SPORT - Arsenal stand firm on most expensive tickets in Europe

By Tom Lowe and Peter Hutchison

ARSENAL have refused to consider reducing ticket prices for next season despite pressure from the government and supporters.

Tickets for matches at the Emirates Stadium are among the most expensive in the Premiership but the club insists its prices are competitive and reasonable.



A high profile campaign by The Sun has already forced many clubs to slash their ticket pricess but Arsenal appear unwilling to follow their lead.

Blackburn, Everton and Bolton are just a few of the clubs who have announced price freezes or reductions on tickets for next season.

The cheapest adult ticket for an Arsenal Category A match, which includes games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham, is £46.

The most expensive ticket is £94, making it the highest priced seat in the Premiership and the costliest league to follow in Europe.

A family of four has to fork out £128 for even the cheapest seats to watch just one match - a cost that some families simply cannot afford.

Amanda Chapman, a lifelong Gunners fan, said: "I used to go when I was younger but I haven't been since because it's too hard to get tickets. That was when you could get tickets for about thirteen quid.

"They have got to cover their costs because they've just bought a great big stadium, but prices have got silly."

Arsenal's prices have come under fire from sports minister Richard Caborn, who said the club's ticket prices were so high that they excluded many ordinary fans, including even those living in the shadow of their 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium.

"London is the most expensive city in the world to watch top-flight football," he said. "Prices are too high and it is the supporters who suffer.

"Even clubs that sell out week in, week out, should set aside cheaper tickets for people from the local community."

Tony Blair has waded into the debate, telling Times Online that "ticket prices shouldn't be beyond the reach of the ordinary fan because it's the ordinary fan that really builds the club."

There is growing support for ticket reductions amongst politicians - 49 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion demanding top-flight clubs cut their prices.

Premiership clubs have the opportunity to cut prices because they are to benefit from a £625m TV windfall next season as a result of matches being shown overseas for the first time.

An Arsenal spokesman, quoted in the Evening Standard, said: "We are comfortable with the pricing policy at the Emirates Stadium and believe that our supporters receive good value for money.

"As part of our move from Highbury, 50 per cent of all new season tickets allocated at the Emirates Stadium were offered to Islington residents."