The marketing of season tickets in the English Football League during a cost-of-living crisis: the importance of financial sustainability and the role of economic, social and cultural capital

ABSTRACT

English Football League (EFL) clubs rely on season ticket (ST) sales as an annual revenue source. ST sales during the cost-of-living crisis in 2022 theoretically took on more importance given clubs’ rising operating costs. Conversely, supporters may have faced a difficult choice in purchasing or renewing STs. This paper – through a Critical Realist approach – explores how the importance of financial sustainability was represented in the ST marketing deployed by EFL clubs ahead of the 2022/2023 season. The online ST-related promotional material of 71 EFL clubs was thematically analysed. Key themes consisted of economic mitigations, the importance of the supporter base, and the value promised to supporters. Retroduction uncovered a ST sales structure which unifies EFL clubs and supporters, between whom economic, social, and cultural capital are continuously exchanged. These forms of capital generate economic revenue for EFL clubs, and elevation within the supporter habitus for ST holders.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2023.2293050.

Notes

1. Evans et al., ‘Assessing the effectiveness of financial regulation in the English Football League’.

2. EFL, EFL Handbook 2023/24.

3. Maguire, ‘Covid-19 and Football’.

4. Ben Porat, ‘From community to commodity’, 454–455.

5. Charleston, ‘The English football ground’.

6. Won & Lee, ‘What influences season ticket holders’ satisfaction and renewal intention?’.

7. Tamir, ‘The natural life cycle’, 345.

8. Sandvoss, A Game of Two Halves.

9. Office for National Statistics, ‘Consumer price inflation’.

10. Hemmings, ‘Club Update’.

11. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

12. Ibid.

13. Marx, Capital.

14. Ibid., 131.

15. Lazzarato, ‘Immaterial Labour’, 132.

16. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’, 241.

17. Tucker, ‘The football club’.

18. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

19. Richardson & Fletcher, ‘Community sport development events’, 81.

20. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

21. Bourdieu, Outline of a Theory of Practice, 86.

22. Bourdieu, Distinction.

23. Bourdieu & Wacquant, An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology, 97.

24. Ibid.

25. Ibid.

26. Bourdieu, ‘Program for a Sociology of Sport’, 157.

27. Sandvoss, Two Halves.

28. Ibid.

29. Sandvoss, Two Halves; Robson, No One Likes Us.

30. Giulianotti, Football.

31. See Defrance & Pociello, ‘Structure and Evolution’.

32. Stone, ‘The Role of Football’.

33. Ben Porat, ‘From community’, 454–455.

34. Mingers et al., ‘Critical Realism’, 796.

35. Mingers, ‘The Contribution of Systemic Thought’.

36. Bhaskar, Realist Theory.

37. Ibid.

38. Sayer, Realism and Social Science.

39. Ibid.

40. Mingers, ‘Contribution of Systemic Thought’.

41. Elder-Vass, ‘Emergence and the Realist Account of Cause’.

42. Sayer, Method in Social Science.

43. Bourdieu & Wacquant, An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology.

44. Danermark et al., Explaining Society.

45. Fletcher, ‘Applying critical realism’.

46. Danermark et al., Explaining Society.

47. Braun & Clarke, ‘Using thematic analysis’.

48. Saldana, The Coding Manual.

49. Lincoln & Guba, Naturalistic Inquiry.

50. Bhaskar, Social Realism, 29.

51. Jagosh, ‘Retroductive theorizing’.

52. Hu, ‘Methodological implications’.

53. Danermark et al., Explaining Society.

54. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

55. Ibid.

56. Defrance & Pociello, ‘Structure’.

57. Accrington Stanley, ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’; Lincoln City, ‘Season Memberships’; Stoke City, ‘22/23 Season Cards’.

58. Beccarini & Ferrand, ‘Factors Affecting Soccer Club Season Ticket Holders’ Satisfaction’.

59. Lee et al., ‘Built to last’.

60. Ben Porat, ‘From Community’, 454–455.

61. Bolton Wanderers, ‘Season Tickets’.

62. Won & Lee, ‘What influences season ticket holders’.

63. Lincoln City, ‘2022/23 Season Memberships’; Oxford United, ‘2022/23 Season Ticket Renewals’; QPR, ‘2022/23 Season Tickets’.

64. Bristol Rovers, ‘2022/23 Season Tickets’; Gillingham, ‘Prices frozen’.

65. See Mainwaring & Clark, ‘We’re shit and we know we are’.

66. Burton Albion, ‘Season Tickets Prices Frozen’; Sheffield United, ‘Season Tickets’.

67. Newport County, ‘2022–23 Season Ticket’.

68. For example, Cheltenham Town, ‘History makers’.

69. See AFC Bournemouth, ‘Season Ticket Renewal’.

70. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

71. Sandvoss, Two Halves.

72. See Blackshaw, ‘Contemporary community theory’.

73. Bolton Wanderers, ‘Season Tickets’; Exeter City, ‘2022/23 Season Tickets’.

74. Bourdieu, ‘Forms’.

75. Morecambe, ‘Buy your 2022/23 Season Ticket’.

76. Ibid.

77. Plymouth Argyle, ‘2022/23 Season Tickets’; West Bromwich Albion, ‘KIDS FOR A QUID’.

78. Ben Porat, ‘From Community’.

79. Port Vale, ‘2022/23 Season Tickets’.

80. FSA, ‘Supporter Ownership’.

81. Birmingham City, ‘Blues Season Tickets’.

82. Walsall, ‘Early Bird’; Ipswich Town, ‘2022/23 Season Ticket Prices’.

83. Port Vale, ‘Season Tickets’; Rotherham United, ‘Season Tickets’.

84. See Robson, No One Likes Us.

85. Crewe Alexandra, ‘Season Tickets’.

86. Charleston, ‘The English football ground’.

87. Bolton Wanderers, 'Season Tickets'; Coventry City, ‘SEASON TICKETS’.

88. Bradford City, ‘City Announce Record League’.

89. Shrewsbury Town, ‘Make It Yours’.

90. Cheltenham Town, ‘History’.

91. Won & Lee, ‘What influences season ticket holders’.

Additional information

Funding

Separately to this project, the author has received research funding from GambleAware, an independent charity in the United Kingdom which receives voluntary donations from the gambling industry, seedcorn funding from the British Academy for conference travel, and impact funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. No funder has ever made any decisions related to the research activities or analysis undertaken by the author.