Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has addressed the club’s decision to increase the price of season tickets for the 2024/25 campaign.
Manchester City, who clinched a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title last month, announced another wave of price increases to season tickets for the 2024/25 campaign in March, leading to major backlash from supporters.
The club announced an increase by an average of around six per cent, aligning themselves with clubs throughout the Premier League in increasing costs for next season.
Since the start of the 2021/22 season, City Xtra understand that the average price of an adult season ticket in the South Stand region of the Etihad Stadium will have risen by 24.2 per cent, with many supporters forced to give up their season ticket as a result.
The decision was met with fierce retaliation from all major Manchester City supporter groups, with fans also protesting the decision at a Premier League game in April, with a banner in the South Stand of the east Manchester stadium.
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has now addressed the latest price hike during an in-house interview, saying: “We’re talking very closely to fans to make sure we’re able to strike that balance in an appropriate way. It’s a balance. I recognize some obviously are not satisfied on the pricing. We have to find solutions.
“We have to work this out, but also grow and find right commercial avenues to continue to grow and generate revenue, which inevitably then comes back to support the team and success that you’ve seen and will continue to see.
“This is a very delicate issue for sure. I appreciate the feelings of our fans when it comes to a very important aspect, which is the price of a ticket.
“I want to try to explain this very difficult balance between investing, growing, meeting more demand, being sustainable, financially viable. At the same time, taking care of our core fans, making sure they have affordable tickets and continue to enjoy.
“We need to find ways to generate capital and revenue. Every pound coming out from that revenue has been reinvested in the team and continues to be reinvested in the team.”
Manchester City will begin the 2024/25 campaign with an FA Community Shield clash against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in August, with the potential for Pep Guardiola’s side to play a record number of matches, following the expansion of both the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup next season.
