Manchester United fans have accused the club of delivering a “fresh kick in the teeth” with “eye-watering” ticket-price hikes for members at Old Trafford next season.
United have introduced a new “match categorisation model”, which will charge non-season-ticket holder adults up to £97 for the most high-profile fixtures against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
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The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) claims that the new pricing system means that for almost all league games, the cost of the cheapest tickets will rise by more than 50 per cent.
Around 20,000 supporters who buy tickets on a match-by-match basis through the membership scheme will be affected in some form by the changes. United have more than 50,000 season-ticket holders who are not affected by these changes.
United faced angry protests from fans for introducing a flat-rate £66 ticket for members in the middle of last season with no prior consultation with supporters.
Omar Berrada, the United chief executive, claimed in an interview with the United We Stand fanzine this week that the way the club rolled out those increases was “not good” and described it as “a lesson and something that we will try to avoid in the future”.
Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada
Omar Berrada, the chief executive, said the club should have done better with rolling out the ticket-price hikes - PA/Martin Rickett
But MUST have accused the club of failing to consult with any of the fan representative bodies, such as the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) and Fans’ Forum, over the details of the latest ticket price changes affecting members.
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“This match categorisation model will do enormous harm and undermine the atmosphere in the ground in a season when the team will need it more than ever,” a spokesperson for MUST said. “This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans.”
United, however, claim the FAB was presented with the figures and that the club did reduce prices based on its feedback.
The club say the categorisation model brings United into line with most other Premier League clubs who operate such policies and reflects the varying demand for tickets.
From next season, United members will be charged between £59 and £97 for so-called category A games covering six Premier League fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
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There will be 11 category B games, including the likes of Leeds, Aston Villa and Everton, where prices will range between £57 and £86.
Two Premier League fixtures – against Sunderland and Wolves – will be priced in the category C band of between £37 and £60. There is also a category D band that relates to cup fixtures only, with tickets priced between £32 and £52.
Prior to the introduction of the £66 flat-rate ticket last November, members’ tickets started at £40 for adults and £25 for under-16s.
Non-season ticket holders could pay as much as £97 to watch their side play LIverpool at home next season
Non-season-ticket holders could pay as much as £97 to watch their side play Liverpool at home next season - Getty Images/Michael Regan
United say fewer than one per cent of tickets will be priced at the highest adult category A price of £97 and that all junior and senior concessions remain in place.
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MUST added: “When the club said they were introducing this new model for members tickets, we urged them to keep the majority of matches at current levels and only apply the highest-price category for a small number of the biggest games, and reduced prices for lower-demand games.
“Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans’ representative bodies on the details of the decision, and once again they’re making choices against the interests of fans and, we believe, the club as a whole.
“The club’s stated commitment to fan representation is fine in principle, but once again is not being delivered in practice. The structure is in place, and the Fans’ Forum and FAB representatives are doing their job, but the club are not adhering to their previous commitment to proper consultation and that needs to change and change fast.
“What Manchester United needs next season is a united fan base and club, with the team on the pitch supported by loyal and vocal fans roaring it back after the disaster that was last year. These ticketing decisions only push those regular supporters away in favour of occasional visitors and risk pricing out the next generation of younger fans who are the very future of the club.”
Cost-cutting measures turn £66m loss into £1m profit
United say they had collectively agreed with the FAB and Fans’ Forum that they would prioritise the protection of season-ticket price costs and the younger generation of fans and that, while some decisions will be unpopular, they are required to return the club to a healthy financial footing.
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United’s third-quarter accounts published this month reflected the affect of the severe cost-cutting measures. The club recorded an operating profit of just under £1 million for the three months to March 31 this year compared with a £66.2 million operating loss for the corresponding period last season.
In March, United announced that most season-ticket prices would increase by about five per cent for a third successive year, but that they would freeze prices for under-16s.
However, thousands of senior citizens faced huge hikes in the cost of their season tickets – in some cases as high as 70 per cent – after a 50 per cent discount for those fans was halved to an “across the board” 25 per cent rate for next season.
United have also faced protests from fans in the lower south stand at Old Trafford who are being relocated to make way for a VIP hospitality section next season.