Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Adjei Agyapong, has called for a reduction in ticket prices for football matches in Ghana.
In an interview with Kumasi-based LUV FM, Agyapong suggested that collaborating with clubs to reduce the cost of tickets would be more beneficial in the long run.
According to Agyapong, filling a stadium like Kumasi with 50,000 people paying GHC5.00 is better than charging GHC20.00 and only having a thousand or two thousand people attend.
He highlighted that times are hard and that football fans are typically people who struggle but love the game. They have to travel and eat, and with the current high transportation fares, the cost of attending a football match becomes prohibitive for many.
Agyapong emphasized the need to look at ticket prices and to encourage fans to attend matches through a deliberate campaign. He believes that reducing the cost of tickets will not only help fans but also benefit the clubs. The more people that attend matches, the more revenue the clubs can generate through other means such as merchandise and concessions.
“I think perhaps we should work with the clubs to also reduce the cost. I think that filling the stadium like Kumasi, with 50,000 people paying Ghc5.00 is better than making it Ghc20.00 and just a thousand or two thousand people if you watch the mathematics,” said the former broadcaster.
“Times are hard, with all respect those who watch football are people who struggle but they love the game. They have to travel and now we know transport fares are high, they have to eat and so therefore the ticket prices we have to look at it, and then encourage them [fans] and let’s mount a deliberate campaign,” he emphasized.
