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."
Thursday, 8 March 2007
SPORT - Arsenal stand firm on most expensive tickets in Europe
SPORT - Arsenal's European dream falls apart
By Andrew MacAskill
ARSENAL:1 PSV EINDHOVEN:1
(ON AGGREGATE 1-2)
ARSENAL'S hopes of winning any silverware this season were ended last night as PSV Eindhoven secured a draw at the Emirates Stadium, forcing the Gunners out of the Champions League.
The PSV defender Alex went from villain to hero: after scoring an own goal he redeemed himself eight minutes from the end, glancing home a header to send the Dutch side into the quarter-finals.
This is Arsenal’s third cup disappointment in eleven days, after losing the Carling Cup final to Chelsea on February 25 and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn days later.
Meanwhile, they are trailing 20 points behind Manchester United in the Premiership.
Having lost the first leg 1-0, Arsenal knew they needed to score at least two goals to progress.
In the first half they dominated possession, and spent most of the time camped around PSV’s penalty area.
Arsenal should have taken the lead after six minutes but Emmanuel Adebayor missed an opening when he failed to control a Cesc Fabregas cross just six yards out, and Gomes smothered the danger.
Kolo Toure was tormenting PSV and he tested Gomes with a fierce drive from just inside the area, before Adebayor headed wide from Gael Clichy’s cross.
Julio Baptista sent an acrobatic volley over the bar after Fabregas’s shot had deflected into his path, as Arsenal strove to find a way through PSV’s massed ranks.
PSV mounted a rare threat to Jens Lehmann’s goal after half an hour when Edison Mendez crossed. Phillip Cocu should have scored but only managed to glance the header across goal.
Arsenal were quickly back on the offensive and Baptista tried his luck with a spectacular bicycle kick from Aleksandr Hleb’s cross, but the Brazilian’s effort drifted wide of the goal.
Arsène Wenger’s side have made a habit of coming from behind at home this season and, with PSV’s lack of ambition inviting far too much pressure, an equaliser looked inevitable.
Yet when the breakthrough finally arrived in the 57th minute, it was due more to good fortune than to skill. Denilson sent in a corner that Gomes misjudged and Adebayor’s flick was turned
into his own net by Alex.
With the tie level on aggregate, PSV began to sense the need to attack, but that only opened up more space for Arsenal to go on the offensive.
Adebayor again should have put the hosts ahead, but he shot too close to Gomes after sprinting onto Fabregas’s pass, then the Spanish midfielder fired over from the edge of the area.
PSV were close to a vital away goal when Mendez flashed a low drive just wide. That was the signal for Wenger to send on Thierry Henry. Struggling to recover fully from foot and hamstring injuries, the Arsenal captain had only been named on the bench.
Henry’s first significant contribution was in the 78th minute, when he brought a fine stop from Gomes with a dipping free-kick. But Arsenal were hit with a sucker punch that left them down and out in the 82nd minute.
Wenger had warned his side to tighten up their set pieces, but that again proved to be their Achilles’ heel. With eight minutes to go, Mendez whipped in a free-kick from the left and Alex rose above Abou Diaby to plant a header past Lehmann that sent PSV into ecstasy.
“It’s a cruel night for us because we had the chances to score a second goal,” Wenger said. “We lacked a bit of sharpness and of course we lacked a bit of quality in the final third.”
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
SPORT - Borough's boxing punching back
By Max Colchester
AFTER 20 years on the ropes, boxing in Islington is on the rocky road to return.
The Times Boxing Club has announced a gala fight night at the Business Design Centre(BDC) between an Islington select side and a Northern Irish team from Derry.
Big name boxing promoter Frank Warren may be attending this showcase event, which will raise money for Islington’s cash-strapped premier boxing club.
The club, which trains local fighters of all ages, is hosting the boxing gala at the Copenhagen Street venue in Angel, on Friday May 11.
Around 300 guests are hoping to be entertained by an uppercut spectacle of ten junior and senior bouts.
The BDC normally charges £10,000 a night for the Gallery Hall but the club will not have to pay a penny for the privilege and will be pocketing the proceeds from the event.
Dave Ryan, the head trainer at Times Boxing, said: “We going to put on a large pucker show. It looks like everyone wants to be a part of it. We have got some major boxing promoters and quite a few companies involved.
He added: "We should raise a considerable amount of money.”
A sell-out night of glamour has been promised, and the majority of the 25 tables have already been sold with tickets going at £60 a head.
Ryan said the idea came about thanks to members of staff at the BDC who train at the club.
“They decided to help us," he said. "They want to do something for boxing. I think that shows a change in attitude towards the sport. Until the last Olympics people were anti-boxing. Now they realise it’s a saver. It keeps the kids off the streets.”
Ryan hopes that the fight night will pave the way for future live matches. He said: “If it all goes well we hope to make this a regular thing.”
The club was originally formed as part of The Times newspaper in 1927. It has been widely credited with supporting young people from all backgrounds.
SPORT - Olympic hopefuls thrown a lifeline
By Andrew MacAskill
THE NEXT British stars at the Olympic games could come from Islington after a judo club in the borough received thousands of pounds in Lottery funding.
The Budokwai Club on Gilston Road, which has already produced two Olympic athletes, will receive more than £15,000 to help renovate the gym.
The money will be spent on building a dojo (a purpose built judo room), and buying desperately needed new equipment, including mats and pads.
Ken Atkinson, the head coach of the club, said: "With the new money and the right commitment from the lads there are two or three who I think could compete in London in 2012.
"But even if they don't get there it will still be of tremendous benefit to hundreds of children who will be able to get fitter."
Chris Hyland, who trains the juniors, has praised Atkinson for helping to secure the money for the club.
"The investment was made because they knew he had a proven track record of producing great athletes," he said.
"He is the best trainer in the buisiness and this grant is a tribute to his commitment and perseverance."
Other Islington clubs will also receive money from Sport England, which is responsible for distributing Lottery money to sports organisations. The Islington Lawn Tennis Association will get £7,000 to resurface its courts and replace old equipment.
Rob Achille, the tennis development officer for Islington, said he hoped the investment will pay off so "in years to come Highbury will be remembered for a budding tennis champion as well as its football connections."
The Islington boat club, Islington Cardinals, a disabled football team and Islington squash club were also given similar grants by Sports England to improve facilities.
Joanna Robinson, the director of Sport England London, said: "These are clearly projects that are going to make a significant difference to the local population of Islington."
Despite accusations from community groups that the London Olympics will drain lottery money away from grass root sports in Islington, Mrs Robinson said the grants were evidence the borough is not losing out.
“Sporting clubs in Islington will continue to be well funded by Sport England and they will not lose out because of the Olympics,” she said.
However, Debbie Blake from Islington Voluntary Action Council, said until the government rule out the possibility of using further lottery to make up for a shortfall in the soaring costs of the games, sports clubs in the borough could miss out on funding in the future.