Source:REUTERS/Scott Heppell
[Saba Sports News] Recently, British media have analyzed Manchester United’s strategy of raising ticket prices: offering relatively low prices to season-ticket holders with high loyalty, while implementing tiered pricing for single match tickets purchased by members. According to the club’s latest quarterly financial results, despite a 33% sharp reduction in home games this season — due to the absence of European competition and early elimination from domestic cup competitions — matchday revenue only fell slightly by 3.6%. This financial performance is largely attributed to the club’s ticketing strategy. Manchester United has converted regular seats near the dugout into premium executive seats, priced at up to 10 times the original cost, and added 600 new executive seats. This has raised the average revenue per home game from £5.5 million to £7.57 million. The club has confirmed that season tickets will rise by a further 5% next season, marking the third consecutive year of price increases, with the growth rate outpacing the 3% inflation rate.
The editor believes that Manchester United’s current ticketing logic follows Barcelona’s model: offering relatively low prices to highly loyal season-ticket holders, while implementing tiered pricing for single match tickets purchased by members. Although the club’s total revenue has dropped to £330.7 million due to the absence of European competitions, Manchester United has effectively cushioned the financial impact of poor on-pitch performances by boosting its matchday premium.