Expert tips for buying football tickets

Getting hold of tickets for a Premier League or Football League game can be a tricky task. The popularity of the English game means that demand is sky high and prices are constantly rising. But fear not, if you are a ground hopper or simply a neutral wishing to take in a game, there are a few little tricks you can deploy to help you get hold of the best tickets at the best prices:

Understand the system

A lot of big clubs now operate a membership scheme, that gives subscribers priority ticket windows for home. When it comes to tickets for away games, clubs tend to give season ticket holders the first chance to make a purchase or use an 'Away Season Ticket' system to give regular travelling fans priority. You will also find that the process of making your purchase varies from club to club. In many cases, you will not receive a paper ticket for a game. Instead, you will be sent a QR code to scan when you reach the stadium entrance.

Simply put, all football clubs have their own unique method for selling tickets. Because of this, it is important to make sure you check out the club's website to get a clear understanding of the specific ticketing process before you attempt to make a purchase.

Sold out games may not be entirely sold out

Even season ticket holders can't attend every single game. A lot of clubs now operate a ticket exchange system. This allows season ticket holders unable to attend certain games to resell their seats to other fans. So even if a game appears to be a complete sell out, it is still worth visiting the club's website to see if any exchange tickets are available.

Buy in advance to save money

Whilst the majority of Premier League games sell out in advance, you can usually turn up to lower league games and just pay at the gate. However, it is often prudent to make your purchase in advance regardless of how popular the game is likely to be. Many clubs offer advanced purchase discounts or even special deals (for example BOGOFs or Kids for a Quid) for people who buy their tickets before the day of the game. Of course, you do need to factor in any booking or delivery fees when weighing up the benefit of buying in advance, but in most instances, you can still make a small saving.

Check out cup games

While the latter stages of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup are hugely popular with fans, the same cannot always be said for the earlier rounds. Big clubs often struggle to sell tickets for home cup games against Football League opposition, meaning it is often easy to pick up tickets, even if you are not a regular match goer.

If you are planning on going to a lower league ground, the Bristol Street Motors Trophy (formerly the Johnstone's Paint Trophy) is an option. These games usually have very low attendances, meaning you can often get tickets at heavily discounted prices and have an excellent choice of where to sit.

Book early to get the best view

Talking of where to sit, another benefit of buying your ticket early is that it gives you prime choice of exactly whereabouts in the stadium you will be located. If you like to soak up the best atmosphere in the stadium, you can opt for a behind the goal seat. If you want the best view, you can choose to sit high above the halfway line. And if seat access is a primary concern, you can pick a spot next to an aisle, thus allowing you to easily move to and from your seat.

Only buy from trusted sources

Last but not least, it is essential that you only ever buy your football tickets from trusted sources. If you fail to do this, you could end up compromising your financial and personal data, and in some instances, you may even end up with invalid tickets. Never pick up tickets from touts, and only ever use legitimate ticket sites if you are not purchasing directly from the club. The good news is that there ARE some excellent sports ticket sales sites out there (check out here for a great example), which can often save you money compared to buying directly from clubs.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are a lot of factors to weigh up when buying football tickets, and there are a lot of different ways to get hold of those tickets. The bottom line is that by planning in advance, sticking to legitimate sources and knowing how clubs sell their tickets, you can shop around to find the best tickets and get the best prices. Good luck!