Manchester United’s plan to sell seat licences moves a step closer

Fans will have to spend big if they want to secure a premium season ticket at the club's new stadium

Manchester United are in the process of phasing out their iconic ground Old Trafford, and plan to move into a brand-new stadium in the 2031-32 season. 

Old Trafford is more than 100 years old, and its leaky roofs and inaccessibility have grown to become symbols of stagnation at English football’s most successful club. 

When new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe first arrived at the club in 2024, he promised to bring Manchester United into the 21st Century after years of mediocrity, saying: “Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football.”

Organising the building of a new stadium was seen to be at the very top of that agenda. 

First announced in March, the swanky new state-of-the-art stadium will be constructed next door to Old Trafford in the Stretford area of Manchester, and will cost £2 billion to build. 

In order to help recoup some of that investment that will be put into the 100,000 seater arena, Manchester United are said to be considering implementing a controversial new ticket model.

18 + Be Gamble Aware

According to a new report in The Athletic, Manchester United are planning to ask fans to first purchase a ‘Personal Seat Licence’ (PSL) before they get the chance to secure premium season tickets.

If successful in their application, fans will then be requested to pay even more for the season ticket itself.

It is believed that these licences will apply to premium seating areas and will be optional.

Standard general admission season tickets will still be available.

These will follow a traditional season ticket model whereby a fan can have the same seat for every game.

Whether or not they apply for a PSL, it is believed that fans will still have the ability to apply for away games and cup final tickets.

The report makes clear that Manchester United will first fulfil a "detailed survey" with existed United fans before taking any action on the implementation of PSL licenses.

The survey will also include questions on fan preferences, prices and transport habits to matches as United attempt to assess the economic context they need for building their new stadium.

A previous report in The Mail earlier this year, suggested that United were in discussions with US-based consultants CSL International over how to make the most of financial opportunities created by the new stadium and that the new licenses would play a significant role in this.

The report had suggested that at that time, United were planning on charging fans around £4,000-a-year for PSLs, which would not guarantee a seat.

It now appears that United will wait until the conclusion of the fan consultation to decide on the price of these licenses.

PSLs are commonplace in the US Sport market but have never been used before in the UK or at any European stadium.

Fans of Stan Kroenke owned NFL side LA Rams are asked to pay £166,000 for licences at their stadium.

When new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe first arrived in 2024 he helped initiate a number of schemes aimed at saving money, making swathes of redundancies and cutting back on free lunches for staff.

Last month, the club reported a record annual revenue of £666.5 million for 2025 and they will hope the new stadium will help ensure financial sustainability for the long-term future.