Manchester United tout crackdown leaves loyal fans facing ticket squeeze
Manchester United raised season-ticket prices and attendance rules while 444,005 fans filled six home league games, deepening fan anger over a tout crackdown.
Manchester United has raised season-ticket prices by about 5% for the third straight year and tightened the minimum usage rule from 15 to 16 of 19 Premier League home games, putting fresh pressure on loyal supporters even as the club intensifies its fight against ticket touts.
The changes land at Old Trafford in one of English football’s most sensitive ticket markets. Manchester United has had the highest average attendance in the country every season since 1992-93 and has not fallen out of the top two best-supported clubs since 1964. Demand has remained enormous this season too, with 444,005 fans attending the club’s six home Premier League games so far.
That scale is part of what has made the crackdown politically charged inside the fanbase. Club officials say touts have created a major problem and have led to intimidation and threats against staff, but some season-ticket holders and regular matchgoers fear measures aimed at resale abuse are now sweeping up the very supporters who have underpinned the club’s atmosphere for decades.
Reg Walker of Iridium Consultancy said top Premier League clubs each have between 8,000 and 12,000 season tickets, memberships and hospitality tickets under the control of touts. He described the problem as “significant, rising” and called for “cohesive, co-ordinated action” from authorities. For a club with United’s demand, that puts pressure on the entire ticketing system, from waiting lists to renewal rules and resale checks.
Omar Berrada, Manchester United’s chief executive, said the club had worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable. But the Manchester United Supporters Trust said it wanted the club to listen to the voice of fans and voiced concern about the changes, including the new minimum usage threshold and the wider ticketing model.
The unrest comes amid wider Premier League anger over pricing. Fans of the league’s six wealthiest clubs are paying an average of £74 per ticket per match, and protests against price rises have become more common in recent seasons. At Old Trafford, where access is already at a premium, the clash between anti-touting enforcement and supporter loyalty is now shaping the next ticket battle.
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