Manchester United defy fan groups with 5% season ticket rise
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Season tickets at Old Trafford have also increased by 5 per cent in each of the past two seasons after an 11-year price freeze.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Manchester United announced plans to raise season-ticket prices by 5 per cent for the 2025-26 campaign on March 17, defying calls from supporters groups for the move to be frozen.
There will be no rise in the cost of tickets for under-16 fans, but the club are introducing a new game categorisation for non season-ticket holders, to allow for different pricing structures for higher-profile fixtures.
United fans have routinely protested at Old Trafford in recent months after the decision in November to scrap concessions to children and over-65s, with all remaining tickets for this season priced at £66 (S$114).
A fan advisory board (FAB), which met with the club, had pushed for a freeze on ticket prices.
Season tickets at Old Trafford have also increased by 5 per cent in each of the past two seasons after an 11-year price freeze.
United chief executive Omar Berrada said in a statement: “We understand the importance of their backing for the team and have worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable.”
The club’s co-owner Jim Ratcliffe claimed in a series of interviews last week that the English giants would have run out of money at the end of 2024 but for a series of cost-cutting measures and the hike in ticket prices he has overseen.
United have suffered cumulative losses of £410 million in the last seven years after a series of expensive mistakes in the transfer market and in managerial hires. They sit 13th in the English Premier League, with the Europa League their only shot at silverware.
“We listened carefully to the strong arguments put forward by the FAB in favour of a freeze. However, the club has decided that it would not be right to keep prices unchanged while costs rise and the club continues to face financial issues,” added Berrada.
“We have kept the increase to the lowest possible level and protected our youngest season-ticket holders from any rises, while ensuring the club remains financially strong enough to invest in improving the team.”
Among a series of changes to ticketing, United also plan to turn some general admission tickets close to the dugouts into hospitality seats that can be sold at a premium price.
Meanwhile, Premier League leaders Liverpool announced in February that they would freeze ticket prices for next season.
“For several months, we have argued long and hard that the club need to look at the big picture and freeze ticket prices for next season,” said the Manchester United Supporters Trust.
“Other clubs have done that already and at United, it would have sent a powerful message about the need for everyone to pull together to get the club out of the very difficult position it finds itself in.
“We do note that the scale of the headline increase is less than many feared and we believe the enormous amounts of dialogue that fans groups have had with the club, alongside the public pressure exerted through the media and various protests, helped restrain the increase.”
United announced plans last week to leave Old Trafford for a new 100,000-seater stadium which will reportedly cost £2 billion, although there were no clear details on how that will be financed. AFP
