Premiership ticket prices:For some clubs, raising prices has led to diminishing returns, while others are reducing ticket fees to attract more fans, writes David Ornstein

There is no more poignant sign that escalating prices in the Premiership are driving supporters away from football than the page on Manchester United's website publicising the availability of season tickets for the forthcoming campaign.

The Premiership champions, one of the world's best-supported clubs, have seen their waiting list - previously estimated at 14,000 fans - disintegrate to zero. United officials last night claimed that they still faced a backlog for indefinite season tickets and that those available were for one year only, but their PR efforts are little more than a valiant attempt to mask the knowledge that much of the Old Trafford faithful has had enough.

The strategy laid out by the Glazer family in their most recent business plan a year ago indicated that prices would rise by 2.5 per cent this season but United fans wishing to renew are instead faced with a hike of up to 13 per cent and the supporters' trust believes that more than 6,000 season ticket holders have not renewed as a result.

So serious has the issue of rising season ticket prices become - in the past 18 years prices of single tickets to top-flight matches have risen by about 600 per cent from an average then of €8 - that Tony Blair, the then British prime minister, dipped his toe into the previously uncharted waters of football politics in February by pointing out that the "rows of empty seats" made it "pretty clear" that prices should be cut.

Not only United, but Liverpool, Newcastle, Porstmouth, Sunderland, Tottenham and West Ham have failed to heed the message. "We want to make football affordable for our supporters and although there was a small increase this summer for new season ticket holders it was reflective of both our divisional status and the fact there has not been an increase in seven years, and still represents excellent value for money," said a spokesman for Sunderland.

"Our season ticket prices still compare favourably with other clubs." Season ticket prices for their return to the Premiership have risen by over four times the rate of inflation.

Tottenham also defend their pricing policy. "We are not ripping our fans off," Paul Barber, Spurs' executive director has said. "If we want to build for the future, which involves investing in the team, building an new training ground and academy, either improving or moving from White Hart Lane, we have to make sure our finances are in place to achieve this because we could be talking about a lot of money.

"The average price increase works out at €1.28 a game, which we think is a small price to pay. We have great supporters who have been very loyal but it is a case of you get what you pay for and Tottenham have been providing a lot of entertainment. Most of the clubs who lowered prices are doing it to get more fans, but we sold out every match (last season) and have a waiting list of over 16,000 people."

It was hoped that the new £2.7 billion television deal would encourage all clubs to drop their prices this season and although that dream has not become reality the majority of of clubs have wither frozen or dropped the cost of season tickets.

Arsenal, whose prices have remained the same as last season and their final year at Highbury, are the only club who have taken such a step despite selling out for every game.

Many have been rewarded with an increase in sales: Aston Villa have have reduced prices by up to five per cent and have sold 22,000 season tickets, up from 18,500 last year. Some, notably Blackburn, Wigan and Bolton, have slashed their season tickets primarily in an attempt to raise attendances.

"The extra TV revenue allows us the opportunity to do this but the real reason is that unless we drop our prices we won't get the attendances," said Wigan's head of communications, Matt McCann. "We consulted supporters's groups and they told us the reason they believed people weren't coming was because it was too expensive. They are not prepared to come and watch an expensive football game when they can sit in a pub and watch it for free."