Livingston win football’s priciest pie crown

Fans have to fork out £2.50 for the classic match day snack at the Energy Assets Arena – a meatier sum than at any other club in Scotland.

For supporters looking for something to read during their pie-munching moments, it’s the Tynecastle club which hits them hardest at £3.50 for a match programme, albeit an award-winning one.

New figures released today as part of the BBC’s annual Price of Football study have totted up the cost of supporting teams across the UK.

When it comes to the full match day experience, Hearts fans face forking out £104.70, while Hibs fans pay a little more at £108.50.

That includes a cup of tea, a pie, a programme, the cheapest possible ticket and two football shirts in adult and child sizes.

Scotland’s most expensive day out is at Celtic, where fans face a £120.90 bill for the full works.

But the most expensive example of the football fan’s staple diet – the pie – is at Livingston, where supporters are charged 20p more for a pastry treat than at Easter Road and 50p more than at Tynecastle.

The pricey pies are made by an outside company, Lindley Centreplate, which does the catering for Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London, said a Livingston spokesman

He said: “We inherited the catering contract from the previous owners so we don’t look after that. We look after the tickets and we have flexible prices for everyone.

“Our cheapest season tickets are £180 and we have seen an increase in the number of season ticket holders this year – from 270 to 1000.”

The most expensive match ticket at Hearts was £30 and the cheapest £17, according to the study, which covers 176 clubs in 11 divisions across British football.

A Hearts spokesman said: “There is a real feel-good factor around Tynecastle this season and the supporters have been backing the club’s revival in huge numbers.

“We pride ourselves on providing a memorable match day experience and the feedback from the supporters has been very positive.

“This remains a work in progress and we will continue to listen to our fans and work tirelessly to enhance that experience.”

At Hibs, the cheapest ticket is £5 more expensive than at Hearts, at £22, but the dearest is just £28.

Spokesman David Forsyth added: “There are all kinds of ticket bundles available to fans, with kids sometimes paying £1 to get in. Many prices for a season ticket can be a lot lower as well. There are all sorts of things there.”

Arsenal has the most expensive season ticket in the UK at £2013, according to the fourth annual BBC Sport Price of Football study.