The Price we Have to Pay

FC Isle of Man has defended its ticket pricing for this season, saying the club simply can’t afford to have them any lower.

There has been criticism online over the increase in prices and the removal of discounts for official supporters for the 2022/23 season.

In a statement, the club’s board that while last season was a great success on the pitch, with promotion and cup glory secured, the club also posted a loss of £9,000.

This was despite a turnover of more than £360,000 from sponsors and ticket sales and had to be covered by reserves in the bank.

However the board said: ‘When planning a budget for 2022/23 we certainly did not wish to be in the same position come June 2023. We also knew much of our main expenditure (travel) would be rising even further whilst also factoring in the likely price rises that we can now see coming into play.

‘Ahead of the 2022/23 season we have been able to reduce some expenditure and bring in some additional monies through sponsors while also putting plans in place to bring more money into the club over the months ahead.

‘While we are fortunate to have incredibly supportive sponsors, matchday gate receipts have always been, and will continue to be, a cornerstone revenue source for the club – representing 40% of budgeted income. So, following a comprehensive review of ticket purchasing information from 2021/22 AND modelling a variety of pricing options alongside attendance predictions it was clear the club’s finances would be in a critical position before the end of the 2022/23 season if we did not act on ticket prices.’

This Season

Prices for this season are £10 for an adult ticket, up from £9.50, with £5 concessions for others such as pensioners, children and students. A limited number of season tickets were also available for the first time, representing a 15% discount over the season.

Of that money, FC Isle of Man said that 80% of a match ticket covers travel costs for FC Isle of Man, opposition teams and match officials, 15% covers match day operations and just 5% covers club goings on.

The board said: ‘The stark reality, for these outcomes to happen, is we will need to generate at least £400,000, not only to cover our costs for the 2022/23 season but also to deliver our wider plans from 2023/24 onwards (e.g., entry into The FA Cup and FA Youth Cup amongst other things).

‘Around 80% of these costs relate to off-island travel and accommodation for us (when playing off-island) and the visiting team & match officials (when playing at home) – a level of expenditure that other clubs in our league, and the leagues above, simply do not have.

‘This is both the “price we have to pay” and a price we believe is worth paying to provide opportunities for our community through football. One example to this point would be the significant boost to the Manx economy from our opponents and their supporters visiting for a minimum one night’s stay over the tourist ‘low season’ that would otherwise not happen.’

It added that the club will need to generate at least £400,000 for this season and for plans for future coming season such as entering the FA Cup and FA Youth Cup.

You can read the full statement here.