Vincent Kompany urges Premier League clubs to lower ticket prices
The City Captain says it would help clubs prosper on and off the pitch.
Vincent Kompany would like to see Premier League clubs cut ticket prices.
The City captain has just graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the Manchester Business School and spoke to 25 top-level clubs as part of his studies.
As a result of that, the Belgian believes lowering ticket prices can help clubs prosper on and off the field.
He said: "You get better home advantage depending on the atmosphere that you can create within your facilities, and that is linked to the people who enter your stadiums.
"At what point do you decide we are actually now going to make sure that if it is a TV product, it is the best product in the world? Meaning not just the best players, but the best atmosphere in the stadium; meaning the right people in the right place.''
Kompany added that while it is an attractive option for clubs to sell out grounds to one-visit tourists for whom money is no option, it is also a matter of finding the correct balance.
"Those that live for the club are probably more attached to the club than anybody else. But those are probably not always the guys who can afford it,'' he added.
"There's a business angle to it - if you tie it to how somebody feels when they go to the stadium - 'I love this club, I want to support this club' - you make more noise. That is a proven factor in home advantage. You win more games at home - every point has a value attached. For every pound that you lower the ticket price, if you can recover it in that home advantage, you maybe won't have a loss.
"If you assume the Premier League gets bigger and you gain markets in China, India, Africa, America - because the world population is so big, you could fill the grounds with tourists.
"You can do it, and make more money. They'd just come and spend #400 a ticket, it's nothing for them because it is a once in a lifetime experience, like going to an NBA or NFL game. The question is if that affects your product, as the Premier League?
"It is a difficult decision to make unless the clubs make it together. Once they are aligned In the Premier League it is completely possible, and adds value to the league worldwide.''
Single match tickets at some Premier League grounds are as high as £95.50, with the dearest season pass being £1768.50.