Chinese Super League

CSL Season Ticket Price Hikes Across the Country But Still A Bargain

by
bcheng
29/02/2012

With just over a week before the Chinese Super League season kicks off, we’re finally getting news about season ticket prices. Across the country, ticket prices have gone up considerably, many teams raised prices by 25-50%， with Shanghai Shenhua’s price raise being the most dramatic. As regular prices move closer to $100 (and in some cases far surpass it, especially for better seats), the question the league now faces is how much higher can prices go in some cities before fans start to push back.

Even considering those price raises, season tickets include all 15 Chinese Super League matches and at least one CFA Cup match, making them an incredibly good deal for any football fan. Most teams even include a free scarf or “replica” jersey with their season tickets. The chart below shows the price of season tickets in each Chinese Super League city along with that city or province’s GDP, demonstrating truly how good a deal Beijing and Dalian season tickets are (and Shenxin as well, though they are playing closer to Zhejiang than Shanghai’s city center).

Club	Season Ticket Price(s)	City/Province GDP
Guangzhou Evergrande	350-800	43596
Beijing Guoan	500	70251
Liaoning Whowin	380	40003
Jiangsu Sainty	300 (students, 220)	51999
Shandong Luneng	480-1380	41147
Qingdao Jonoon	120-1000	41147
Changchun Yatai	400 (VIP, 888)	31232
Hangzhou Greentown	380-1380	49791
Guizhou Renhe	280	13221
Tianjin Teda	600	70402
Shanghai Shenhua	800 (VIP, 1500)	73297
Dalian Shide	200	40003
Henan Construction	270-540	23398
Shanghai Shenxin	270	73297
Dalian Aerbin	300 (VIP, 500)	40003
Guangzhou Fuli	320	43596

*All amounts above in RMB

bcheng

Brandon Chemers aka B. Cheng aka A Modern Lei Feng – is a name which may be familiar to many in the Chinese blogosphere. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for Wild East Football and is one of the lonely souls writing about Chinese football in English for the last 10 years. Chemers' credentials are second to none – his former blog focused not only on the fortunes of his beloved Beijing Guoan FC, but a multitude of other aspects of Beijing life. He’s deservedly built a reputation in the Chinese blogosphere as an insightful observer of not only Chinese football, but also the wider picture of life in modern China and its many layers. For WEF, beyond writing about Guoan, he often focuses on fan culture and the business of Chinese football.