Prices for top-flight Premier League clubs have risen by nearly 800 percent since 1990. For some fans the price increases are too much and a campaign was launched in January 2025 under the tag #StopExploitingLoyalty.
So what does it truly cost to be a die-hard Premier League fan?
The company Betsson has analysed ticket prices, travel expenses and merchandise costs to calculate the annual financial commitment of loyal fans – ultimately revealing the priciest and cheapest clubs to follow.
This reveals that Newcastle United is the most expensive club to support with superfans spending a significant £7,455 each year. However, costs also need to be assessed relative to income. Under this measure, Bournemouth fans would need to spend 27 percent of their annual salary to support their club, followed by Newcastle United supporters, who spend 23 percent of their income.
In contrast, both Crystal Palace and Brentford are the most affordable clubs, with fans spending up to £4,100 a year – only using up around 10 percent of their annual pay.
The Premier League clubs, ranked from most expensive to cheapest, are outlines below. The measure assessed:
• Away game travel cost
• Average season ticket price
• Ticket and typical travel costs
• Home shirt cost
• Full kit cost
• Average merchandise cost
The ranking is:
- Newcastle Utd
- Bournemouth
- Manchester City
- Manchester Utd
- Liverpool
- Southampton
- Everton
- Wolves
- Fulham
- Aston Villa
- Brighton
- Tottenham
- Arsenal
- Ipswich Town
- West Ham
- Leicester City
- Chelsea
- Nottingham Forest
- Crystal Palace
- Brentford
The price of being a ‘super fan’
The reason why Newcastle United is the most expensive Premier League club is due to a yearly cost of £7,455.35. The Magpies face the highest total annual ticket costs plus travel to away games of all clubs (£6,923) and the highest away game travel costs (£5,440), largely due to the club’s northern location often requiring extensive travel to away matches.
AFC Bournemouth is the second most expensive club for superfans, with a yearly cost of £6,704.94. If a superfan were to purchase merchandise once a season, they’d spend an average of £61.94, the highest of all clubs. Fans of The Cherries also have the third highest away game travel costs of all clubs (£4,734), largely due to the club’s southern location, which means long-distance travel for nearly every away match.
Manchester City is the third most expensive club to support, with an average yearly cost of £6,037.24. They also have the third-highest combined annual costs for match tickets and away game travel (£5,539). Superfans spend an average of £61.64 on merchandise annually – the second highest in the league, just £0.30 less than Bournemouth, which ranks first.
Rival club, Manchester United, ranks fourth most expensive to support, with a yearly cost of £6,005.07. They have the most expensive home shirts (£110) and full kits (£175) in the Premier League, reinforcing their reputation as a premium brand in football.
Brentford is the most affordable Premier League club for superfans, with a yearly cost of £4,128.53. They are the cheapest club to follow to away games, with total ticket costs plus travel to away games per year totalling £3,684.50. This reflects the club’s London location, which reduces travel costs for many away matches throughout the season.
Local cost of living
When average salaries in each area are considered, Bournemouth fans have to sacrifice the highest percentage of their salary (27 percent) to afford the annual cost, and they would have to work the longest to afford it (456 hours/19 days). Newcastle is in second place; though their annual cost is the highest, their fans would need to spend almost a quarter (24 percent) of their income (£31,126.08) and would need to work approximately 410 hours (17 days) to afford it.
London clubs like Tottenham, Arsenal, and Chelsea are generally more affordable, costing just 11-13 percent of their salary, largely thanks to London’s average income (£39,030.96).
