Sticker shock: EPL tickets

[Stanley Steamer]

I know there was a thread for this in the past, but I can't seem to find it.
I'm planning to head to England next month with a few friends and intend to catch a few games. Brentford v Chelsea, and Leeds v Fulham look to be two of them, but we may go for another, and likely a CL game somewhere. On resale sites, tickets are sparse and expensive, typically over £200 each, often a lot more. At that price, it may make sense to do a "hospitality package" for the Leeds game.
My query is, what's the best way to go about this? Do more tickets get released closer to the game? Are scalpers typically out prior to matches?
For those with experience, I'd love to know what worked, and what didn't.
Thanks.

 

[candylandriots]

I know there was a thread for this in the past, but I can't seem to find it.
I'm planning to head to England next month with a few friends and intend to catch a few games. Brentford v Chelsea, and Leeds v Fulham look to be two of them, but we may go for another, and likely a CL game somewhere. On resale sites, tickets are sparse and expensive, typically over £200 each, often a lot more. At that price, it may make sense to do a "hospitality package" for the Leeds game.
My query is, what's the best way to go about this? Do more tickets get released closer to the game? Are scalpers typically out prior to matches?
For those with experience, I'd love to know what worked, and what didn't.
Thanks.

Honestly, your best bet is to probably become a member of some clubs. The tickets are really hard to get because the clubs are doing the damndest to keep opposing fans out of home areas, among other things. The one time I paid up for a ticket like that, I literally was handed Mr. Tom Buckingham's Arsenal season ticket, which I was then required, of course, to return (the season tickets are just a single card that's used for all home games). That also makes the secondary market exceedingly difficult to manage.

Other than that Arsenal game (which I decided to go to on the spur of the moment on a sunny Sunday after my wife left from visiting), I've only gone to games at Selhurst Park, and always as a member of the club. They would allow members to buy tickets, but sometimes for an in-demand match like Chelsea, you'd have to buy a ticket for another, less-desirable game as well. I'd think Leeds-Fulham would be relatively easy, but I've never tried at a game there.

I also think the likelihood of finding a scalper outside the stadium is quite low, but others may have better information than I.

Also, I'd expect CL games to have already been sold out, depending on the matchup. But for an English team, almost certainly your only option is to pay up or befriend someone with tickets Maybe you get lucky if it's a game against someone like Maccabi Haifa or Dynamo Zagreb.

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

On a trip to the UK about 5 years ago I decided to go check out an EPL match. I was only about a week out when I thought of it, and any of the biggest teams were completely sold out and prohibitively expensive for a whim, much like you're seeing. However, I looked at some smaller clubs and ended up having to join Watford's fan club to give me access to buy tickets directly. There were still only scattered singles, but the price was much much cheaper.

You're in for a treat, the atmosphere was an experience I'll never forget. I can't even imagine what it would be like at one of the big boys.