To ask for your help with football match tickets

[Legwarmers]

Hi all - I would like to take my son age 12 to watch a football match - can't afford the major team tickets that he likes - but thinking of taking him to see a low key team cheap tickets preferably London or M25 area. ideally a team not known for trouble or racism as we are not white and I'm a Lone parent - so probably just me and him will go)
Thanks

Brentford is meant to have a nice atmosphere.

Sorry I meant can you recommend any teams like this that you or your family and friends have watched live. Thanks

Leyton Orient if you're near East London.

They regularly do kids tickets for £1. Adult tickets are around £20.

Great family atmosphere. I've taken my daughter alone many times.

I'll second Brentford, a friend of mine is a season ticket holder and it seems to be very family friendly. Also it's their last season in their current stadium so quite emotional too.

Have you thought about watching the 2nd team of a team he supports or their youth team?

Dulwich Hamlets are national league, and are super lefty trendy.
My friend who are Orthodox Jew go and watch Barnet a lot and have never had any bother.

I’ve been to AFC Wimbledon a few times and it was nice, but it’s a tiny ground for a increasingly successful team so tickets can be hard to get.

If you go to cup fixtures (especially EFL) it’s a cheap way to get tickets to premier league teams.

Oh and heard lots of good things about Leyton orient

It might be an idea to check the various ticket option as I don't think pricing is as logical as premier league tickets are more expensive than Championship then League 1 then League 2. Smaller teams in lower divisions without Premier League TV deals can charge astonishing prices. That said, getting hold of some Premier League tickets can be difficult if you're not a season ticket holder. Good luck.

I was going to suggest West Ham. They play in the Olympic stadium and the tickets are very reasonable indeed by Premier League standards. But - they do have a history of ‘trouble’ and there have been racist elements to their support. That said, I know they have massively been trying to encourage families so their family area may well be very different. And also every West Ham fan I actually know is throughly decent!

Otherwise, you might be surprised as to how expensive even some of the lower league teams are to get in to. Fulham FC might be a good shout - they’re doing very well at the moment and have a ‘neutral’ area. Tends to be a nice atmosphere there and certainly doesn’t have the associations with ‘trouble’ that some other London clubs have. Dulwich Hamlet is a non-league team with a cult following and strong anti racist ethos. I’ve never been but heard it’s a laugh, though it might not have that ‘big game’ feel your son may want.

In genera, there is nowhere near as much overt violence and racism as there used to be at football (speaking as someone who has been to a lot of games). All clubs have slightly unsavoury elements but the majority of fans are decent. Try and choose a game that doesn’t have too much rivalry attached, as from experience the atmosphere can be more aggressive. If you choose a game and want to know my thoughts before buying a ticket then feel free to PM me.

There is england friendlys in March that are not expensive at all if you sit in the family area. Tickets have been on sale a while now so won't be the best seats but the experience is amazing.

Not the easiest for you to get to but I've been to the Etihad several times now, most recently last Sunday for the FA Cup match. It cost £20 for me and £10 for my elderly dad. Kids are even cheaper. The fans are super-nice, stewards are brilliant and although my dad walks with crutches, everyone was patient and kind as they waited for him to go up & down the steps.

Agree with Manchester city if you can get there as above. I’ve been watching city for 15 years and saw one racist incident (someone hurling a racist word at a steward) which saw the police arrive about 45 seconds later and remove the man from the stadium.

Also Tottenham v Southampton fa Cup replay are going on sale to the public tomorrow. We got 2nd row tickets behind the goal when Tottenham played against Middlesbrough a few wks ago for £25 for 2 tickets so definetly don't write the big teams off.

Thank you all very helpful / but a minefield to navigate the team sites. Ive just registered for Tottenham but after it wouldn't let me buy tickets as there were not any available for non member - I will keep trying - and look at Leyton I think!
Thank you!

My son supports Manchester City. They have a really family friendly atmosphere.

Charlton Athletic? (London)
Cheap and easy to get tickets, great family atmosphere.

Brentford is a lovely team and atmosphere, I've been a few times both with my friend (season ticket holder) and when my team played there and had a fab time each time I've gone. Good football this season too.

Fulham are known to be a family friendly club. I’m fairly sure they have a section which isn’t segregated. I’ve been as an away fan. It’s a lovely little ground too

Charlon has always been great for family atmosphere

Watford Fans here. Always family friendly and great fun to watch

If you're trying to get tickets for Spurs etc and having no luck, it's sometimes worthwhile looking on the opposition's website and seeing if you can tickets for the away end. As long as you're going as a neutral anyway and wouldn't be cheering for the home team, it's fine to do that. I've managed to get tickets for Spurs and Arsenal matches a few times by doing that.

Fulham is a nice friendly atmosphere - I've been there a few times. Leyton Orient should be easy to see, and have a nice stadium. Brentford are moving to a brand new stadium next season, so if you fancy going to see them it might be worth holding off and visiting the new one.

Incidentally, I'd second Dulwich Hamlet as a great day out. It's £12 to get in (even less for kids), and you don't even have to buy a ticket in advance - you can just turn up. Word of warning if you do go there, though: the ground is small and it gets very, very busy, so if you want a seat in the stand (as opposed to standing on the terraces, where it can be very difficult to see the match), then I'd recommend getting there as early as possible before kick off.

Bromley is a lovely day out. And kids usually free with paying adult. New stand built last year. My DS loves going to games there

Chelsea ladies tickets are £5 for kids and £9 for adults

P.S. the bigger London clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs often have cheaper tickets at the start of the season for their pre-season friendly matches and the early rounds of the Cup competitions. Over the years I've bought relatively cheap tickets to see Spurs v Inter Milan in a friendly match, Chelsea v Bordeaux in the Champions League group stages, and Arsenal v West Brom in the Carling Cup. So if there's no immediate rush, you might find it easier (and cheaper) to hold off until July/August/September.

Is it definitely football you want to go to specifically?

If you're open to other sports, rugby often has a much friendlier, relaxed family vibe and there are loads of clubs around London with cheap tickets (often they just have pitchside standing areas as well as seated stadia).

(As the old saying goes: "Football is the gentlemen's game played by hooligans; and rugby is the hooligans' game played by gentlemen"!)

You can get tickets for the England-Italy friendly at Wembley at the end of March - £25 for adults and £10 for children in the family enclosure. You have to sign up as an England supporter first but it doesn't cost anything to do that.
www.thefa.com/account/signup