BBC Price of Football Study

The annual study run by the BBC which explores the financial investment made to follow a football team has been published, with results showing that Premier League supporter expenses have decreased for the second year in a row.

This is largely due to a cap being introduced in away ticket prices, with Premier League clubs no longer allowed to charge away supporters more than £30 for a ticket, and the 'Huddersfield' effect, with the Premier League club charging only £100 for its cheapest season ticket.

Despite this, the majority of supporters are continuing to pay high rates for tickets across the top 4 divisions in English football, with the average match day for a League Two supporter still expected to cost in excess of £35.

As a passionate football fan myself, I know that my desire to play football as a youngster was mainly stemmed from my exposure to it, as I was lucky enough to be able to attend Newcastle United games with family members, for a reasonably priced day out.

I feel that this type of activity for Children who enjoy football is becoming increasingly rare, with families simply unable to spare money to go and watch the football at the weekend. Is this having a detrimental effect on grassroots football?

The main reason a child would look to play football is something to do with the BBC Sport slogan, "get inspired." But how can we expect children to become inspired by a sport that is increasingly isolating itself from the common man, with commercial TV deals keeping live coverage away from people who do not have television packages with sport, and tickets for football becoming an increasingly unrealistic proposition for individuals on a middle to low rate salary to commit to.