Hospitality

For US fans traveling to see high-demand clubs like Liverpool or Arsenal, Hospitality is going to be your most likely option. Since Hospitality packages don’t require a membership, they are a great way for a traveling fan to lock in a seat to the game directly from the team without having to stress waiting to see if tickets reach general sale.

The major downside with Hospitality tickets are their cost, which can often be 10 times what a ticket would cost to a member or at general sale. Clubs are allowed to overcharge for these tickets by offering additional items like free food, drinks, programs, tours, and other items. These add-ons will not equal the high cost (and the food options at Liverpool Hospitality were sub-par in our opinion), but since general sale and membership aren’t always options for a tourist, Hospitality is definitely a viable option.

We purchased Liverpool hospitality for two games and Manchester City hospitality for their Champions League game against Real Madrid. In both cases, hoping for a ticket to reach general sale or even low seniority membership sale was impossible, so buying Hospitality was our only legitimate option. I talk a bit about scalping or touting tickets in my "Getting Creative" article, but since it's expressly illegal and in a worst case scenario, you could be barred from entering the game, we didn't want to risk it.

Hospitality tickets are put up for sale at the very start of the season, meaning that you can aim to buy tickets for a certain weekend, you won't know the exact date the match happens until a month before the game. Additionally, if the game falls on a weekend of a FA Cup or Champions League fixture, it could get postponed to a later week. In my experience, I purchased Liverpool Hospitality for Matchday 33 because, historically speaking, that weekend wasn't effected by an FA Cup or European tie. So, while I didn't know if the game would happen on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, I was at least able to confidently know it would very likely happen that weekend, and I put together a list of other games also happening that weekend so that I could choose the other games once the Liverpool match was determined. One thing I will point out is that, I was offered an opportunity for a refund for my Hospitality package when the date was officially announced, so that would be good if for some reason the game had been moved to a date I couldn't attend.

I've had friends go the membership route to get into these big clubs, but you have to be patience for a game to become available at your level of membership, and be totally flexible with your travel plans. If you have a certain date in mind to go, hospitality is likely the most assured way for US fans with little or no membership tenure to secure tickets for a game for the time they want.

If you’re dying to see a game but even the hospitality packages from the team are sold out, you might find a life-line with Third-Party Hospitality companies. These companies are officially licensed by the team to sell tickets to non-UK residents, so you can feel confident in your purchase, but it’s going to be really, really expensive. In my experience, these companies will generally charge double for their Hospitality packages versus what you could get directly from the club. 

Some might also be able to package hotel or travel arrangements to provide some value, but as far as the ticket itself goes, this option will set you back. One plug for a Third-Party seller is Groundshopper, as their website has an incredible Google Map with the location of every team in the top 5 or 6 tiers of English Football. It was super useful in seeing what lower league teams were around certain cities!