Friday, February 23, 2007
Category:
Secured Loans
As the cost of going to live matches continues to grow, more than 40 per cent of football fans have cut the number of live matches they watch according to recent research from Virgin Money.
The Virgin Money Football Fans Price Index shows a 17 per cent annual rise in the in the cost of attending football matches since the start of 2006.
The trend is said to be set to continue in 2007 and one in seven supporters say they will be attending 10 less games than normal as games become less affordable to attend. The research revealed that 41 per cent of supporters across the country had cut the number of games attended throughout 2006; half of these were season ticket holders.
Those most likely to cut back are premiership supporters, with around 46 per cent admitting they attended fewer games compared to 41 per cent of Championship supporters. The survey findings show the threat rising costs of being a football fan has on the future of football.
The real cost of attending the game has risen by 17.33 per cent. The main reasons for the rising cost of attending games is mainly down to price increases for replica shirts, match tickets and food, with the cost now being £91.46 compared to £77.95 in previous years.
Virgin Money spokesman John Franklin said: ‘Football fans’ loyalty is legendary but eventually something has to give. The rising costs of following the game are starting to hit home and people are being forced to cut the number of games they go to. The FA Cup Third Round saw plenty of examples of games where there should have been bumper gates but attendances were down. The quality of football is not worse than last year – and the Cup still produced some shocks – so it has to be down to costs.
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Football fans who have relied on credit cards to fund the ever increasing costs of being a supporter, and who are looking to consolidate debts, could consider doing so with a
secured homeowner loan. Consolidating debts with a secured homeowner loan wraps multiple monthly repayments into one, and borrowers will know that exact amount and date payment will be taken each month. As well as consolidating debts, football fans who find themselves spending more time at home may choose to use a secured homeowner loan to make home improvements. One of many options to consolidate debts, or make home improvements, secured homeowner loans can be repaid over a term of 5 to 25 years. When consolidating debt with a secured homeowner loan, it is however important to remember that repaying borrowing over a longer term may increase overall interest charges.
