What to Watch

I have been looking at which major sports in the UK present the best value for money based on the length of the event and general entertainment. This is for matches at national level apart from Golf, Tennis and F1. Sadly, I have not (yet) attended all of these events but I have a general idea of all of them. Finding average ticket prices is tricky, too, because there is a huge variation, so some of these are approximations.

So let’s start with the most popular sport – Football.

Average ticket price (across all national leagues): £34
Length of event: 2 hours
There is sometimes half time entertainment and of course many people like to buy a drink or a pie. On the whole it can be an exciting event, as long as you’re not sat next to someone disgustingly rude.
Rating: 7/10

Rugby Union

Average ticket price: £35
Length of event: 2 hours
Considering there’s only 80 minutes of play I’d have though Rugby Union might have been cheaper than football, but it seems not, at least currently. Again this can be a good event, but perhaps more of a one off.
Rating: 6/10

Rugby League

Average ticket price: £16
Length of event: 2 hours
Noticeably cheaper, probably because it is less popular than Union, and if you can get past the many rules, generally good value for money.
Rating: 8/10

Tennis (Wimbledon)
Average ticket price: £20 (ground admission) / £100 (centre court) – this very much depends which day you go.
Length of event: Well it’s up to you when you leave, matches last anywhere from an hour to three, or even more.
As a day out this is probably on many people’s wish list (if you like tennis), and a gripping match on centre court would be well worth the money, and for the chance to wander around and watch some of the smaller matches the ground admission fee seems fair to me.
Rating: 8/10

Golf (the Open)
Average ticket price: £20-£60 (depending on which day you go)
Length of event: All day
As with Wimbledon this could be a top day out, although not the most frenetic or dynamic of sports there is the chance to see some impressive skill. However, to me it still makes more sense to watch on TV, where you can see more.
Rating: 6/10

Cricket (Twenty20)
Average ticket price: £18
Length of event: 3 hours
An event that has been ramped up a lot by teams in the past few years, with lots of excitement on and off the pitch. This is a fast paced, exciting form of the old game and on a summer’s evening can be great fun for everyone.
Rating: 10/10

Cricket (50over and Championship)
Average ticket price: £15
Length of event: 6+ hours
Although it may not be appealing to many, the length of a traditional cricket match makes it excellent value for money. There’s less razzmatazz than shorter sporting events but tension is built and often leads to dramatic moments and conclusions.
Rating: 9/10

Ice Hockey

Average ticket price: £16
Length of event: 2.5 hours
With fast action on the ice, the music, the dancers, interval entertainment and possibility of a punch-up any moment, Ice Hockey is a great all round package. Enjoyed but a huge variety of people this is a fantastic event with a lively atmosphere and plenty of fun, and excellent value for money.
Rating: 10/10

Formula 1
Average ticket price: £250
Length of event: 2+ hours
Now this might be a fun day out, and on race day there’s plenty of tension, and there’s the after race party, but compared to what you can see on TV (where the cameras can pick up all the action) and for that price, this does not seem like good value to me!
3/10