Arsenal ticket prices: KPMG says Emirates Stadium season tickets are the worst value for money in Europe
Top Premier League teams are ripping off fans on ticket prices compared to elite European clubs, according to a new KPMG study which names Arsenal tickets as the worst value for money when compared with the wealth of the club.
Analysis from the accountancy giant into the relationship between a club's valuation and their cheapest season tickets found that despite being only the fifth most valuable club in the world, Arsenal's lowest price is nearly six times higher than the world's most valuable team Real Madrid.
Season tickets at Real's Bernabeu stadium are available for roughly £190 while one to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium costs £1,014.
However, unlike Real Madrid and many of their Premier League rivals, Arsenal's season ticket includes entry to all cup games and Champions League fixtures.
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KPMG's valuation of Europe's biggest 32 football clubs takes into account profitability, popularity, stadium ownership, broadcasting rights and sporting potential.
Arsenal were estimated to be worth £1.4bn, making them the joint-second most valuable team in the Premier League with Manchester City and behind Manchester United at £2.4bn, and the fifth most valuable team in the world.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich make up the rest of the top five with estimated values of £2.4bn, £2.3bn and £1.8bn respectively – yet all offer season tickets for less than £200.
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In contrast, none of the seven Premier League teams selected among KPMG's European elite offer season tickets for less than £300 although Manchester City and United are both in the "yellow zone" of KPMG's below chart, meaning the prices represent fair value for money in comparison to their value.
Five clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool – are all placed in the "red zone" for relatively expensive tickets while Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all make it into the "green zone" for comparatively cheap tickets.
The KPMG report states: "In the last couple of years, many Premier League clubs have adopted price-freeze strategies to cap their season tickets.
"Notwithstanding this, their prices are still by far the most expensive in European football, as all the seven English teams covered in our report are in the top 10 of the most expensive cheapest-available season tickets.
"However, it must also be added that the average size of English stadia is smaller than German, Italian and Spanish ones."