Rugby equipment retailer, RugbyStore, recently ran a survey involving 10,000 British participants to determine just how many sports fans are willing to pay the going rate to attend a Football or Rugby match.
For half of UK sports fans, the cost of tickets to live matches is what stops them from watching their favoured sports team – suggesting that a reduction in the cost of live sports would allow for higher attendances and an increase in demand.
When participants were asked if football/rugby clubs charge too much for tickets, the answer was a resounding yes.
Topline results:
- Yes: 72.0%
- No: 28.0%
- I won’t pay to see live games: 49.3%
- £0-£20: 12.9%
- £21-£40: 12.4%
- £41-£60: 3.0%
- I’d pay whatever it cost: 3.0%
- Depends on the sport: 18.4%
- Other: 1.0%
- 14% of 25-34-year-old male respondents said they’d pay whatever it cost.
- 67% of 18-24-year-old males believe clubs are asking reasonable prices for tickets to live games
- 24% of the same age group saying they’d happily pay between £21 and £40 for a ticket to a live game.
With diving opinions, there were some sports fans who remained firmly on the fence, with 18% of those surveyed explaining the price they’re willing to pay for a ticket depends on the sport in question. Some fans also suggested that their decision would come down to what teams they were going to watch and how high profile of a match it was going to be.
Andrew Jones, Content Writer at RugbyStore, said:
The fact that 50% of people won’t go to see live matches because of high ticket prices is a little sad really. I understand that event organisers are tasked to make as much money as possible from each match, but this is leading to profits being prioritised over supporter accessibility, stadium atmosphere and team spirit.
This data was gathered in September 2016 and includes responses from 10,000 people in the UK.
