UK Premier League ticket experiences?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have experience with getting one-off tickets for Premier League while not living in the UK? Any tips you can share?

Background - we will be in England to visit friends (who are absolutely not into football, so couldn’t answer any of my questions) in about six months.

I would love to take my DS to a game while there. I saw there’s a game scheduled during one of the weekends we are there.
I went to the team website, which says tickets have sold out and will have a lottery for newly released tickets in a couple of months.

I would appreciate any insights from those who have been able to do a similar thing.

[Anonymous]

We've used Stubhub in the past for Man U, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Way way way overpriced but it was poor planning on our part. However, did you actually click the "buy now" button? We've found in the past that games that say they are sold out or that say applications for the game will open on XX date actually have tickets available when you click "buy now". I think they must be resale because they are expensive, but less so than stubhub.

[Anonymous]

We’ve used Groundhopper and they’ve been great.

[Anonymous]

We bought directly from Fulham. They’re not as popular as some of the other clubs so it was easy. The stadium is small and sits right on the river so it is a nice experience.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the PP, Craven Cottage is a great atmosphere and experience.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. Will try those purchase options and check out Fulham’s schedule.

[Anonymous]

Just a heads up the schedule posted now changes 1-2 months out. Right now the schedule probably shows every game being at same time on Saturday. They move those games to different times and days approximately 2 months out for TV. They only have thru September set now. The games could get switched from Sat to Friday, Sunday, or Monday. Plus if they have a UEFA league or domestic cup game or replay that could also move the game.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this tip!

[Anonymous]

Not to hijack, but how about Spain?
We're heading to Barcelona this winter and would love to catch a game.

[Anonymous]

Took my brother to see a Tottenham home game last April. Read some forums that warned against the Stubhubs over in Europe - some people have had problems buying tickets that weren't real (ie, not verified by the PL, so wasn't able to get past gate security). I think it's a minor problem, but point is - the secondary sales market over there isn't as regulated as it is here, so slightly more risk.

I ended up buying through the club, which required me to buy the annual pass for the club (about 100 USD). The tickets, which were AWESOME - maybe 12 rows up in the corner above the goal - was shockingly affordable - 70 USD. So, whole experience cost me 170 USD, which is lower than what some people on Stubhub were asking.

I would pick a club, check out what their site says, and then I would also check local US-based fan clubs for resources, experiences.

[Anonymous]

You're already getting good tips here, OP. I agree with others that it's worth checking matches for other teams while you are in the UK. Particularly if you are in London, where there are so many PL teams. In addition to the obvious ones (Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs), look at Fulham, Brentford, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Luton Town (not actually in London, but very close). And there are lots of other teams within easy traveling distance of London as well.

If you are committed to seeing a particular match and you can't buy tickets on the club website, check to see whether there are any hospitality packages available. They cost more than regular seat tickets, but they are often much easier to purchase. We've done this before at Manchester City, and have friends who have done it at Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester (no longer in the PL now, though), and Nottingham Forest in recent years. Everyone I know has had good experiences.

You can also sign up for the team's supporters' club. It costs a small fee ($30 or so?), but gives you better access to ticket sales directly from the club. You'll also get some goodies from the club that your DS might like. We are members of the Manchester City supporters' club - we joined to get preferred access to ticket sales - and we've received nice scarves, water bottles, pins, and posters from the club.

Good luck finding tickets for a game!

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for these great ideas. I will look into them.

[Anonymous]

I just bought Arsenal tickets from livefootballtickets.com (a ticket reseller). They seemed reputable and offered a guarantee for any problems. I didn't have any issues. However it was quite expensive. Ticket face value was 37 GBP but I paid 124 GBP per ticket in the end (95 + 29 in fees).

[Anonymous]

Most of the clubs, including Arsenal, have reselling systems where season ticket holders sell to other members. Basic membership is like £15 for many teams, so you get that and you can buy off the club website from others who don't need their tickets. Much better than the touts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just bought Arsenal tickets from livefootballtickets.com (a ticket reseller). They seemed reputable and offered a guarantee for any problems. I didn't have any issues. However it was quite expensive. Ticket face value was 37 GBP but I paid 124 GBP per ticket in the end (95 + 29 in fees).

We just used them as well and so far so good, very responsive. I had been looking at tix there already when I saw your post. Thanks!

We are seeing Chelsea at West Ham and wanted Away Section tickets - which we were able to find here. Fingers crossed!