| Politicians & Football Don't Mix (2) |
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| Written by Steve Bettison | |
| Sunday, 04 November 2007 | |
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Gerry Sutcliffe MP displayed a poor grasp of economics when he complained
about the price of season tickets and the wages of Premiership players.
In reference to John Terry’s wage Mr Sutcliffe believed it to be
"obscene at £150,000 a week" and he also criticized Manchester United
for raising their season ticket prices by "13 percent". Top footballers are paid a wage that reflects their value. John Terry is the highest paid player in the Premiership for a simple reason: Chelsea believe he is worth it. They can afford to pay him this amount due to their strength in the sport; they attract sponsorship and television money as well as merchandise and ticket receipts (and prize money) that allows them to offer that amount of pay to their top players. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement as the club wishes to remain at the top of the sport and thus requires top players. His pay packet is not obscene – it simply reflects supply and demand. Mr Sutcliffe thinks that, "ordinary working people who want go and see Manchester United face being priced out. There is a danger that there will be a move away from the game and we don't want to be in a position where people are alienated." And nor do Manchester United. Their ticket prices will always reflect demand, their aim after all is to have as many people watch them as possible (currently in the region of 75,000). Ticket prices do not price anyone out of the game, you can choose how you spend your money, and on what; for some, home comforts such as Sky TV outweigh a season ticket to their favourite football club. This does not stop them from occasionally watching their team through making the effort to save and making one off purchases. The difference in prices between clubs reflects the different levels of entertainment and skill you will see. Football is a successful and high-demand industry; the internal pricing merely reflects this. We can only hope that Mr Sutcliffe keeps to his word of not wanting to interfere in the running of football.
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