US stadium ticket prices.

[atrottel]

I know we moan at 30 quid prices, and look in horror at Chelski with their 47 pound seats.

But, especially for those teams such as Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal, with US owners from other sports (OK Arsenal aren't quite there yet), it might come as a shock to look at what is happening over there.

The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) are building a new stadium. To get a lower bowl seat (in other words, a decent one) you are expected to pay a Personal Seat License of between $16,000 and $150,000, which only gives you the right to be able to buy tickets for that seat for the next 30 years. You are then expected to pay $340 per game for 10 games, which includes meaningless pre-season games, each year for the next thirty years.

 

[atrottel]

And, in somewhat connected news, ESPN is interested in buying UK rights to the Premier League. ESPN is owned by Disney and holds most of the rights to the main US sports.

Disney-owned ESPN has been on a spending spree, recently boosting its online sports presence by buying cricket website Cricinfo and rugby site Scrum.com.

In the US it has long-term deals to broadcast the country's three key sports - American football, baseball and basketball.

 

[TX Bill]

Well they're catching on in proper football as well.

My tickets to the upcoming USA vs. Mexico match at Reliant Stadium here in Houston were $165 a pop.

 

[SuitsBlue]

what a guaranteed way of killing sport. perhaps its to push fans into being couch supporters. at the same time, the prawn sandwich brigade get the seats if they want them - high profile games only.

 

[teppic]

disgusting prices. 30 quid for a season ticket here. and you can drink beer in your seat.


pic of the suwon bluewings home end.. it's huge.. i love getting amongst it!

 

[teppic]

someone has just announced over the tannoy to the suwon boys that the beer is half price!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szlky2JVZ6g&feature=related[/media]

 

[Rook]

I know we moan at 30 quid prices, and look in horror at Chelski with their 47 pound seats.

But, especially for those teams such as Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal, with US owners from other sports (OK Arsenal aren't quite there yet), it might come as a shock to look at what is happening over there.

The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) are building a new stadium. To get a lower bowl seat (in other words, a decent one) you are expected to pay a Personal Seat License of between $16,000 and $150,000, which only gives you the right to be able to buy tickets for that seat for the next 30 years. You are then expected to pay $340 per game for 10 games, which includes meaningless pre-season games, each year for the next thirty years.

A PSL helps defray the cost a bit of the cost of the stadium (about 25%), the rest are usually picked up by us taxpayers. However an investment in a PSL actually is a pretty good one (provided you don't go to a team that has a 5-20 year waiting list for tickets). Because you can sell your 30 year PSL for sometimes 2-3X what you paid for it. My brother and is (now ex) wife paid $3000 for a pair of upperdeck PSLs for Pittsburgh Steeler games. Those PSL's initally sold for $500 each a few years back by the club when the stadium was built. After he got divorsed the PSLs sold for $4500 2 years after he bought them. So its more like an asset. Plus you can sell in game tickets (a home Pittsburgh playoff game could fetch you $500-1000/ticket).

 

[atrottel]

That's interesting, so it's more like a bond?

But it's still a massive barrier to entry for fans when you think of the initial investment and the fact that you are committed to buying all 10 games. And surely if you are a fan, you are dying to go to the big games (considering the playoffs don't come around that often for some teams).