Ipswich Town’s Clash With Liverpool Sees the Biggest Ticket Mark-Up on Resale Websites Ahead of the Premier League’s Opening Home Fixtures

Taking into account average home ticket, Sportscasting have compared the mark-ups on ticket resale websites for each clubs’ opening home fixtures to see where the largest disparity lies.

Ipswich Town’s return to the top-flight is marked by a tough opening few weeks, and demand for tickets for an occasion that has been 22 years in the waiting at Portman Road is high.  

Those unfortunate enough to miss out on face value tickets for their opener against Liverpool will be forced to pay the highest mark-up across third-party resale websites.

• Ipswich vs Liverpool has the biggest mark-up on resale websites at £164 above average face value
• Fulham fans protested against rising ticket costs last season, but re-sellers have listed tickets vs Leicester for as little as £7 above face value

Highest Mark-Up on Ticket Resale Websites For Opening Premier League Home Games

Taking the average cost of a home matchday ticket – and accounting for the category of match should clubs utilise this system – we have scoured third-party resale websites to find the highest mark-ups.

NOTE: These are for the first home game for each respective club. Ticket prices can vary between matches depending on category tier systems.

Ipswich vs Liverpool is the Most Expensive Opening Home Fixture This Season on Resale Sites

Ipswich will be on hosting duties for the first Saturday early kick-off slot this season, and it appears the fixture is in high demand with the cheapest ticket on comparison website SeatPick listed at £202.

In line with the club’s fixture categorisation – which puts this match under the ‘A’ section – the average ticket will set back fans around £38.

Just why this fixture is so expensive on resale websites is unclear – perhaps it is the 22-year hiatus from top-flight football that has fans paying over the odds.

It is closely followed by Chelsea vs Manchester City; a fixture that is already fairly expensive for face value buyers at around £68. The intrigue for this heavyweight clash remains, even if the hosts have fallen by the wayside in recent years.

Arsenal’s opening game of the new season against Wolves sees a mark-up of over £120, and Gunners fans will attest to the difficulty of getting tickets at the Emirates . This has fuelled the third-party market for Arsenal tickets, with prices consistently reflecting £100-plus mark-ups on SeatPick listings.

Manchester City and Fulham Among Teams With Lowest Mark-Ups

Fulham fans made headlines on more than occasion last season, after staging protests over rising ticket costs – an 18% hike on season tickets to be exact.

The average home ticket costs around £45, and fortunately for those eager to see the Cottagers in the flesh, resale listings for their opening home game against Leicester come as cheap as £52.

Elsewhere, the well-documented ease of getting tickets to see champions Manchester City is seemingly backed-up by the fact the cheapest tickets on re-seller websites are sitting at just over £60.