Many Fulham fans live in a well-heeled part of London where just about everything is expensive, including the cost of watching their club. It’s widely acknowledged that the cost of watching football worldwide is on the rise, but in the UK and London in particular, they find they have to cope with astronomical prices.
King’s ransom for mediocrity
For a club which more often than not finishes comfortably yet boringly in mid-table every Premier League season, Fulham charge quite a lot for the privilege of watching them at the picturesque Craven Cottage. The cheapest match-day tickets to go see the Cottagers are at a fairly reasonable £20, although at the other end of the scale, they reach £75.
Typical prices lie somewhere in the middle, while extras like a hot pie or match-day programme can add significantly to the cost of a normal match-day. For anyone who follows a London club, the cost of watching their team might persuade them to consider alternatives, one of them being watching football in another country.
Amsterdam this way
Ajax Amsterdam, much like many of their rivals in the Dutch Eredivisie and other clubs in continental Europe, are seen by a growing number of British football fans as cheaper to go and watch. Watching football in another country can be fun, but does it offer greater value for money.
Using Ajax as an example, the cheapest tickets they have for individual matches are usually at £15 for sitting in the upper tier of the Amsterdam Arena. The most expensive tickets available are at the £65 mark, but they’re for premium seats. To get there from the UK, flights are available for as low as £76 (link).
More than you bargained for?
The tickets might be a little bit cheaper to see Ajax than Fulham, but what about all the peripherals? Taking travel, accommodation (which is needed if you don’t manage to get to Amsterdam and back in the space of a day) and refreshments into account, it can actually be more expensive.
Nevertheless, if you go on a regular basis, you might find it more fun to watch Ajax or any other Dutch club. Also, the savings made from ticket prices might stack up enough to pay for everything else.
