Post by QPR Report on Jan 28, 2009 9:05:40 GMT
Clubs, including QPR, should pay heed - especially since we don't have sell-out crowds
VIRGIN MONEY
More than half of parents say cost puts them off taking kids to games
Over half of football fans with children say the increasing cost of attending games is preventing them from taking their kids to matches, according to new research* from Virgin Money.
Analysis from the company’s authoritative Football Fans Inflation Index shows that 51 per cent of parent football fans are inhibited from attending games with their children because of the costs involved – a number that has increased from 48 per cent a year ago.
The research reveals that Liverpool Football Club is most at risk of losing its youngest fan base with a staggering 89 per cent of regular match goers who are parents claiming they cannot continue to fork out on match days in order to take their children.
Other clubs at risk of losing the next generation of fans include Chelsea and Portsmouth, according to Virgin Money. Around 79 per cent of regular attendees at Stamford Bridge with children say cost is stopping them taking the family and 78 per cent of Portsmouth match-going parents are struggling.
Even football legend Pele recently expressed concerns over losing young supporters from football, claiming: "We have to remember one thing: without children's love, football will die."**
Fulham, Blackburn and Hull are least likely to lose their young support with just 20, 22 and 25 per cent of fans with children respectively saying the cost of following their teams would stop them taking the family in future.
Virgin Money’s research is published as part of its regular Football Fans Inflation Index, which has tracked the cost of attending live games on a quarterly basis since January 2006.
The most recent research polled 3,887 regular football fans, over half of whom are season ticket holders. 49 per cent of all the fans polled said they do not take children to games.
Virgin Money spokesman Grant Bather said: "Football needs young fans but if children are going to get the habit they need to get into the game early. If costs don't start to decrease we're in danger of losing an entire generation of football supporters.
"Clubs that have made efforts to cut ticket prices and to attract more people to match days should be praised for their efforts, but in the top flight a family of four still faces a hefty bill for a day out at a football match."
Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said: "Most match-going adults started watching football with a parent - usually their father in those days. It's a habit which has been handed down from one generation to the next, and one on which the future of the game relies.
"If new generations of kids don't go to games with their parents when they are young, and become television football fans, or even not football fans at all, then the future lifeblood of the game is at risk. We already know that the average age of the match-going spectator is increasing, particularly at the top of the game, and this survey gives us one of the main reasons."
The cost of taking a child to a Premiership fixture can vary but, for example, a family of four supporting Everton would fork out £104 per match to watch the Toffees from the Main Stand***.
The table below shows the results for Premiership clubs.
[Column 1]: Club FANS who struggle to take children to games [Column 2] FANS who can afford to take children to games
Liverpool 89% 11%
Chelsea 79% 21%
Portsmouth 78% 22%
West Ham 74% 26%
Stoke City 69% 31%
Arsenal 65% 35%
Everton 65% 35%
Tottenham 65% 35%
Man Utd 64% 36%
Middlesbro. 57% 43%
Aston Villa 56% 44%
Newcastle 56% 44%
WBA 54% 46%
Man City 52% 48%
Sunderland 45% 55%
Wigan 33% 67%
Bolton 27% 73%
Hull 25% 75%
Blackburn 22% 78%
Fulham 20% 80%
Premier League Average 62% 38%
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Price Index shows that in the past three years the cost of attending games has risen by 22.6 per cent. At the launch of the index in January 2006, the match day basket of goods** cost £77.95 compared with £95.20 now.
The index is aimed at helping supporters keep track of the rises and falls in the costs of supporting their team. The company identified the match day essentials fans buy and keeps tabs on increases and decreases.
Costs have fallen in the past three months with the price of petrol, replica shirts and average match tickets dropping.
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Prices Index runs every three months and looks at the cost of a typical basket of goods monitoring the ups and downs of prices. The firm’s research team examines the cost of items such as a gallon of petrol, match tickets, food, alcohol, train tickets and replica shirts.
- Ends -
Notes to editors:
* Football Fans’ Census interviewed a representative sample of 3,887 football fans between 17 and 31 December 2008.
** www.tribalfootball.com/pele-loyalty-makes-kaka-better-man-utds-ronaldo-220888
*** www.evertonfc.com/tickets/prices-seating-plan.html
*** The basket of goods includes a gallon of petrol, a pint of lager, a bacon roll, a train fare, a match ticket, a replica shirt, pay-per-view cost and a match programme.
For further information:
Grant Bather, Public Relations Manager, Virgin Money
07834 844 427
Kevan Reilly/Billy Partridge Citigate Dewe Rogerson
0207 638 9571
Football Supporters' Federation
Malcolm Clarke 07939 594379
Steven Powell 07881 950613
About Virgin Money
Virgin Money is Virgin’s financial services arm and was established in 1995.
Virgin Money has over two million customers and offers a wide range of financial products across lending (e.g. credit cards and personal loans), savings (e.g. deposits, investments and pensions) and protection (e.g. life insurance, home insurance and car insurance) to the UK market.
Virgin Money Personal Financial Service Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Registered Office: Discovery House, Whiting Road, Norwich NR4 6EJ. Registered in England no. 3072766. Entered on the Financial Services Register (www.fsa.gov.uk/register), Register Number: 179271
About The Football Fans’ Census:
The Football Fans Census is Europe’s leading football research expert. With over 100,000 members The FFC provides a communication channel between the supporter and the football industry.
About the Football Supporters’ Federation
The FSF represents over 142,000 members supporting clubs and national teams at all levels throughout England & Wales.
uk.virginmoney.com/virgin/news-centre/press-releases/2009/more-than-half-of-parents-say-cost-puts-them-off-taking-kids-to-games.jsp
Also -Four Four Two - "Clubs face losing next generation of fans"
fourfourtwo.com/news/england/23955/default.aspx
VIRGIN MONEY
More than half of parents say cost puts them off taking kids to games
Over half of football fans with children say the increasing cost of attending games is preventing them from taking their kids to matches, according to new research* from Virgin Money.
Analysis from the company’s authoritative Football Fans Inflation Index shows that 51 per cent of parent football fans are inhibited from attending games with their children because of the costs involved – a number that has increased from 48 per cent a year ago.
The research reveals that Liverpool Football Club is most at risk of losing its youngest fan base with a staggering 89 per cent of regular match goers who are parents claiming they cannot continue to fork out on match days in order to take their children.
Other clubs at risk of losing the next generation of fans include Chelsea and Portsmouth, according to Virgin Money. Around 79 per cent of regular attendees at Stamford Bridge with children say cost is stopping them taking the family and 78 per cent of Portsmouth match-going parents are struggling.
Even football legend Pele recently expressed concerns over losing young supporters from football, claiming: "We have to remember one thing: without children's love, football will die."**
Fulham, Blackburn and Hull are least likely to lose their young support with just 20, 22 and 25 per cent of fans with children respectively saying the cost of following their teams would stop them taking the family in future.
Virgin Money’s research is published as part of its regular Football Fans Inflation Index, which has tracked the cost of attending live games on a quarterly basis since January 2006.
The most recent research polled 3,887 regular football fans, over half of whom are season ticket holders. 49 per cent of all the fans polled said they do not take children to games.
Virgin Money spokesman Grant Bather said: "Football needs young fans but if children are going to get the habit they need to get into the game early. If costs don't start to decrease we're in danger of losing an entire generation of football supporters.
"Clubs that have made efforts to cut ticket prices and to attract more people to match days should be praised for their efforts, but in the top flight a family of four still faces a hefty bill for a day out at a football match."
Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said: "Most match-going adults started watching football with a parent - usually their father in those days. It's a habit which has been handed down from one generation to the next, and one on which the future of the game relies.
"If new generations of kids don't go to games with their parents when they are young, and become television football fans, or even not football fans at all, then the future lifeblood of the game is at risk. We already know that the average age of the match-going spectator is increasing, particularly at the top of the game, and this survey gives us one of the main reasons."
The cost of taking a child to a Premiership fixture can vary but, for example, a family of four supporting Everton would fork out £104 per match to watch the Toffees from the Main Stand***.
The table below shows the results for Premiership clubs.
[Column 1]: Club FANS who struggle to take children to games [Column 2] FANS who can afford to take children to games
Liverpool 89% 11%
Chelsea 79% 21%
Portsmouth 78% 22%
West Ham 74% 26%
Stoke City 69% 31%
Arsenal 65% 35%
Everton 65% 35%
Tottenham 65% 35%
Man Utd 64% 36%
Middlesbro. 57% 43%
Aston Villa 56% 44%
Newcastle 56% 44%
WBA 54% 46%
Man City 52% 48%
Sunderland 45% 55%
Wigan 33% 67%
Bolton 27% 73%
Hull 25% 75%
Blackburn 22% 78%
Fulham 20% 80%
Premier League Average 62% 38%
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Price Index shows that in the past three years the cost of attending games has risen by 22.6 per cent. At the launch of the index in January 2006, the match day basket of goods** cost £77.95 compared with £95.20 now.
The index is aimed at helping supporters keep track of the rises and falls in the costs of supporting their team. The company identified the match day essentials fans buy and keeps tabs on increases and decreases.
Costs have fallen in the past three months with the price of petrol, replica shirts and average match tickets dropping.
Virgin Money’s Football Fans’ Prices Index runs every three months and looks at the cost of a typical basket of goods monitoring the ups and downs of prices. The firm’s research team examines the cost of items such as a gallon of petrol, match tickets, food, alcohol, train tickets and replica shirts.
- Ends -
Notes to editors:
* Football Fans’ Census interviewed a representative sample of 3,887 football fans between 17 and 31 December 2008.
** www.tribalfootball.com/pele-loyalty-makes-kaka-better-man-utds-ronaldo-220888
*** www.evertonfc.com/tickets/prices-seating-plan.html
*** The basket of goods includes a gallon of petrol, a pint of lager, a bacon roll, a train fare, a match ticket, a replica shirt, pay-per-view cost and a match programme.
For further information:
Grant Bather, Public Relations Manager, Virgin Money
07834 844 427
Kevan Reilly/Billy Partridge Citigate Dewe Rogerson
0207 638 9571
Football Supporters' Federation
Malcolm Clarke 07939 594379
Steven Powell 07881 950613
About Virgin Money
Virgin Money is Virgin’s financial services arm and was established in 1995.
Virgin Money has over two million customers and offers a wide range of financial products across lending (e.g. credit cards and personal loans), savings (e.g. deposits, investments and pensions) and protection (e.g. life insurance, home insurance and car insurance) to the UK market.
Virgin Money Personal Financial Service Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Registered Office: Discovery House, Whiting Road, Norwich NR4 6EJ. Registered in England no. 3072766. Entered on the Financial Services Register (www.fsa.gov.uk/register), Register Number: 179271
About The Football Fans’ Census:
The Football Fans Census is Europe’s leading football research expert. With over 100,000 members The FFC provides a communication channel between the supporter and the football industry.
About the Football Supporters’ Federation
The FSF represents over 142,000 members supporting clubs and national teams at all levels throughout England & Wales.
uk.virginmoney.com/virgin/news-centre/press-releases/2009/more-than-half-of-parents-say-cost-puts-them-off-taking-kids-to-games.jsp
Also -Four Four Two - "Clubs face losing next generation of fans"
fourfourtwo.com/news/england/23955/default.aspx