OPINION: Going to a game is a lifestyle choice not an obligation and fans shouldn't be punished in the pocket for their loyalty

It probably shouldn’t amaze me, but I will certainly never accept the lack of understanding as to why some clubs don’t take a number of fans deemed to be ‘acceptable.’

Promotion-chasing Stevenage took just 279 fans to Bradford the other Saturday for their big promotion clash, drawing the ire of a few ‘online experts’.

The reality is that Stevenage, historically at least, are no different than many current National League sides and are never going to sell-out away ends.

An away ticket at Bradford right now is £28-£30, fairly standard for League One these days which says a lot in itself, while it’s a 380 mile and eight hour round trip.

This isn't of course a critique of Stevenage fans and their club, or the price of tickets at Valley Parade. It’s very much a sign of the times and where society and football now finds itself.

Watching a game of football is a personal choice and not an obligation and, for many, shelling out the best part of £100 and losing a full day of leisure time after a tough working week is just not a good investment.

It doesn’t make people any less of a supporter of their team but money, and everyday life, talks and many folk just don’t have that sort of cash to burn.

For plenty of us £100 is the week’s shopping, it’s a day out with the family, it’s a weekend away at Haven Holiday, while for others it is the money needed to pay the bills and keep on going until the next pay day. Whatever that money is spent on, there are many other competing demands as we look to navigate through the current ‘cost of living’ era.

Football has long since lost its soul at the top end of the game - one glance at World Cup prices for tickets and associated costs only goes to show how out of touch the big cheeses are.

In the Premier League, Liverpool fans are currently protesting a year on year inflation-based price increase on season-tickets led by fans group, The Spirit of Shankly.

In a statement announcing the action, the group said: "Liverpool FC has chosen to ignore clear, overwhelming opposition from its own supporters and push ahead with plans to increase ticket prices.”

And there lies the problem, fans are too often ignored and as long as people just keep blindly going on paying then nothing can ever change. Fans have to vote with their feet.

At that level of football the link between owners and the fans simply isn’t there, a foreign owner, or consortium, isn’t going to understand what it means to be a local living in the Anfield area, or what Liverpool means to them as a club and as a city. They are just a paying customer, a walking pound sign, who can easily be replaced by an Asian tourist.

Back down in the lower leagues of the EFL, thankfully, the connection between club and community still remains strong and it’s been good to see some excellently priced season-tickets already being offered for next season.

Doncaster continue to show how it’s done when it comes to value in League One with season-tickets on offer for as little as £244.

EFL wide there has been a 6.7% increase in League One and just a 3.3% per cent rise in League Two.

With pay monthly options the value still remains there for those of us proudly backing our local side. Those increases are relatively small and can still be stomached but fans shouldn’t be ripped off just because of their loyalties.

The message should be very clear to those making the pricing calls - the fans have their breaking point,