Manchester United have announced their season ticket prices for the 2025/26 season and as expected, prices have risen. Standard adult season tickets will rise by 5% across the board, which means, on average, season ticket holders at Old Trafford will have to pay an extra £2.50 per match to watch the team in Premier League action next season.
Given that the club are currently enduring their worst-ever Premier League season and recently announced plans for a new £2bn stadium, the news of a price hike hasn't gone down well with the majority of the Man Utd fanbase.
The price rises aren't the only part of the season ticket announcement that hasn't gone down well, though. Below we run through the six things that have upset Manchester United fans the most.
Six ways Man Utd have angered fans with season ticket announcement
The general increase
The general increase of 5% to all adult season ticket prices hasn't gone down well with supporters for several reasons. It's the third consecutive season that the club have increased season ticket prices by this amount, which means supporters are now paying significantly more for a season ticket than they were in 2022 despite the club currently performing well below expected standards.
Additionally, some fans feel that the club have played the media game over the past couple of months to make the 5% increase seem okay. Ever since Christmas, leaks from within Old Trafford have suggested that the club were planning far larger price increases and that now looks like a deliberate strategy to make the actual price increases feel almost like a reduction.
The changes to senior discounts
One huge bit of news hidden within the season ticket update is the changes to senior season ticket discounts. Instead of receiving a 50% discount on tickets, senior season ticket holders will now receive just a 25% discount. Additionally, the age threshold for senior season tickets has risen from 65 to 66. These two rule changes have seen some season ticket prices rise by more than 50%.
60% increase on my dad's season ticket, yet a deliberately misleading headline of 5% has been lapped up and spewed out by the media. Dishonest and disgustingly run club these days we are.
— James (@redjames99) March 18, 2025
New ID checks
The club have announced that all season ticket holders who want to renew ahead of next season will have to pass an ID check to ensure that all supporters are who they say they are. While the club insist this is a measure being introduced to prevent ticket touting, it means that season tickets that have been passed down from generation to generation could get taken away.
More hospitality areas
Some season ticket holders are being forced to relocate as the club are introducing a new hospitality area behind the dugouts in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand. The club clearly feel that this is an area where they can maximise profits and those who usually sit here are being turfed out. Where they will be relocated remains to be seen but it almost certainly won't be to an area with a similar vantage point.
Additional attendance requirements
Another announcement that hasn't gone down well with Man Utd season ticket holders is that the minimum number of games each season ticket holder must attend has risen from 15 to 16. If fans miss more than three games a season then they run the risk of their season ticket being taken away from them.
While this may seem fair enough on the surface, the club have taken measures in recent years to make passing tickets on overly complicated for season ticket holders when they can't attend a game. Fans can no longer simply give their ticket to a mate but instead, they have to digitally transfer the ticket to another member, donate it to the Manchester United Foundation or sell it back to the club.
A large part of the Man Utd matchgoing fanbase feels that this increase in attendance requirements is just a way to pressure fans to sell more tickets back to the club. From there, the club can then re-sell the ticket to another supporter for more money and make more profit.
What about oap 50% discount reduced to 25% and what about the dynamic pricing for certain matches that will be offered to our fans ? What about the 16/19 what about away fans in the home end and what about that price increase that’s used to pay the glazers debt? https://t.co/N1z8vZ4bA4
— giggsclass1 (@giggsclass1) March 18, 2025
New charges for selling tickets back to the club
Following on from the previous theme, Man Utd are now making life even more difficult for season ticket holders who have to miss the odd match. The club are now going to charge any season ticket holder who sells their ticket back to the club a £10 fee if they do so less than 14 days before the match takes place.
So, not only are the club going to re-sell that ticket for more money than they bought it back from the season ticket holder but they are also going to potentially take an extra £10 off them, too.