For a game thats on tv its abit steep, but i guess they can charge what they like as they know that some Saints fans will pay any price. Fair play to all that go but im firmly in the pub for that game. COYR

Junk journalism fuelled by bitter jealousy, but hey don't let facts get in the way of a 'good story'.

During the past four years of Sheikh Mansours ownership the club prices have been frozen. For the new season;

Junior Season Ticket, priced at £95, Cheapest Adult Season Ticket £275
Average Adult ticket Price £38

Cup tickets capped at £20 for home supporters, including Champions League upto Quarter Final Stages

Compare this to the Arsenal , Spurs, Chelsea and Man United Match Day and Season Ticket prices then reconsider writing this article.

I very much doubt you will find any City supporter bemoaning the current prices taking into account the calibre of players on the pitch and the value for money represented by the Club investing into supporter facilities such as the hugely successfull 'City Square' providing unique pre & after match entertainment. The standard of facilities for supporters is now recognised as being the best in the league.

If the author of this petty, resentful & envy inspired article would care to research huge the level of financial investment the club are making in the local community providing much needed new employment, community facilities to benefit the residents of East Manchester and the economy of the City in general then that may be a more constructive use of their time.

...or is it just sour grapes because we cut the allocation for the last ever match to have been played at Maine Road against Southampton? Probably the best 25k the club spent at that time taking the FA fine and allowing as many City supporters to attend as possible.

I wrote the piece and i could have saved you about 20 minutes of writing excuses, basically i find it offensive that any football club could charge £51 for a ticket, the fact that for season ticket holders its so cheap is an even bigger insult, your looking after your own fans but ripping off the away fans, the attitude stinks as did the blatant abuse of FA rules for that game at Maine Road.

I have done my research, Arsenal after consultation with their fans are revamping their prices, meaning that for our visit there in September we will probably pay £25 -£35 for a ticket.

I used to like City, in truth most supporters of other clubs did, we all bought the "peoples club" publicity and felt sorry for you living in the shadow of Man Utd, but as soon as you had money you grasped it greedily at all costs

make your excuses the real truth is £51 for a ticket is utterly disgusting, out of interest what will you charge man United and what will they charge you

Last paragraph is clearly absurd. If you subscribe to its logic (which I don't, as there is none) then how would the two clubs agree the price that both would clubs' supporters' would pay? If, say, Man C want to charge us £51, and we want to charge their supporters say £35. How do you agree a common price? I believe the technical term is "supply and demand". And if you want to know about apparently crazy prices look at the Olympics (£725 for 100m final - more than the cost of many Premier League teams season tickets). And yet, apart from the football, it is nearly sold out.

Football clubs who follow the supply and demand philosophy often find that when they are in the premier and demand outstrips supply they can charge more, but ultimately in these TV money/arab/russian/american sugar daddy fueled days the extra £10 on a ticket doesnt really make too much of a difference to the coffers

However when supply outstrips demand they often find the die hard supporters who they suddenly need are no longer there, replaced by those who only want premier football, last time we lost 8,000 supporters overnight when we got relegated from the premier .

As for the Olympics , are you telling me that an event that hasnt happened in this country for 64 years and is undoubtably the biggest athletics event unquestionably, isnt sold out ?

If so it seems to prove my point more than yours

Why do we have to read the rants of saintnick about ticket prices for watching Man City, I`ve researched all about it and to pay £51 is utterly disgusting is his rant, well let me put you right you numpty, your season ticket charges range from 495 to 780 and Man City`s go from 465 to 745, average price per game numpties team 41.05 Man City 39.20, some of your prices have risen 84%,some of Man City 9%, mostly 2.5%/4.9%, these figures are off your own web sites and supplied by the fans who are complaining of huge increases and being moved around the ground.
The comment about Arsenals prices is abit comical I`ve been there and can assure you you will pay alot more than that as you will find out at all the top clubs except Man City,but there again you are only C category.
Man City are ploughing millions into the surrounding area for the underprivileged people of Manchester and are building a massive complex for everyone to use and bringing in many needed jobs to the area.
So if you are going to slag my team off make sure you get it right because we do not need imbeciles like you tainting are beloved ground.
PS Don`t forget we are the Champions are you must pay more to see the best.

Trueblue, you are right why should you read about it ? after all this is a Saints web site not a Man City one, Im writing it from a Saints perspective, but I have obviously touched a nerve as you seem very thorough in your research or perhaps you feel the need to defend your ticket prices to all and sundry so have it all to hand. Of course our prices will rise, we have just been promoted and so obviously we will have a bigger increase to take in those facts, and some of us have expressed our views on those prices

With regard to Arsenal's prices have a look at their website they have revamped them.

To be pedantic though, Im not slagging off your team nor am I slagging off what the club is dfoing in the community, Im slagging off the price of watching a football match, I feel it wont be the last time i do so this season

I think the basic point here is that 51 quid is a lot of money to watch a game, in clearly not the best seats in the house (at one end towards the corner). I presume most fans irrespective of who they support would agree.

Football needs away fans to make an atmosphere, without them it would be like watching American sport - in my view an away ticket price should be the same as a home ticket for the corresponding type of seat in the home end - for any club including City and Southampton.. That is fair.

Sure Saints will bring a good following anyway.

@ SaintNick

I'm sorry, did I offend your sensitivity? Shame. We dont want other fans pity, or need them to like us. You dislike our club, oh well we can live with it.

So, since when did City supporters claim to be 'the peoples club'? Again, if you bother to research facts rather than write fiction, the phrase was coined by a Mr David Moyes upon taking over at Everton.


In terms of the pricing structure, will the same self appointed moral outrage be publicised about other clubs ticketing prices, or just City? You quote Arsenal, well from one who travelled last April to the Emirates Stadium to watch City we were charged £60, please do feel free to rant about this as this so obviously disturbs you. City fans know, from supporting our club through thick and thin that we when travel other clubs ramp up the cost to us, it's happened for years. Where was your moral crusade then? We're used to it, we don't whinge or moan. We support our club home and away.

Clearly you have a hang up with our club. Nothing new there. Jealousy is such a negative emotion, rather than watch us in glory you should channel your energy into supporting your team and keeping them in this division. Your task will be difficult enough.

Robbie I think you are a little paranoid, or perhaps desperate to be seen on the same level as united, I dont dislike City at all, in truth im very ambivalent about them, I was happy to see you win the title, not because of any liking towards you, purely that I disliked you a lot less than i did United or Chelsea or even Arsenal for that matter.

Believe me when we are charged over £50 for a ticket i will be as morally outraged with the club that has charged it, you seem to think this was an anti City rant, far from it, you just happened to be our first game

I am a city fan and understand your concerns, £51 is a lot of money and if you wished to bring family members along also its a very expensive day out ,but sadly i expect the prices to increase further across the premier league as teams want to compete for the top prizes ,but have to stay with in fair play rulings ,these rulings are ill thought out and their only objective is to ensure the teams of G14 are not shoved out the way by up and coming teams with bigger wallets ..........It's the fans that will suffer more ,paying out the extra expense just to ensure the G14 member teams are not out done

Nick, The Olympics encompasses more than just athletics (yes sold out), and several of these events are indeed not sold out despite the one-off nature. Including the beach volleyball if you fancy it. Enjoy.

First paragraph says it all - welcome to the harsh reality of the Premier League. Personally I expect to pay more to visit Man City than I did when I went to Dagenham & Redbridge not so long ago.

We have ben away for a long time, this is what it costs. Get over it.

Wonder how many fans will travel though when the match is on Sunday and on TV. Embarassing if we don't get a good turnout.

I dont need to get over it, I merely brought up a topic for debate and get a few irate City fans have a go at me, Premier league will always be boom and bust charging prices like this are small change to City's owners in what they will make from the increased costs, I have been to Man City plenty of times when its been nowhere near full along with most Premier league grounds, that will come again im afraid, high prices put off the loyal fans whilst the one season wonders that success attracts run off at the first sign of not winning

Last time we were in the premier when the prices were fairly reasonable our away support was pitiful at times, lets hope the prices dont scare many off

Hmmm? You think your gonna get tickets at Arsenal for £25-£35? Did you do this 'research' in 1998? LOL. Your gonna get a lot of shocks this season me thinks!

It's quite funny that you go on about City's ticket prices while your own Season tickets are dearer. City ticket ticket prices should be defended big time as the have the cheapest in the league at £270!! and not the £465 TrueBlue said!! Oh by the way we have some of the best players in the World at our club and I'm paying £14 per game, what you lot gonna be paying? Looks like £26 at the cheapest, your getting ripped off by you greedy, money grabbing owners, grasping and squeezing every penny out of there own fans! LOL

'To be pedantic though, Im not slagging off your team nor am I slagging off what the club is dfoing'
Alzheimer's? What this then 'I used to like City, in truth most supporters of other clubs did, we all bought the "peoples club" publicity and felt sorry for you living in the shadow of Man Utd, but as soon as you had money you grasped it greedily at all costs' Roughly translated basically means 'I'm very bitter and jealous of Man City's ability to buy' ' I dont dislike City at all' What just according to you that their fans all call themselves this and that apparently!and they are greedy and grasping unlike your owners at the Saints with their 84% rises after just hitting the jackpot, Hilarious!
'Perhaps this would be easier to take if City hadnt spent so many years claiming to be the peoples club of Manchester, sadly they forgot all about this when grasping the middle eastern millions.' What would be easier to take? What's it got to do with you bitter boy why are you so bothered you'll be paying more at Chelsea same at Utd, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool if not more? What's your problem the 90's have long gone LOL.By the way when did City fans pronounce themselves as 'The peoples Club'? And even if you magically find where they did how would they have forgotten anything? Wow how bitter and twisted are you???

Oh by the way when City got relegated how many fans did we lose? When we went down again we got even more showing up even those prices also went up! Those fans stayed loyal and in 1999 three divisions down City had 32,088 av, 5K more than what the had in the Premier league. In 2003 the Av was 46,834 in 2010 the av attendance was 45,972 they are always there past present and in the future.

'Of course our prices will rise, we have just been promoted and so obviously we will have a bigger increase to take in those facts'
What are you on about your owners just walked into football's land of milk and honey the biggest money go round in the football World!They get much, much, much more money coming in so what do they do? I know why not screw the fans over by a massive 84% price hike again that's 84%!! And you've got the cheek to sit talking crxp about City's prices with some of the best players in the world! What a absolute plank you are!

SingaporeSaint his point is duff as your gonna pay a fortune all year even at your own club by the look of it but you won't be watching Aguero, Silva, Yaya and many others. He wants hit's on his site simple that what he meant to do otherwise surely he would have gone with a point that is that of a total fool easily took to pieces.

Now if you wrote 'Man City ticket prices a sign of things to come?' and said basically that £51 is more than you are used to in the Championship than fair enough, but you didn't did you? I could easily be a pathetic as yourself and say I used to like Saint's fan till I read your drivel, but I am not that twisted and have had many a good day out at The Dell to look back on, as well as some of your own like Blackrod who obviously sees you as a bit of clown as well. So I have to agree with Trueblue you are defo a total bitter NUMPTY! LOL

£51 is a lot of money but Ill be there,no doubt grumbling about its price but we are back and have to expect to pay this occassionally. And it will be forgotten though the £36 at Leeds (was it) just a few weeks ago will stick in my throat for along time - despite the great performance Kelvin gave us that day.

F*ck me, there's a lot of paranoid City fans out there!!

It could be City, it could be United, Arsenal, Tottenham, whoever. Its unimportant. Nick's article was clearly not an attack on City per se, more a statement on the way pricing of football games is going. Charging £49/£51 for a match ticket is huge for normal football fans. It just is. Unfortunately, I fear some of Saints' match tickets won't be too far off that this season, certainly for the Cat A games. 7 years away from the bright lights of the Premier League and a nice dose of lower league reality has shielded us from how much more corporate it has become, but a lot of fans will be priced out of going to as many games as they'd hope to. The more dedicated fans will have to just suck it up. Oh well, that's life in the Premier League.

You should read it again then, or did you miss the 'Perhaps this would be easier to take if City hadnt spent so many years claiming to be the peoples club of Manchester, sadly they forgot all about this when grasping the middle eastern millions.' bit? Or how about the 'I used to like City' but now he's bitter as hell so he'll have a go at them?

Where is this paranoia you speak off please stop using the word and point out where it is? He doesn't like City fans weirdly he thinks think City's owners to be greedy??? Incredible!!And informs people that City fans refered to themselves as 'the peoples club????' LOL. Didn't he say those things? Am I hallucinating?
Or did he really say 'I'm so glad a club like City got the golden ticket, with loyal fans etc'? Am I confused? No I'm not he spewed out his bitterness toward City not only football cost which will be mostly the same all season. Did you think City fans would come here saying 'yes it expensive isn't it, and aren't we all tossxrs for following City I'm so glad you don't like us after all we are always calling ourselves the Peoples club and now we forgot about that while we were grasping the middle Eastern millions??????????' Paranoid?? This guy a dxck who clearly shows bitterness towards city, why is that?

Yes that's life in the premier league if you want to have a moan at clubs for prices look at those that started all this greed and football is all about business clubs, not City who merely followed there lead and kicked there arses! LOL

Just charge them the same when they come to St Mary's.

FAO Get Real thanks for that long winded justification and im glad i have been able to be a shoulder for you to unburden your guilt on, if you had done your research then you would know that Arsenal in the past fortnight have reviewed ticket prices indeed have a look at this link

http://www.safc.com/news/20120725/ticket-info-for-first-league-game_2256213_2852

As you will see its a link to Sunderland's site announcing ticket prices for their visit to Arsenal on the opening day, as you will also see the price for an adult ticket is £25.50 and a kids ticket £10 a combined cost for a dad and son of £35.50 as opposed to Man City's whopping minimum of £76.

The reason why the tickets are cheaper in the opposite end (to where the away fans are located) is because that is the Family Stand. So it is incorrect to regard seats in that stand as comparable to what away fans should be charged.

Wow, I had no idea that City fans were quite so paranoid. Never seen any opposing fans get quite so vocal on our own website. Brilliant.

A couple of points - Non season ticket City fans have been as shocked about this as anyone. The many forums I use have threads condemning these prices (such as Bluemoon http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=262790 ), while also accepting the inevitability. Also, Southampton would not normally be a Cat A game, but this is the first game of the season, the first game since we won the trophy, so it's been moved up to Cat A.
It's interesting you mention Arsenal, because it leads us on to supply and demand. There will be empty seats at the Emirates next season. Reportedly, yesterday, a member of their ST waiting list who was told 12 months ago there were 28,000 ahead of him has been offered one for 2012/13. Anecdotal evidence, perhaps, but you will see a lot of empty seats, especially at midtable Prem grounds such as Sunderland, Villa etc. Frankly, some of these teams can't give their tickets away.
Arsenal and Chelsea for City last season were (ironically) £51 and £59 respectively. I'll expect us to pay less at Arsenal this season, but about the same for Chelsea. They will sell out.

Can someone give GetReal a hand to pick things up, his dummy and toys have gone everywhere.

So unbelieveably touchy. Its like Liverpool fans' persecution complex in Sky Blue.

Wahey! My number one favourite thing on the internet.

Someone writes a poorly researched article about City banding about all of the cliches you see daily in the tabloids.

City fans, pissed off with more people perpetuating the hyperbole about their team, reply with facts.

Fans of other team fail to respond with reason and the old "paranoid", "toys out of pram" routine.