Come out and watch

Nick Hornby, who intellecualised club football mania in his autobiographical Fever Pitch, is not a happy man. To fuel his addiction as a young Arsenal fan in the '70s, Hornby paid 15 pence (approx. Rs 13 then) to watch the Gunners from the North Terrace of Highbury. All else being the same, Hornby would pay around 80p today (around Rs 70), or even a pound, accounting for inflation. But in 2012, Arsenal fans have to fork out more. A lot, lot, more.

In a recent, eye-opening survey conducted by the BBC, it is learned that Arsenal is in fact the most expensive club to support. Season ticket holders for the 2012-13 season are poorer by £1955, or Rs 1,70,000, for 19 home games. Which works out to approximately Rs 9000 per game for the concessioners.

Watching every game is a distant dream for most. In an interview celebrating 20 years of his book, Hornby lamented this. "You just can't do that anymore," he said. "Most kids now would go now as they would to the theatre, three times a year." But Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal's chief executive, has defended ticket prices, saying that the club needs "sufficient income to reinvest in the squad."

Post the landmark Bosman ruling in 1995, after which clubs could no longer hold onto their players' registrations after their contracts ran out, footballers' wages rose almost exponentially across Europe. Clubs needed to pay their players a lot more to keep them. Despite the many revenue streams pouring into football clubs, such as TV rights and merchandising, they still struggled to balance their wage bills. Ticket prices, consequently, shot through the roof.

Indian cricket fans have it so much better. Ticket prices, by and large, are within reach of most. Spectator facilities in Indian stadiums may not be comparable to those at the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, but are much better than they used to be 15 years ago. The most expensive ticket (apart from the boxes) to watch a day's play during the second India-England Test at the Wankhede next month is Rs. 150. A full five days from the best vantage point will set you back by Rs. 600. Days two and three fall on the weekend. If you're a cricket fan in Mumbai, consider yourself blessed. Just ask a football fan in north London.

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