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Arsenal giveth… and Arsenal take away

Change in ticket pricing for home matches

13 July, 2012 10:00 43 comments
Arsenal giveth… and Arsenal take away

More Bacary for your buck (against the lesser lights anyway)

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We had grade A ticket prices and grade B, now we have grade C. And good news. Grade Cs are going to be much cheaper – allowing silver and red members to get into home matches for £25.50 (plus the ubiquitous booking fee of course). However, it’s not all roses. Grade A games are increasing in price to ensure the club doesn’t lose out financially – admission for the likes of Man Utd and Spurs goes up to a minimum £62.

Season ticket holders are unaffected, but the real cost will be to those that are regarded as ‘cherry pickers’ – only buying tickets for the higher profile fixtures. If you go regularly as a red or silver member, then maybe the cost will even out, I haven’t done the maths yet. Doubtless someone can in the comments section.

However, if you are one of those fans that just wants to see a home game occasionally to get your Arsenal fix and when you go is more dependent on your finances than the opposition, then it’s good news. You will be paying less because you are happy just to be there.

The Arsenal Independent Supporters Association have campaigned for cheaper ticket prices to the club, and in conjunction with the Arsenal Supporters Trust have taken part in discussions with the club to bring this about. If you only go to the bigger matches, it’s not good news, but the fact that the less-moneyed fans can save a bit of money when the likes of Stoke and Sunderland are in town has to be a good thing, right?

The full story can be read on the AISA website with details about the increased prices on the official website

Friday evening update – Have received the following from AISA which they have asked me to mention…
1) Benefit of cat C is for at least 6 matches a season so a bit more than occasional - a third of the league matches
2) Cat A and Cat C balance out so if you go to all of those, no effect
3) If you attend:
(a) only cat C you will save between £57 - £110 over the season (6 matches)
(b) all cat B & C you will save between £53 - £100 over the season (14 matches)

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43
comments

  1. Tony Evans

    Jul 18, 2012, 8:09 #24576

    RJ - If that is the best you can come up with I rest my case and it is no wonder we are all so negative.

  2. Ron

    Jul 17, 2012, 10:27 #24524

    Steve the Gooner - I doubt it mate. They need the away support to whip up an atmosphere. The Arsenals tip tap, half hearted, weak kneed 'beautiful football' long since stopped whipping up a fervour amongst our own support. I'd go so far as to say, increase the away allocation. Let them have the entire South End perhaps. It might just prompt the natives into generating a noise for us and even allow Arsenal to fill the stadium and tell the truth about the gate figure for once. The concept of 'truth' might need explaining to the Board first though!!!

  3. RJ

    Jul 17, 2012, 6:49 #24521

    @Tony Evans - 3rd one in on this article for a start!

  4. Steve the Gooner

    Jul 16, 2012, 15:43 #24499

    Seeing as we always get ripped off by paying the top prices at away games are the club going to charge the away fans the £62 for watching a Cat A game and £25 for the Cat C. It will be interesting if they do as you may see a few empty seats in the away end.

  5. Red Member

    Jul 16, 2012, 12:51 #24477

    so if I go to just 1 category A game this season I will be charged £33 membership + £126 ticket + £2 booking fee = £161 and then when we play City/Spurs/United etc we will lose because we can't afford to keep hold of our best players... I am not sure this business model is sustainable

  6. Ron

    Jul 16, 2012, 9:42 #24446

    Pay it if you want to. Im not, im glad to say. Id go so far as to say that watching Arsenal's squad these days is maybe worth 30 quid tops and thats for any game, not their dubious cat a and b s etc etc. I and told theyre offering season tickets to red members now?. Its the start of the real decline perhaps as the recession and fan disinterest starts to bite? The Club have lied about match day attendances for at least 4 years in my view.

  7. Tony Evans

    Jul 16, 2012, 8:19 #24444

    RJ - Please feel free to post a positive comment - we would all love to hear it and would like to know what it would be.

  8. RJ

    Jul 15, 2012, 19:20 #24443

    Responses to articles on this blog are becoming comical in their negativity....

  9. Sweeps

    Jul 15, 2012, 15:45 #24442

    Once again its the Arsenal rip off so the guys with silver and red memberships have to pay £50 for the privilage of buying tickets along with booking fees, and season tickets holders like myself will pay up front for a cat C game at £35 and if I sell on ticket exchange I will only get £25 how is that right.

  10. The Hampshire Gooner

    Jul 15, 2012, 11:16 #24441

    Gooner 1711 - Totally serious. I was amazed as I did ask in June how long it might take for me to get to the top of the list and was advised it was hard to tell but maybe 2-3 years and then bang a few weeks later I had been offered two ST's for this coming season. The list was over 50,000 when I first joined it but I can't imagine the current list can be anything like that long now. I would confidently predict that if someone joined the list today they would be offered a season ticket within two years tops.

  11. Steve H

    Jul 15, 2012, 10:53 #24440

    re Hampshire Gooners comments he's right I got offered a season ticket despite being way down the supposed waiting list, and was offered the season ticket for £1500 what a rip off if there is no strengthening of the team - I still have silver membership so would be more inclined to use those for the cat B and C games - the price for the A games is a total joke.

  12. GoonerGoal!

    Jul 14, 2012, 20:36 #24437

    @Tony Evans "Ditto!" For the firs time in 70 years no member of family will be present at any Arsenal HOME games, and neither will any member of my family be buying a single item of Arsenal merchandise until such time as Wenger, Gazidis, and Kroenke have nothing further to do with the club!

  13. Gooner1711

    Jul 14, 2012, 18:33 #24436

    Hampshire Gooner, are you serious? So since the end of last season you've shot up the best part of 12,000 spaces?!!?!? So that means the season ticket list is disappearing so fast by people giving up and refusing......wow! Anyone got a higher number than 11,887???

  14. AnEssexGooner

    Jul 14, 2012, 17:52 #24434

    I love the £124 number getting wheeled out, hardly any seats at that price point.

  15. Cameron

    Jul 14, 2012, 17:21 #24433

    As others have pointed out, this is clearly not an altrutistic move by the club, but rather a clver ploy to get the same overall ticket income from a supporter base that is becoming increasingly less inclined to splash ridiculous money on football tickets to support a second rate team. This way they hope they can still hook in those that have basically been priced out for the **** fixtures while still hooking in the rich casual fans/tourists for the big games. While not harming your average Arsenal fan, its cynical in the extreme, and more than that, is an admission of failure. I'd love to see the 62 quid joke backfire on these cynical b*stards.. BOYCOTT CATEGORY A GAMES!!!

  16. john

    Jul 14, 2012, 14:04 #24432

    Just who are these people representing Arsenal fans? Who pays money to go on a waiting list? Who's got £124 to watch a game of football?

  17. maguiresbridge gooner

    Jul 14, 2012, 13:33 #24431

    Well done to the online gooner in getting this news out to us yesterday with other sites only catching up to day.

  18. Bergkamp10

    Jul 14, 2012, 12:26 #24430

    Im off to Fulham. £400 for a season tkt and you get to see all the top clubs and Arsenal. The most expensive tkt at Bayern Munich is 50 euros and you can stand for 20 euros. Arsenal are taking the piss and some. You can stick your Kroenke up your money bloated arses.

  19. johnnyhawleyloovinggooner

    Jul 14, 2012, 11:56 #24429

    i am still not going back to we replace marquee sales with marguee buys or have a ready made ,just as good,ready to step up replacement at he club. a fairer way of pricing games though

  20. Peter Wain

    Jul 14, 2012, 9:40 #24427

    the higher the prices the lower the quality. You have to laugh at the snake oil salesman -"got to keep prices high so that we can invest in the first team squad." The board have always regarded us supporters as only a cash cow. No doubt what we are playing for this season 4 place in the premiership.

  21. The Hampshire Gooner

    Jul 14, 2012, 9:33 #24426

    On the subject of tickets. I paid out £30 for two season ticket waiting list positions around five or six years ago and forgot all about doing so until a few weeks back. I rang the box office to find out where I was on the waiting list and was told my position of 11,887 just last month. I received an email on Thursday afternoon offering me the opportunity of two season tickets for this coming season. I guess the lure of watching Arsenal has dimenished a lot over the last 12 months or so to move up the list that quick. Can't see the waiting list being very long for a while to come so I refused the option. Might re-think in a couple of seasons if more ambition is shown.

  22. jj

    Jul 14, 2012, 8:28 #24425

    More spin from the the AFC bullsh** machine.

  23. wrag

    Jul 14, 2012, 1:27 #24421

    kinda pointless ,because most of you will pay and go ! so shut up and grow some balls and stay away ,or go and protest outside the stadium , im sick of this **** ....how many of you already have the new home shirt ?..and pre ordered the new away one ?..i ****ing dont have and i can tell you now, i wont ! club is a joke ..wake up and smell the coffee friends...THEY DON'T ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THE FANS !..this is the last post i make here, before the start of the season im sick of the talk and none of the walk ...i shall be back in september ,when its all went pete tong again!

  24. JM - LONDON

    Jul 13, 2012, 23:23 #24419

    Absolutely outrageous (yet again). The savings examples given on the club website are all based on the North bank lowere tier. All of these seats (lower tier), without exemption in my experience, are always sold out when ticket sales become available to Red members. So its the dreggs of the upper tier again this season (row 21 etc) presumeably dearer prices.

  25. Tulli Joe

    Jul 13, 2012, 22:35 #24418

    Whoa! we are just a club that is only profit conscious £124 for a ticket. Who are we even going 2 watch? Infringe players like Ashavin, squid, Djoru which can't win any trophies. Another nightmare as a fan. Plz we need a change in management

  26. GaryFootscrayAustralia

    Jul 13, 2012, 21:46 #24417

    160 quid gets you a season ticket at Boreham Wood. Sure, it's Conference South, but it's one of the cheapest in that league, there's no rip off, you can sit or stand pretty much anywhere you like except for FA Cup round proper ties, and the players are there for the game itself as much as the pay. Plus the bonus of WHL hero Ian Allinson who "run tings" down there...

  27. smee

    Jul 13, 2012, 21:32 #24416

    As a pensioner, it seems I have been priced out of watching any of the top teams at Arsenal. Oh well!! as long as the owners and players get their wages, who am I to complain.

  28. Big Andy

    Jul 13, 2012, 19:28 #24415

    I'm not going to renew my Red membership, and I'm not going to another game until there is a major change at the club. The Keronke/Wenger managership has failed to take the club forward. All we are doing now is filling the pockets of Keronke. We will not win a major trophy until we get a new manager and/or owner.

  29. Gavin

    Jul 13, 2012, 19:13 #24414

    Funny how this has been announced now and not before ST's were renewed the club must have known they were doing this months ago it wasnt decided yesterday.What is the point in buying a season ticket anymore?.Last season 11 home league games and all the Cat A games were on TV.How many of the Silver and Red members are going to pay £62 plus for a ticket?If i was a ST holder i wouldnt be very happy today

  30. Dave

    Jul 13, 2012, 19:10 #24413

    Vote with your feet. Why pay outrageous amounts of money to watch people who do not want to play for the club.

  31. Two together only £248

    Jul 13, 2012, 18:54 #24412

    It wont affect me at all.They could lower ticket prices to a £5 and i wont return.Not until Kroenke Gazidis and Wenger go.I shall continue to get my Arsenal fix in my local knowing i am not supporting the current regime.What has slipped under the radar is the club will continue to charge Cat B prices for FA cup games a competition we dont take seriously and which we never put full strength teams out.Anyone who pays £62-£124 for a Cat A ticket when the game will be on live tv needs their head examined.And we all thought the banks were taking the p***

  32. Au Revoir Arsene

    Jul 13, 2012, 18:27 #24411

    Kevin can you explain why the price of FA Cup and CL group games tickets has not been made Cat C(even then thats too much).Why didnt the AISA and AST put that forward?.I would love to see Silver and Red members boycott the Cat A games because they are all live on Sky.Who would ever believed it £62 for the LOWEST price ticket at the Soul-less.At least wear a mask when you are robbing us Mr Gazidis

  33. Ronster

    Jul 13, 2012, 18:12 #24410

    I sleep very easily at night knowing I am not lining the pockets of gangsters Stan,Ivan,Arse-ne and co! ''Again...they'll never see me again....they'll never see me again...they'll never see me again.Again...!!'' :-D

  34. Dave

    Jul 13, 2012, 17:53 #24409

    @Gooner Ron Lowest price ticket for Cat A game £62 Highest price £124.Please tell me another club that charges so much?£124 is daylight robbery

  35. Stuart L

    Jul 13, 2012, 17:35 #24407

    As a lowly red member I welcome the cat C pricetag, reflecting the quality of the opposition as these are generally about the only games that I can get access to, while I have no chance of a ticket v Chelsea, tiny totts etc. Oh and GoonerRon, the fact that they have made the cheaper seats cheaper doesn't alter the fact that we charge the highest prices in the land for the top end seats to watch on the whole, second class football.

  36. GoonerRon

    Jul 13, 2012, 17:15 #24405

    Please God let this be the end of the endless ranting about us 'paying the highest ticket prices in world football.'

  37. Tom O'B

    Jul 13, 2012, 16:00 #24404

    So, one can do both the Mackem and Southampton games for less than going to the Chel$ki one?? Count me in! CFC game on tv isn't it? Job done.

  38. Gary Thwaites

    Jul 13, 2012, 15:55 #24403

    This is indeed good news for some and I commend AISA for their campaign. However, do not be fooled into thinking it is an altruistic gesture by the club. It is not. Regardless of what the official figures say, every regular at Ashburton knows full well that attendances have been falling in recent years, particularly at the so called “Category C” games. Given that we are in the midst of yet another summer of discontent (which will probably see yet another skipper and marquee player sold at the end of it) the steady decline is likely to get worse next season. Although clearly not interested in running a successful football club, the board certainly know how to run a successful business. All they appear to be doing is lowering prices on tickets that they might otherwise not be able to sell at all, whilst increasing prices on tickets that they know they will have no problem shifting, even if only to wealthy casual fans. It is simple supply and demand and nothing whatsoever to do with the club wanting to give the poorer supporters a break. The real worry is that it appears for all the world that, rather than address the root problem, the club is already hedging against falling demand during another disappointing season.

  39. Tony Evans

    Jul 13, 2012, 15:21 #24402

    Arsenal are not getting a penny more of my money until Wenger and / or Kronke leaves. Some may say I am cutting my nose off to spite my face but I don't support Wenger's vision of gung ho football which I think it is blighting my club and I certainly don't support Kronke and this is the only way I can register a protest. Futile I know because too many fans either haven't got the 'mental strength' to say no or perhaps, perplexingly, genuinely think Wenger is right with his crazy vision of how to win football matches.

  40. Positive Poster

    Jul 13, 2012, 14:38 #24401

    Some good news from the Club for once, anyone want to put a post up banging on about Asset Stripping Stan and Charitable Usmanov, just to put a dampener on things.

  41. RJ

    Jul 13, 2012, 14:37 #24400

    Hooray! An article on a subject other than RVP. Well pointed out Mr Ed. I have a nephew student who can barely afford red membership and just likes to turn up to the odd game - he is happy with WBA, Stoke, whatever - and support the team and not gripe and whinge and moan (in that respect he is not really a Gooner, but...). Come on you Gooners.

  42. maguiresbridge gooner

    Jul 13, 2012, 14:15 #24398

    It would never do for the club to lose out financially now would it.

  43. James

    Jul 13, 2012, 13:59 #24397

    £62 for a seat is outrageous. Maybe you'd pay it for the Invincibles, but Arsenal are miles away from that quality.