The current rising success of the English Premier League seems to be unstoppable. It is widely renowned as the most attractive league in the world, and it is without doubt the most profitable. Earnings from tv deals (the latest lasts for another 4 years), Champions League success and sponsorship deals have seen revenues increase as never before. Couple this with the new influx of ownership from mega wealthy overseas businessmen with their unlimited cash resources, and this gives an indication that any form of downturn is distinctly unlikely.

Latest attendance figures show that the fans are pouring through the turnstiles as never before and the leading clubs are selling out week after week. In fact, since Arsenal moved from their old Highbury home to the brand new Emirates Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,432, there has not been a single premiership league game for which the club have failed to sell every single ticket. Not only have they sold out for every such game, but they have achieved this without having to resort to putting tickets on sale to the general public.

All very well for the club and it’s season ticket holders and members, but not so good for the average working class Arsenal fan or foreign visitor hoping to catch a game. This may well be music to the ears of the ticket touts or scalpers (as they are known in the United States), for they are making vast sums of money. You only have to visit a couple of the ticketing agency sites to comprehend the cash these guys are pulling in. For an example, I’ve just visited an agency website and they are asking £170 for a ticket for the forthcoming Arsenal v Tottenham game. The face value for this is actually £55 which leaves them with a nice little profit of over £100 for just one ticket, and believe me that is nothing compared to when Manchester United or Chelsea are the visitors. Have a look for yourselves, you’ll be suprised.

The thing that bothers me is the fact that the young kids, who are the game’s lifeblood are not going to get a chance to see their team unless they settle for watching the game on the TV, for which they will have to pay (which is another story all together). Arsenal’s traditional grass roots support is typically tough working class north London, and these fans are being driven away to make way for what are now commonly known as Johnny come lately types

Anyway, enough of the facts and figures drivel, let’s get down to business. If you want to watch the Arsenal, then you have two or three options. Go to Arsenal.com and sign up to become a Red Member. This will set you back £30 for a season, and you will receive a membership card and a very attractive gift pack from the club as a bonus. This card will allow you the chance to buy a ticket for every single league game at the Emirates. It works like this. Platinum and Gold card members get first chance to attend the game. Then two months before the game, Sliver card holders get their pick, and finally one month before, you will get your option. Arsenal guarantee that a certain percentage are held back for Red members. Biggest problem using this method is the fact that for the big games you have to be very quick with your booking, and usually there are only the most expensive tickets left. What I tend to do is for a game against say Manchester United, then I let the game sell out. Once the game is sold out, then the club will allow season ticket holders who cannot attend, to sell their tickets on the site for face value, (it’s called ticket exchange). If you are patient, and have the time to constantly check availability, then trust me you will pick up cheap tickets for the top games. I have had tickets for both Chelsea and Manchester United at £50 a time using this method. When you book your ticket online, your card is activated, and this allows it to open the turnstile on the day of the game. If you can’t be bothered with all this, then you can just take a chance on match day and stand outside the booking office about an hour before the kick off, and hope someone has a spare to offload, although the chances of a cheap ticket for a top game this way are pretty slim. You could also try one of the pubs where the core grass roots type fans drink before the game, and hope someone can help you out, but again, unlikely for a big game. Also try joining one of the ‘old school type’ fans forums, although the users can be a suspicious tight knit crowd, once you have gained their trust and contributed good content to the forum, they will be willing to help you out.