The cost of watching live sports has shot up in recent years. Tickets for the top teams in the Premier League can set you back almost £100, which is just not affordable for a lot of people. It’s not just football either, most big sporting events will cost you a lot, especially if you want good seats. You can still watch on TV but the atmosphere isn’t the same and you need a subscription to Sky or BT Sport for a lot of the biggest fixtures these days.
So, does that mean you just have to miss out on watching live sports? Luckily, it doesn’t because there are plenty of ways to get cheap tickets to sporting events.
Watch Less Popular Teams
If you want to watch the top sports but on a tight budget, go for less popular teams. You can get £20 tickets for midweek games in League One or Two but if you’re looking at Premier League or Champions League, they’re far more expensive and often only available to season ticket holders. To avoid this problem, the best thing to do is look for teams that most people aren’t interested in. Don’t think of it as missing out on the top games, instead, see it as giving you a chance to go and enjoy a new club you might not get the opportunity to watch otherwise.
Of course, there are some downsides to this approach. Firstly, it’s not as glamorous as watching your favourite team live but if you’re looking to save a lot of money, then it’s the best way to go.
Try Lesser-Known Sports
Similarly, you can save money on tickets for less well-known sports. They’re not as in demand and therefore the prices are lower. This is obviously dependent on where you live, but even if it’s a different sport from what your local team is playing, you should still be able to enjoy something that costs far less than football or rugby.
This is also a great way to see some sporting events you may not have considered before. You might even find some fun ways to stay in shape that you haven’t considered before.
Pick The Right Days
One of the reasons top fixtures are so expensive is that they’re often on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. If you really want to see that game and have some extra money to spend, then it’s an option but you should also look at cheaper tickets for a different day. It might be midweek games in League One or Two that are £10, and even though they’re not as prestigious or glamorous, you can still find them and enjoy the experience.
Similarly, if it’s a home game, there’s usually an early kick-off that means you can get into the stadium without needing to spend hours in line. You can use this UK Sport Calendar to see all of the fixtures for all of the teams. Search through and filter by day of the week so you can find some midweek fixtures and get some discount tickets.
Buy Last-Minute Tickets
If you’re really looking to save as much money as possible and don’t mind if you can’t pick great seats, then it’s worth waiting until closer to the day of the match. Often, the prices come down as they try to sell them all before the day. Tickets might be restricted in terms of the seats you can get, but if you’re happy with that then it’s a great way to save money on tickets for sporting events without missing out. However, if you’re trying to get tickets for top teams in popular sports, they will sell out quickly, so don’t wait too long.
Avoid Scalpers At All Costs
The old trick of getting tickets off touts might seem like a great idea but it’s not recommended because you can easily get stung. A lot of them charge ridiculous prices and the tickets are often fake, meaning you’ll be turned away at the gate. Instead, try and pick up your ticket through the other methods above and if you can’t get tickets for a big fixture, you’ll just have to watch it at home instead.
Sometimes, you just have to accept that you’re not going to be able to afford to see certain matches because the prices are too high. But watching sports is mainly about the atmosphere, so why not check out some other teams or try other sports instead? You’ll save a lot of money and you might fall in love with a new sport at the same time.
