Watching Sports in London on a Budget: "
The sight of rows of empty seats at the recent World Cup tournament in South Africa brought to prominence the issue of affordable ticket prices. With the majority of local South African fans priced out of attending games, world governing body FIFA were left embarrassed by the world’s “biggest sporting carnival” being watched live by below-capacity crowds.
Players applaud the fans after the 1-0 victory over Portsmouth on December 5th, 1992
But the problem of prohibitive tickets for sports events extends beyond developing nations. Equally, as an example, for a parent to take two children to watch a top-level football match in London is likely to cost them in the region of £200.
Making Football Affordable
Luckily, despite the English Premier League’s domination of the media’s sporting coverage, there are alternative options for watching live football in the capital that won’t break the bank.
If you venture down the Leagues, you will find clubs that still offer admittance for under £20. For example, south London side Charlton Athletic, a club with a proud history including recently competing in the Premier League, but now playing in the division below, offers tickets on general sale (to non-members) at a reasonable £17 for adults and £13 for children.
The benefits of watching lower-level matches
Whilst the quality of football will seldom be as high as the Premier League, the overall experience will arguably be more authentic. Premier League stadiums are generally sanitised environments where atmosphere is ‘led’ by PA announcers, rather than being generated organically by fans.
And then there is the food. Whilst Premier League clubs have gone gourmet, selling hand-crafted pasties, smoke salmon bagels and parsnip crisps, lower-level clubs have kept it ‘real’, continuing to offer the classic football fare of machine-pumped steak and kidney pie and bacon butties.
As well as Charlton, there are four other clubs in the Championship (the division below the Premier League) – Crystal Palace, Watford, Queens Park Rangers and Millwall – that all offer tickets at affordable prices. If you want to go even further down the leagues, you’ll find tickets for £10 or less.
- Fans gathering outside the Charlton Superstore on a matchday
Cricket
Of course, there are several other sports that are well represented in London, some of which arguably offer better value for money than football matches. Cricket is perhaps the best example.
County matches at Lord’s – one of the world’s most famous cricket venues, located in north London – often feature a number of renowned international players. Tickets for these matches are often priced at just £15 for adults and £5 for children. If you consider that you will be watching world class players in a world class venue competing across an entire day’s worth of cricket, you can see why this kind of event offers better value than its football counterparts.
If rugby is more your game…
How about catching a Union match at the famous Twickenham Stoop stadium, home of Harlequins? Rugby is hugely popular in the UK, and whilst the Union version of the sport is most closely associated with northern regions, Harlequins have put southern Union firmly on the map with their achievements over the years. Tickets start at just £15 for adults and £5 for children.
For a true taste of working class London sport, you won’t be able to beat a visit to the Dogs. Wimbledon greyhound racing offers admittance for just £5.50. With dog tracks closing across the capital, you should get in quick, as it may only be a matter of time before one of the great traditions of London is gone forever,- Paul Joseph
Editor’s Note: Paul Joseph is a London-based writer. He is the author of “When Football Was Football: Arsenal”, an illustrated history of Arsenal Football Club. He also works for matchhotels.com, a website where users can find and compare prices for hotels near sports venues, such as Emirates Hotels.
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