasingly vocal about rising costs. Fan groups from Man City, Chelsea, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Fulham joined the FSA in voicing their opposition to ticket costs last summer. Some clubs echoed this sentiment, highlighting how the current pricing structure marginalises young fans.

In September, Liverpool and West Ham fans joined forces to raise awareness over the impact of ticket costs. Before their match at Anfield, supporters’ groups from both clubs staged a protest, unveiling banners with the message #StopExploitingLoyalty.

Outside The Kop now 🆘 members supporting @HammersUnited2 protest about their club getting rid of concessions #stopexploitingloyalty pic.twitter.com/fKylvIFlem

— Spirit of Shankly (@spiritofshankly) September 25, 2024

Some progress has been made towards fairer pricing. The Premier League’s £30 cap for away tickets has been widely seen as a success. Starting in 2024/25, UEFA will also introduce caps for away games in the Champions League and Europa League, limiting prices to no more than €60.

Concessions are another option clubs could explore to make football more accessible for young fans. Arsenal offers a 25 per cent discount for 19-24-year-olds, regardless of their seat location at the Emirates.

But not all clubs have embraced this approach. Tottenham, for instance, doesn’t offer reduced rates for students or seniors. For Louis, these types of concessions could be key to bringing in a younger crowd.

“There’s no concessions for students [at Tottenham] that I know of. The elderly concessions are gone as well, which has been debated a lot among the community. I think different options would get a younger crowd inside the stadium for sure.”

Charlie agrees, especially given the shrinking presence of students at matches. He believes cheaper ticketing tiers are crucial for keeping the sport accessible.

“Supporters of the traditional ‘Big 6’ will have the most expensive tickets, but it is even a struggle for supporters of teams lower down the league table such as myself. The Premier League must do better to ensure students aren’t priced out of games.”