The Relative cost of Football. 1971 - 2011

[Newcastlehibby]

Can any of the more mature among you remember what it cost for an adult to get into Easter Road in 1971 (before decimalisation). 7 shillings and sixpence is in my memory (thats 37.5p for you younger ones) for the terracing. Can't remember what the enclosure or stand cost then. What I do remember was that, even though I was on a basic starting salary, watching Hibs was affordable. I want to do a comparison between increases in wages and the cost of supporting our team then and now.

[c31]

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Can any of the more mature among you remember what it cost for an adult to get into Easter Road in 1971 (before decimalisation). 7 shillings and sixpence is in my memory (thats 40p for you younger ones) for the terracing. Can't remember what the enclosure or stand cost then. What I do remember was that, even though I was on a basic starting salary, watching Hibs was affordable. I want to do a comparison between increases in wages and the cost of supporting our team then and now.

I remember in about 1967 it was 4 bob (20p) for adults and 2 bob (10p) for kids, if us kids got a lift over we could get 10 sovereign, box matches & a bag of chips with what we saved.

Or maybe my mind is playing tricks……

[Golden Bear]

A bit of useless information but I think the match programmes cost about 6 pence in old money.

[fatbloke]

1972 cup final v Celtic cost me 20p as a juvenile. Wasnae worth it:(

[Sylar]

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Can any of the more mature among you remember what it cost for an adult to get into Easter Road in 1971 (before decimalisation). 7 shillings and sixpence is in my memory (thats 40p for you younger ones) for the terracing. Can't remember what the enclosure or stand cost then. What I do remember was that, even though I was on a basic starting salary, watching Hibs was affordable. I want to do a comparison between increases in wages and the cost of supporting our team then and now.

Pretty sure there's a good research project in that, looking at the wholesale rise in pricing across the board in football, compared to investment in the sport, TV influence and relative wage increases, and how it has now reached an unsustainable point!

[Andy74]

Probably in line with the cinema and the theatre and well behind the rugby I'd bet!

[Newcastlehibby]

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I remember in about 1967 it was 4 bob (20p) for adults and 2 bob (10p) for kids, if us kids got a lift over we could get 10 sovereign, box matches & a bag of chips with what we saved.

Or maybe my mind is playing tricks……

Sounds about right to me. Getting a lift over made the game very affordable! I started to get a bit big shortly after then but there was always one hardy soul who would give it a try.

[Hillsidehibby]

1969-70 it was 2 shillings for first team games and a shilling for reserve games in the boys gate.

I remember the old turnstyles and I was wee enough to crawl under.

[WindyMiller]

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Sounds about right to me. Getting a lift over made the game very affordable! I started to get a bit big shortly after then but there was always one hardy soul who would give it a try.

[Newcastlehibby]

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I had no idea anyone had a picture of me

[Keith_M]

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Can any of the more mature among you remember what it cost for an adult to get into Easter Road in 1971 (before decimalisation). 7 shillings and sixpence is in my memory (thats 37.5p for you younger ones) for the terracing. Can't remember what the enclosure or stand cost then. What I do remember was that, even though I was on a basic starting salary, watching Hibs was affordable. I want to do a comparison between increases in wages and the cost of supporting our team then and now.

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Pretty sure there's a good research project in that, looking at the wholesale rise in pricing across the board in football, compared to investment in the sport, TV influence and relative wage increases, and how it has now reached an unsustainable point!

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Probably in line with the cinema and the theatre and well behind the rugby I'd bet!

FWIW, if it WAS 37.7p, that's equivalent to £4.18 today. So in real terms, the cost of attending a game (minimum price) is roughly five times what it was then.

Andy, any stats on cinema and theatre price comparisons? Dunno about the theatre but I'd be surprised in if the cinema is six times what it was 40 years ago.



Source

[marinello59]

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FWIW, if it WAS 37.7p, that's equivalent to £4.18 today. So in real terms, the cost of attending a game (minimum price) is roughly six times what it was then.

Andy, any stats on cinema and theatre price comparisons? Dunno about the theatre but I'd be surprised in if the cinema is six times what it was 40 years ago.

The players are probably paid more than six times what they were then in real terms. Yet fans still demand we 'pay whatever it takes' to get certain players. The worlds gone mad, I better stop before I go off on a full blown middle aged rant.

[MM19]

When I started going in 1966 it was 5 shillings adult and 2/6 kids for the terracing.

[sesoim]

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The players are probably paid more than six times what they were then in real terms. Yet fans still demand we 'pay whatever it takes' to get certain players. The worlds gone mad, I better stop before I go off on a full blown middle aged rant.

I don't think the fans moaning about prices (me included) are the same ones who expect big money signings. Hopefully the UEFA restrictions on how much teams can spend compared to their turnover will start to get a bit of normality back into football. Frankly, if Hibs do get their debt down to zero, that has to be the time for them to seriously look at cutting prices so they can get more fans back. Whatever we lose in ticket prices could be made up for by bigger crowds, more sponsorship, a better atmosphere and, hopefully, a better chance of winning as a result.

[Newcastlehibby]

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FWIW, if it WAS 37.7p, that's equivalent to £4.18 today. So in real terms, the cost of attending a game (minimum price) is roughly five times what it was then.

Andy, any stats on cinema and theatre price comparisons? Dunno about the theatre but I'd be surprised in if the cinema is six times what it was 40 years ago.



Source

That is just based on the RPI. I have looked at what I earned that year in my first full time job as a civil servant. My starting pay was £525 a year as a clerical officer. The same grade now starts on £15225 which is exactly 29 times what I started on. 29 x 37.5 = £10.87.5p. I doubt many would mind paying that (I did get to watch Stein, Cormack etc and the Tornadoes of course). If players were earning 29 x their earnings from then, they would still be earning far more than most of us ever will. Of course, it is all seated now and a seat in the stand cost more so maybe £15 would be a more realistic comparison. It is a pretty simplistic way of working things out but it tends to indicate that the fans (everywhere) are being screwed and the players, in general, paid far too much.

[iwasthere1972]

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Can any of the more mature among you remember what it cost for an adult to get into Easter Road in 1971 (before decimalisation). 7 shillings and sixpence is in my memory (thats 37.5p for you younger ones) for the terracing. Can't remember what the enclosure or stand cost then. What I do remember was that, even though I was on a basic starting salary, watching Hibs was affordable. I want to do a comparison between increases in wages and the cost of supporting our team then and now.

In 1973 I could up pub with £1 which would buy me 8 pints of lager and I would still have enough change to get a bag of chips on the way home. I think I was earning about £12 a week at the time.

[iwasthere1972]

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A bit of useless information but I think the match programmes cost about 6 pence in old money.

I've got a match prog from March 68 (v Stirling Albion) which cost 6d.

[James70]

Not Hibs but check out these prices!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatcher/2284010382/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatcher/2283219535/

All from around 1967-68 approx.

[The_Todd]

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Not Hibs but check out these prices!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatcher/2284010382/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatcher/2283219535/

All from around 1967-68 approx.

I'm too young to understand. 1/6? 1/6 what? Is it a fraction?

Pre metric fowk ken whits goan oan!

[iwasthere1972]

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I'm too young to understand. 1/6? 1/6 what? Is it a fraction?

Pre metric fowk ken whits goan oan!

7 and a half pence. Bang on in the middle of 5p and 10p.

[James70]

Another sign of how times have changed-the ticket for the Arsenal match was for a live transmission in black and white on to giant screens at Old Trafford. Much better than watching on Sky nowadays!

[iwasthere1972]

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Another sign of how times have changed-the ticket for the Arsenal match was for a live transmission in black and white on to giant screens at Old Trafford. Much better than watching on Sky nowadays!

Aye but I couldn't help noticing that they had strange kick off times. 3pm on a Saturday and 7.30pm on a Wednesday. Weird.

[BoltonHibee]

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Aye but I couldn't help noticing that they had strange kick off times. 3pm on a Saturday and 7.30pm on a Wednesday. Weird.

Those ko times never really caught on

[Hibercelona]

The price has gone up by about 500-600%.

[tamig]

When I started going on my own in 79 it was 60p for a juvenile. A few years later when I started drinking, a pint cost 58p and I think the price then was about £1.30 for an adult in the old terracing. So if in the early 80s we say a pint was around half the price of the cheapest adult admission price it kind of shows how football prices have spiralled way out of line with every day items.

[Sas_The_Hibby]

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When I started going on my own in 79 it was 60p for a juvenile. A few years later when I started drinking, a pint cost 58p and I think the price then was about £1.30 for an adult in the old terracing. So if in the early 80s we say a pint was around half the price of the cheapest adult admission price it kind of shows how football prices have spiralled way out of line with every day items.

And is the product better? Not in my opinion.

[connerg]

In 1985/86 season it was £2 for a child in the East. Still got my ticket from the 1985 League Cup semi-final, second leg at ibrox, £4.75.
We went through to the final, 2-1 on aggregate. Cowan and Chisolm for us at ER, Cooper for them at ibrox.

[tamig]

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And is the product better? Not in my opinion.

It was Tennents Special at the time. So yes, I'd say the beer is far better now

[Spudster]

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The price has gone up by about 500-600%.

I'd imagine the running costs of the club have up more in that time.

[Hibercelona]

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I'd imagine the running costs of the club have up more in that time.

Well when you have regular men on 5k a week + bonuses..... running a club would be rather expensive don't you think?