We are now approaching nine months since Manchester United unveiled their grand plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium, and while the club initially said they intended the stadium to be built in time for the 2030/31 season, a lack of progress is beginning to make that target look unrealistic.
There are a series of snags going on behind the scenes that are preventing the club from beginning any kind of construction work, namely the issues relating to the freight terminal located at Old Trafford, and a lack of clarity on how much government funding they are going to receive for the wider regeneration work.
There is also the elephant in the room, the club's £1.1bn of debt, which has left many people scratching their heads at how they can possibly afford a stadium that will cost around £2bn. However, in recent weeks, it has become clear that the club are already coming up with fundraising solutions.
Man Utd consider seat licensing policy for new Man Utd stadium
According to reports in several reliable media outlets, INEOS are keen on the idea of introducing a seat licensing policy at the club's new stadium.
The way this would work would be that supporters would pay an upfront fee for a fixed period, in addition to the cost of their yearly season ticket, for the right to outright own their seat for the previously agreed fixed period.
😳 Manchester United are considering charging fans up to £4,000 for a 'Personal Seat License' at the new stadium.
— Stretford Paddock (@StretfordPaddck) July 24, 2025
The PSL would give fans first refusal on their seat for the next 30 years but they would still have to pay each year for their season ticket. [@MikeKeegan_DM]#MUFC pic.twitter.com/kyMF0PO3Ps
This would mean that supporters with a seat license would then be free to do whatever they want with their season ticket, including having the option to sell it for huge sums of money for the club's biggest matches.
It is understood that INEOS are only considering introducing this model for executive seats, but it is a legitimate way of raising significant sums of money, as Barcelona have recently discovered.
The Catalanian giants introduced a similar model as part of their Camp Nou renovation, and it raised the club £88m just by selling the ‘license' to 475 seats.
FGG says: A sham of an idea
It wasn't long ago that Manchester United season ticket holders were free to do whatever they wanted with their season tickets, at no extra cost.
Over the last decade, a series of measures have been introduced to take these rights away from them, including the introduction of a policy that determines they must attend a minimum number of games and a ticket forwarding system that makes it impossible for them to simply give their ticket to a friend for a one-off match.
The idea that fans will now need to pay a huge fee to have these rights back is another nail in the coffin of working-class football culture in the United Kingdom.