Even though I've been a huge football fan my whole life, I've only seen a handful of games in person. That's because here in the San Diego area, Chargers tickets are pretty expensive and hornlike to come by -- especially since the team has emerged as a perennial contender for the AFC West title. Plus, with franchise players like LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates on the roster, as well as promising young guys like Philip Rivers and Anotnio Cromartie, it's just going to get even more difficult to score good Chargers tickets in upcoming seasons.

For those of us who don't have any inside connections with the San Diego organization, the prizewinning shot at getting Chargers tickets would be by going through an online listing broker. Contrary to popular belief, using a listing broker doesn't automatically mean you'll end up outlay hundreds of dollars above face value to get into the game you want to see. Instead, most listing brokers only tack on a nominal fee to cover their service charges. I don't know about you, but I'd gladly pay that in order to get Chargers tickets for all the big games!

Since there are so many brokers operative online today, it pays to do a bit of homework before forking over your cash. By outlay time comparing different pricing structures, you'll likely end up securing the prizewinning available deals on Chargers tickets. I've used a couple of brokers in the past, and I think it's important to have a stadium seating chart handy before ordering so you can see exactly where your seats will be. That way, you'll have a better idea of whether or not you're getting charged a fair price for your Chargers tickets.

Another thing I always do before ordering is check out the broker's estimation with past customers. I'm not talking about the testimonials found right there on the website, but about genuine, honest feedback at third-party sites from unbiased customers. That's where you can learn about how good the broker's seats are, how their customer service is, and how easy it was to pick up your Chargers tickets on game day. These are all important considerations that shouldn't be overlooked.

Take it from a longtime San Diego football fan: there's nothing like catching a game in person at Qualcomm Stadium when the Bolts are in the hunt for a playoff berth! Be sure you have a way to buy some Chargers tickets this season so you can get in on the action too!