Portman Road is both the second cheapest and most expensive place to watch Championship football, according to a BBC survey released today. The survey claims that at £23 for a matchday ticket, programme, pie and cup of tea, only Watford’s Vicarage Road, at £17.30, is cheaper, while the Blues’ £59 D Block corporate seat is the most expensive in the division.
The £23 figure is made up of the cheapest adult seat at a new D Grade match level which has been introduced for this season costing £15, plus a programme at £3, an award-winning pie at £2.90 and a cup of tea at a Championship high of £2.10.
Watford’s cheapest adult matchday ticket is quoted at £10, while West Ham (£32), Doncaster (£27) and Portsmouth (£25) are at the other end of the table.
However, these figures don’t really give a particularly clear picture with Town’s more regular A, B and C ticket prices somewhat higher and the Hornets’ website indicating a minimum price of £26 for adult seats at their upcoming Championship games against Burnley and West Ham.
It appears some clubs have provided their lowest matchday prices for their lowest graded or promotional games and others more regularly used rates rendering the table somewhat meaningless.
Town’s Block D pricing has previously led to claims that the club has the fourth highest-priced season tickets in the country, but communications manager Camilla Haycock says the high price is justified by the added extras provided along with the seat, which is aimed at corporate customers: "Block D in the Cobbold Stand is an area directly opposite the directors’ box, with a similar view from the other stand.
"People in there get a free programme, more legroom, padded seats and a reserved area where they can go and get their drinks at half-time.
"99% of the people in there are corporate customers, to be honest, but when they haven't filled those seats, we put them on general sale."