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Man United to REMOVE 850 £3,000 per season executive seats from Stretford End, replacing them with general admission tickets after long fan campaign
- United fan groups worked with the club to resolve the longstanding issue.
- The change will come into effect from the start of the 2024-2025 season
- The International Suite has been part of Stretford End for over 20 years
Manchester United are set to remove around 850 executive seats from the heart of Stretford End as part of an ongoing bid to improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford.
United fans had criticized the club for installing hospitality tickets in what is supposed to be the noisiest part of the stadium and campaigned for them to move elsewhere for 25 years.
The club confirmed that the cushioned seats in the affected block, which cost around £3,000 per season, will revert to 2024-25 campaign general admission tickets following discussions with supporters and its Supporters Advisory Board.
Stretford End is the most famous area of Old Trafford and is home to some of the club’s most vocal supporters.
The affected block (circled) will return to general admission beginning in the 2024-25 season
The International Suite, which does not include complimentary drinks or dinner on match day, was placed on the first level of Stretford End in the early 1990s.
Fans had long called for seats to go back to general admission and the issue was a key part of an open letter the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust wrote to the club in 2018.
Fans had denounced United as one of the only clubs to install executive seats in the noisiest part of their stadium.
The seats, which cost around £3,000 a year, are located in the International Suite at Old Trafford.
The decision to remove executive seats comes amid a concerted effort by the club to give fans a greater say in decision-making on issues related to fans attending matches.
United recently surveyed season ticket holders on how returned tickets for away games should be distributed and also introduced a “singing section” at the Stretford End, organized and run by a group called The Red Army (TRA ), to improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford. .
“Fans and fan groups, including MUST and TRA, have long campaigned for us to remove the executive seats from the heart of Stretford End and make them standard ticket and therefore more accessible to all fans.” said Rick McGagh, United’s head of fan engagement.
“We have listened and agree that as many fans as possible should have the chance to be a ‘Stretford Ender’. We have worked with our Fans Advisory Council over the past few months to make it happen and we are all looking forward to an even stronger Stretford End. loud as of August 2024”.