Almost a fiver for a pie? Our guide to the BBC’s Price Of Football findings

Some Premier League tickets are now cheaper than in the Championship, the BBC’s annual Price Of Football study has found.

The study covers 223 clubs in 13 divisions across the UK and 23 European sides – Plymouth were the only club to decline to take part.

Let’s take you through the findings.

Matchday tickets

This is the first season of the new record £5.316bn TV deal and across the top flight, 33% of ticket prices have been reduced in 2016-17, while 53% have stayed the same as last season.

The average cost of the most expensive away ticket is now £29.44, a reduction of 37% from the previous level of £46.44. This drop is mainly due to an agreement among clubs to cap prices at £30. The equivalent price in the Championship is £31.57, an increase of 5% on last year.

Overall, the average cost of the cheapest adult home matchday ticket in the Premier League has decreased by 6% to £29.15.

Along with Liverpool, Hull offer the joint-cheapest matchday ticket in the division at £9. The most expensive, £97, is at Arsenal but this price has not increased since 2014.

Supporters at both Hull and Liverpool staged protests over some ticketing issues last season but those clubs, along with Manchester City, reduced their cheapest matchday prices. Champions Leicester and promoted sides Burnley and Middlesbrough all increased theirs.

The study also compares prices to clubs across Europe and Barcelona’s dearest matchday ticket is €450.

Season tickets

At £252, Hull offer the cheapest season ticket in the Premier League and one that is less expensive than 88% of clubs in the Championship. The three most expensive are all in London – Arsenal (£2,013), Tottenham (£1,895) and Chelsea (£1,250) – although all of these are frozen from 2015.

Sutton United of the National League offer the cheapest season ticket in the top five divisions of English football at £85.

In Europe, Barcelona’s cheapest season ticket is €132. Meanwhile Paris Saint-Germain’s most expensive season ticket costs €3,000.

Newly promoted Rangers have the most expensive season ticket in the Scottish Premier League at £625, which is £66 more than Celtic and an increase of £101 on last season.

Merchandise

The average price of an adult shirt in the Premier League has risen by 30p to £49.72 with Manchester City and Manchester United charging the most at £60. Bournemouth and Burnley are the cheapest at £40.

United’s junior shirt is also the most expensive at £50.

Meanwhile, the average price of a programme in the Premier League is £3.35, down from £3.42 last year.

In Europe Standard Liege in Belgium charge €90 for an adult shirt, while shirts from Bayern Munich, Schalke, Ajax, AC Milan and Juventus are €89.95.

Refreshments

Now to the important stuff. Shockingly, pies and tea have both increased in price above the annual rate of inflation.

The average price of a pie in the Premier League is £3.49 and things are lot better over the border where they are just £2.18 in the Scottish Premier League.