To think it shouldn't cost so much for kids to go and watch their favourite football team?

[ForeverTipsy]

My child is 10 and has supported a premier league football club for a few years. He'd absolutely love to go and watch a game, so I was hoping to get some for Xmas...but tickets start at around £300 each + fees and travel.

So £700 - £1000 for two people (he'll need an adult to accompany him, and the home stadium is 4hrs drive away) to watch a 90 mins match! And that's if you can get tickets...

AIBU to think it's a really sad state of affairs?

No = you're absolutely right, this is madness. Yes = this cost is totally justified. Get over it.

We're from Scotland but my eldest has took an affinity with a player that ended up at Man City about 7-8 years ago and ended up as a casual fan (asks for a kit at Christmas etc) as well as being a die-hard for our local team.

I wanted to take them to a City game for their birthday a few years ago and found that by the time I signed us up as members and bought 2 tickets it would have been around £250 - which led me to reseller sites like the one you've posted but I'm all too aware of their reputation.

After a bit more clicking around the City website I discovered they had official 'travel partners' that offered ticket and hotel packages combined. I ended up getting the 2 tickets plus a hotel for the night for under £295 direct with an official supplier, which I thought was a relative bargain! Might be worth looking to see if Liverpool have similar partners

Agreed!

You would need to:

Register as members before next season
Enter the ballot
If no success in the ballot (likely) register for Members Sales. E.g. We can register today for a chance to queue for the Boxing Day game v Leicester.

The tickets are cheap - if you are willing to pay hundreds you can just buy hospitality for the same as those resale prices.

Could you perhaps try to see if anyone you know is a member?
DS is a junior member of our local first league team (we are abroad, so no premier league). He's a member of the rugby section but would still be able to get preference tickets for the football team's matches at a reduced rate. (He's not into football, though...although I'm sure his grandad would love to take him. The team offer loads of different sports at amateur level but signing up for one of them gives you access to all of the benefits for the football team.)

I've also just been reading Facebook comments under an ad for the membership saying that it's a waste of money and some people still never get tickets :-( Seems you have to be really "on the ball" and be on other sites/Facebook groups to try and get face-value priced tickets nearer the date.

Yes, I suspect you might be wasting your money.
Being a member does NOT guarantee tickets, and then when you add in the distance you'd have to travel and the fact someone would have to take him, and presumably you couldn't make a midweek game, and the fact it isn't a system you are familiar with and would necessarily be right on the ball with, the odds are it is going to be difficult to go this way.

Huge huge thank you to @SouthLondonMum22 - we have just booked Liverpool Legends tickets for ds's 11th birthday in a couple of weeks and cannot wait to see his face!! Adults were only £29 and children £9, so £76 for a family of four - amazing!! DH is very excited to as a lifelong Liverpool fan who has never been at a game at Anfield! Thank you thank you!

That sounds far more reasonable op.

I've been to many premier league games and even recently they aren't more than £50 though admittedly up in the gods! I mostly have bought someone else's season ticket for one match as they couldn't go.