Arsenal may have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons with their recent home clash with Chelsea, setting the cash tills ringing with the cheapest match tickets coming in at a pocket-money busting £62.
A hefty price to pay for even the most committed fans, but even £62 seems a snip compared to some of the fortune paid at other sporting occasions in recent years. Here are what some of the most in-demand matches could cost you.
5. 2012 Wimbledon Final, £5,500
While tennis in the UK may have something of an elitist reputation, the surging ticket prices for the showpiece Wimbledon final did nothing to alter that perception.
Andy Murray making the final provided a sharp spike in demand from tennis fans, with secondary ticket websites seeing tickets changing hands for more than £5,000 to see the Brit take on Roger Federer, who eventually broke home hearts and reduced Murray to tears. Murray had his revenge at the Olympics, though.
4. Aresenal League Matches, £100
It may be nearly a decade since they last lifted the Premier League title, but Arsenal still top the table when it comes to standard ticket prices. With a swanky new stadium in London to fill, complete with padded seats and all mod cons, the prices for regular tickets have been set somewhat high, not that they are short of people willing to pay.
But with non-hospitality seats reaching as high as £100, they are wallet-busting prices for ‘regular’ fans. Still, match tickets for in-demand teams like Arsenal still make great gifts for men or women with a real passion for their team. Or you could try a stadium tour if you want to treat someone to a unique look around this pricey sporting arena for a fraction of the cost.
3. 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony, £2,012
The "cleverly" priced category AA hospitality tickets for the spectacular opening ceremony were priced at a marketing friendly £2,012, but that didn’t help them sell-out too far in advance of the £27 million Danny Boyle-led showpiece.
Perhaps a bargain compared to Super Bowl tickets but considering it didn’t actually include any live sports action, still a little pricey. The show was certainly one to remember however.
2. Super Bowl XLV, $9,000
One of the biggest sporting moneymakers not only in the USA but anywhere on the planet, with ticket prices on both the primary and secondary markets often reaching almost sickening levels.
In 2011, seats in the prestigious 100 Section sold out three months in advance at $9,000 each. That pales in comparison to the $16,480 paid by one fan on the NFL Ticket Exchange for the 2012 final. Of course if you just want to sample the atmosphere outside the ground then you could always pick up a tailgating ticket for the car park party – a snip at $1,500.
1. New York Yankees Legends Suites, $2,500 Per Game
After splashing out $1.5 billion on their new Yankee Stadium in 2009, the world’s most famous baseball side have to recoup the funds somewhere.
The Legends Suites are composed of 122 front-row seats in the best spots in the stadium and also allow access to a private club and a personal food and drink service straight to the seat. If you think $2,500 doesn’t sound too bad for a special occasion, then you’ll have to stretch even further as the seats have to be leased for a minimum of three years, at an eye-watering $600,000.
