Manchester United executives openly justify their reasons for increased ticket prices | OneFootball

Manchester United’s Head of Fan Engagement Rick McGagh has blamed inflation and rising operational costs as reasons behind the club’s move to increase ticket prices.

For the first time in more than a decade, United raised this figure.

McGagh and the club’s chief operating officer Collette Roche granted an interview to The Athletic, where there explained the hierarchy’s logic behind their action which undoubtedly left a section of supporters disappointed and angry.

“We looked at lots of different factors, mainly the cost of operating the games at Old Trafford. When you take into account the fact that we’re committed to paying the real living wage for our casual staff, such as our stewards, car park attendants, hospitality staff. In order to do that, plus the energy costs, it was pretty clear the prices did need to increase,” said McGagh.

He added, “At the time the decision was made, which was around December, inflation was just over 11 per cent… Therefore we came up with a model which was a five per cent increase, the club taking just over half the hit, and then supporters paying a little bit more.”

“Depending on where you sit in the ground, it is a £1, £2 or £3 increase, but on average, £2 a game.”

He spoke at length about United’s major modification to introduce plenty of youth tickets for individuals within the range of 16-25 years.

As per McGagh, the “competitive price” for this category revolves around £285, which equates to £15 per game. With respect to an under-16 season ticket, this is set at £190 or £10 per match at Old Trafford.

He expressed pride at the Red Devils’ introduction of a cup season ticket which enabled individuals to attend cup clashes in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and in European competitions. These are said to have sold out straight away.

Last term, the 20-time English champions also put a provision in place that allowed fans to sell their tickets back to the club for games they were unable to attend.

In addition to this, it was possible to transfer their seat to another member or donate to United’s charity scheme.

Roche revealed that there are currently about 360,000 general admission numbers – a testament to the club’s popularity and high demand for its products.

Despite the executives’ reasons, United fans are unlikely to take kindly to the hiked ticket prices, at least not while the Glazers are still in charge and taking dividends every year.

They can be forgiven for being irked and seeing the raise as adding insult to injury.