The final of the Carabao Cup, the little brother of the FA Cup, is due to be held on March 16th at Wembley. It’s a date pencilled into my calendar, for as a long suffering Newcastle United fan, they have somehow, against the odds, made it to the big dance.
Out of curiosity, I went online to check out the ticket prices (cheeky long weekend away, anyone?!) and quickly realised I would be watching it on TV. At £800 minimum to be up in the gods, it wasn’t going to happen.
What I did find interesting was that there was a significant price difference between seats on the Newcastle side compared to those on the Liverpool side (European sports divide the supporters). And no, it’s not what you think; the Liverpool tickets were significantly cheaper.
On the surface, this makes no sense. Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in not just England, but the world. Newcastle, on the other hand, is a local club; I am a real rarity in that I support them with no connection to the area (Mum is a West Ham supporter, my uncle is a QPR fan, and that’s it really).
My theory is that he Liverpool tickets are cheaper not despite their size, but DUE to it. Let me explain:
Currently, Liverpool are top of Premier League table, favourites for the Champions League, and until this morning, favourites for the FA Cup. Last year they won the Carabao Cup, by far the “4th” trophy in any season. So if you’re a ‘Pool fan, then you have plenty of “big” games to go to. You look at an event like this, and think, “hey, it’s only the Carabao, I think I’ll save my cash and instead spend it on a Champions League match in Munich or Barcelona instead”.
For the Newcastle fans, who haven’t won a major trophy since 1955, this is a big as it gets, and they must be feeling confident that this really could be “their year”.
After a 70 year wait, can you blame them?
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