Shrewsbury Town 'near top of league for cost'

Shrewsbury Town is among the top five most expensive clubs to watch in League Two and charges more than some top-flight teams, according to a new survey by the BBC.

The team, which plays in the basement division in the Football League, came fifth bottom out of the 24 clubs in their division for the cheapest day out. Clubs were asked to give details of their cheapest and most expensive matchday adult tickets,

They were also asked for the prices for a cup of tea, a programme, and a pie to work out the price of enjoying a day at the football for fans without season tickets.

The cost of a ticket to a match at the Greenhous Meadow stadium varied between £17 and £22, compared to the least expensive club Rotherham United, where fans can see a match for £10 and the highest-priced ticket is £18.

Shrewsbury fans also have to fork out when it comes to food and drink at games,with pies costing £3 and a cup of tea £1.50.

Meanwhile, as with the majority of clubs in the league, any fans who want to buy a programme have to pay £3.

Only three teams, Hereford, Macclesfield and Rotherham, had lower prices for programmes, at £2.50 each.

When the figures were added up, the survey suggested that the cheapest day out at the Greenhous Meadow cost £24.60.

This put Shrewsbury fifth highest in terms of cost in League Two, behind only Southend, Gillingham, Swindon and Bradford.

The latter club had the most expensive day out, with fans having to pay out £27.80 on average.

Rotherham United offered the cheapest prices to see a match, with the cost of a ticket, programme, pie and cup of tea available for £16.30.

The cost of going to a Shrewsbury Town game for a non-season ticketholder is actually more expensive than attending some Premier League matches, with Wigan and Blackburn offering a day out at a match for £21.60 and £17.50 respectively.

Wolves is among the cheapest clubs to watch in the top flight with the survey stating it is possible to go to a game and spend £28.

The survey comes ahead of the start of the Football League season this weekend, which attracted more than 16 million fans to games across its three divisions last season.

No one from Shrewsbury Town was available for comment on the figures.

Prices at some of the region's football clubs:

• Shrewsbury Town: Cheapest ticket – £17, Most expensive – £22, Programme – £3, Pie – £3, Cup of tea – £1.60, Cheapest day out – £24.60
• Wolves: Cheapest ticket – £20, Most expensive – £40, Programme – £3, Pie – £2.90, Cup of tea – £2.10, Cheapest day out – £28
• West Brom: Cheapest ticket – £25, Most expensive – £42, Programme – £2.90, Pie – £2.95, Cup of tea – £2.20, Cheapest day out – £33.10
• Stoke: Cheapest ticket – £25, Most expensive – £45, Programme – £3, Pie – £2.60, Cup of tea – £1.70, Cheapest day out – £32.30

And the big boys:

• Manchester United: Cheapest ticket – £28, Most expensive – £55, Programme – £3, Pie – £2.60, Cup of tea – £2, Cheapest day out – £35.60
• Arsenal: Cheapest ticket – £35, Most expensive – £100, Programme – £3, Pie – £4, Cup of tea – £2, Cheapest day out – £44
• Liverpool: Cheapest ticket – £39, Most expensive – £48, Programme – £3, Pie – £2.95, Cup of tea – £2, Cheapest day out – £46.95

By Chris Burn