Hatters fans got the fourth-best value per goal among English clubs for their season ticket last season, according to the BBC’s annual The Price of Football survey.
The Town’s price-per-goal figure of £4.69 in the report is just 31p behind Fleetwood, whose supporters got the best value per goal last season for their season ticket, but above every club in both the Premier League and Championship and all bar two in League 1.
The price-per-goal figure is based on the cheapest season ticket cost last season and the number of home goals scored last term. The Town celebrated promotion back to the Football League and won 18 of their 23 home fixtures last season.
However, deconstructing the basis of the survey, which were posted on the BBC website at midnight on Wednesday, reveals that the value supporters get supporting the Hatters should be better than reported.
The survey is intended to benchmark the value for money (or otherwise) supporters get from their football clubs across the top five leagues in England but, in reality, the cost of being a Luton Town supporters isn’t truly reflected as discounts taken up by the majority haven’t been accounted for within the survey. Furthermore, there is no adjustment made for the fact that Kenilworth Road is an all-seater stadium comparing it’s pricing against competitors who had, in some cases, large areas of open, standing terracing.
Statistically, around 40 per cent of all adult season ticket members purchased their tickets at £300, less than the £330 minimum price quoted in the article and only 1.5 per cent of all adult season ticket members purchased at the £400 – the maximum price quoted.
Reacting to the results of the report, Town Chief Executive, Gary Sweet, told lutontown.co.uk: “The survey is a welcome piece of work and could, if researched more acutely, become a valuable entry into the football calendar.
“While we’re delighted that we have been identified as one of the least expensive clubs to see a goal – even if the report is 10-20 per cent adrift – I would have preferred to see more accuracy in the report and a fairer analysis, such as terracing prices to be separated or extracted, and for discounts to be included.
“This is the first season we have increased general prices – to most – since we became custodians in 2008 and we were keen to reward loyalty with an amnesty for those wonderful people who have continued to support us during the Conference era; which we’ll endeavour to reward for future seasons.
“At Luton Town, we pride ourselves on offering our supporters good value for a professional service and an exciting day out. We know we’re not perfect but we’re getting there. Our supporters should expect to receive better value from the Club in future as we recognise that football, at the top level, could be in danger of forgetting its true fans, as the real cost of supporting a Club is eating too much into the average or lower man’s wage.”
Ticket News
HATTERS BEST VALUE FOR GOALS PER POUND!
15 October 2014