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MUFC really short of cash?

MUFC put up remaining Members match tickets to £66 per game for remainder of season

Tonight the club informed the Fans Forum of changes to certain ticket policies that will take effect immediately. The Club has indicated that it will post the details of these changes online but the headline is that, with immediate effect, all Members tickets for the remainder of this season will increase to £66 each, and that this price will apply for kids and over-65s as well as adults.

This means that for an adult member to take their kid to a game in the remainder of this season will cost £132. Well over double the minimum price they could pay to do it today. And this change is happening overnight, immediately.

The Club claims that 97% of this season's tickets are already sold, so that this will only affect a small number of people, but we believe this stat is misleading, as we will explain below.

The Club has provided zero consultation on the matter, neither with the Forum nor the Fan Advisory Board nor MUST. We were simply informed of the decision that there will be price rises affecting certain fans that are “urgently needed" to address profitability and sustainability concerns.

Suffice it to say, that the idea that the fans must pay their “fair share" for the Club’s excesses and/or mismanagement—and above all, the Glazers lack of investment over two decades—is offensive.

We fans have done everything we have been asked. We have cheered the players on even in the face of substandard performance. We have gone to matches and abided by the new usage rules for tickets. We have taken on a price increase this year. This is in addition to the hundreds, even thousands loyal fans pay to follow United home and away.

There is a risk that this is only the opening salvo of what will surely be massive pressure to implement a significant price rise for next season. Once they have got used to charging £132 for a parent and child to come to OT, will they really go back to the old pricing levels for next season?

We are absolutely in favour of running a sustainable business, but football clubs are hardly ordinary consumer businesses. Ours is clearly in “rebuilding mode." Moreover, it is not like we have options to take our custom elsewhere: we are not going to “choose another provider" like one might pick a telecoms company.

If the club has a need for short term capital they should issue new shares, as they did when INEOS first arrived, and bring in funding from existing or new shareholders.

We have objected to this action in the strongest possible terms, both for the action itself and the complete lack of consultation, which is a step backward based on the process we had agreed with the Club before INEOS’ arrival.

Over the coming days MUST will be seeking urgent discussions with the Club to get them to listen to fans' concern at this policy. United fans have sucked up a lot. We will not be silent on this and we need to be prepared to resist any attempts to further drive up ticket prices.

Many thanks for your continued support

posted 2 days, 23 hours ago

We aren’t skint , it’s just Jim wants to upgrade his yacht

posted 2 days, 23 hours ago

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 23 minutes ago
comment by Tyranny of the majority (SE85) (U21241)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by Tyranny of the majority (SE85) (U21241)
posted 2 minutes ago
Fully anticipating another hike in ST prices again next year too. It was frozen for a good long time until recently so the bump was justified tbf. Wouldn't shock me if it goes up again.

Football is in big danger of imploding. These players don't deserve what they are earning now and that's across all the PL clubs not just United.

I have a 10 year old son who isn't into football so he doesn't come with me. My god I have tried to get him into it but he's just not interested at all. Saving me a fortune in long run though. 😂
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We are in agreement here. Same thing with my lad. Now 25 and totally uninterested in football.

There was a four- or five-year period where he played in goal and had all the DDG memorabilia, though.
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He's into music and plays guitar so that will do for me. That's my other big passion.

Feels like I failed as a Dad because he doesn't really like Sport and I'm obsessed with it but we decided to just let him choose his own path.

In some ways it might be a good thing though as most of his mates are City fans as they are 10 so will obviously all choose the successful team of the moment. Can you imagine if he asked me for a City shirt for Christmas? I'd disown him. 😂
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I have a daughter who is 30. She's only been to OT once ever and that was the 1999 CL Final charity game at OT. I have only ever had to buy her 2 shirts when she was young. One had Beckham on the back... the other with Ronaldo. So you can probably see her motivation for wanting those. Now she has her own kid who has to wear Spurs gear as Dad is a Tottenham fan. Ive even bought her a Spurs shirt for Xmas. I feel violated.
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Your feelings are nothing compared to the lifetime of suffering and disappointment your granddaughter will experience.
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In my daughters household he gets more pleasure out of seeing Arsenal lose than seeing Spurs win. I believe this is a common trait with Spurs fans. His problem is is that Spurs dont win that often and Arsenal do. So its a double whammy of dissappointment usually. My daughter prays that Spurs win and Arsenal lose every weekend for a quiet and contented life.

posted 2 days, 22 hours ago

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
It is inevitable that should you build a new stadium that prices will rise.

Firstly, it's natural where fans will have a much improved facility to watch their team - Bars, big screens, more loos, perfect views. Even things like a working mobile signal is a massive plus.

Secondly, it will be hugely expensive. While up to 20k extra seats will increase your matchday 25%, pro rata, you need to make much bigger gains to pay off financing and generate more 'disposable income'.

Some of this can be done through expanded corporate provision, which brings in top dollar and Utd probably have massive scope for this. Other will be through expanded uses of the stadium (commercial revenues) but the big jump in revenues that the likes of Spurs and Arsenal achieved with new grounds was achieved through matchday revenues. Spurs went from about £45m to about £110m. So about 250% increase despite just a 66% increase in capacity.

That was achieved through extensive corporate provision, fairly large price rises and also through hugely expanded food & drink outlets. Spurs reportedly make £800k - £1m per game on food and drink, much of which is very reasonably priced, to encourage fans to arrive early and get stuck in
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seasoned United fans usually wait til one minute before KO to take thier seats at Old Trafford

posted 2 days, 21 hours ago

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
It is inevitable that should you build a new stadium that prices will rise.

Firstly, it's natural where fans will have a much improved facility to watch their team - Bars, big screens, more loos, perfect views. Even things like a working mobile signal is a massive plus.

Secondly, it will be hugely expensive. While up to 20k extra seats will increase your matchday 25%, pro rata, you need to make much bigger gains to pay off financing and generate more 'disposable income'.

Some of this can be done through expanded corporate provision, which brings in top dollar and Utd probably have massive scope for this. Other will be through expanded uses of the stadium (commercial revenues) but the big jump in revenues that the likes of Spurs and Arsenal achieved with new grounds was achieved through matchday revenues. Spurs went from about £45m to about £110m. So about 250% increase despite just a 66% increase in capacity.

That was achieved through extensive corporate provision, fairly large price rises and also through hugely expanded food & drink outlets. Spurs reportedly make £800k - £1m per game on food and drink, much of which is very reasonably priced, to encourage fans to arrive early and get stuck in
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seasoned United fans usually wait til one minute before KO to take thier seats at Old Trafford
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How's Sir Jim expected to milk fans if they don't arrive before KO ?

Seriously though, if you ever se footage of Spurs stadium bars b4 and after games, they are packed full of folk drinking and singing. Beer/food prices are good, you dont fell like you're being milked and there plenty of things there to attract you b4 the game. It's a real success without feeling like exploitation of fans.

comment by T-BAD (U11806)

posted 2 days, 21 hours ago

Does feel like a bit of a slap in the face given what you've had to put up with for the last 10 years or so and the cuts they've already made.

I understand that the way the club was run previously resulted in a different approach being needed this time around but I don't think they're exactly nailing it.

Plus surely there's a chance that pricing certain fans out of being able to afford tickets will result in a worse atmosphere at games, potentially having an adverse affect on what happens on the pitch and costing the club money that way?

posted 2 days, 19 hours ago

comment by T-BAD (U11806)
posted 2 hours, 11 minutes ago
Does feel like a bit of a slap in the face given what you've had to put up with for the last 10 years or so and the cuts they've already made.

I understand that the way the club was run previously resulted in a different approach being needed this time around but I don't think they're exactly nailing it.

Plus surely there's a chance that pricing certain fans out of being able to afford tickets will result in a worse atmosphere at games, potentially having an adverse affect on what happens on the pitch and costing the club money that way?
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the Glazers did price the more local, working class, and lets face it often 'beered up' traditional fans who had been going for years before when they took over who actually collectively protested wearing Green & Gold scarves and some boycotted games, some even set their own replacement football club and never returned, and to be fair the atmospehere ever since at OT has never been quite the same. But as I mentioned United/Glazers and now INEOS regard the vast Red Army as Cannon Fodder and they believe rightly or wrongly that other more wealthier, obedient fans will always fill the gaps in the ranks as the oiks fall away. And then they make even more money. United are brilliant at using our name and history to make sheds load of money.

posted 2 days, 17 hours ago

and good luck to Ruud at Leicester City

posted 2 days, 17 hours ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgw6y6p19eo

posted 2 days, 15 hours ago

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 2 hours, 27 minutes ago
and good luck to Ruud at Leicester City
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Yes, I second that!

comment by Scouse (U9675)

posted 1 day, 21 hours ago

Utd have always taken the pi55 when it comes to ticket prices.

As an away fan for a League Cup game a few years ago, Utd purposely ignored the "£30" away ticket price used in the Prem and charged us £45 ....... I didn't go.

Fast forward a few years and we get drawn away at Liverpool at the same stage of the competition and its £13 a ticket.............. we sold 6,000.

Utd can burn in hell.

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