Manchester United Defy Fan Groups With Five Percent Season Ticket Rise

Manchester United announced plans to raise season ticket prices by five percent for the 2025/26 season on Monday, defying calls from supporters groups for the cost to be frozen. There will be no rise in the cost of tickets for under-16s, 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 pounds ($85).

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 five percent 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 last year but for a series of cost-cutting measures and the hike in ticket prices he has overseen.

United have made cumulative losses of 410 million pounds in the last seven years after a series of expensive mistakes in the transfer market and in managerial hires.

They currently sit 13th in the Premier League and are reliant on winning the Europa League to lift a trophy this season.

"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