Imagine paying thousands of pounds just for the right to buy a Manchester United season ticket—before you’ve even picked your seat.
That’s one of the bold ideas now being floated as the club explores plans for a brand-new, ultra-modern stadium.
American-Style Pricing Model Being Explored
In what would be a major shake-up for Premier League fans, Manchester United are reportedly looking into introducing a Personal Seat Licence (PSL) system.
It’s a method already used widely in the NFL and other US sports leagues, but it’s virtually unheard of in English football.
Here’s how it would work: supporters would pay up to £4,000 upfront to secure the rights to a specific seat at the new stadium.
That license would last for 30 years, and every season, the holder would have first dibs to buy a season ticket for that seat.
But if they skip a season, they lose the licence altogether.
Still Just an Idea, Not a Done Deal
Before fans panic, club officials have made it clear that nothing is set in stone.
These proposals are part of a broader list of ideas being tested during an early consultation phase.
US-based consultants CSL International presented these suggestions to fan focus groups earlier in July.
The club says it’s still in the exploratory stage, aiming to understand how fans feel about various pricing models for the proposed stadium.
A £2 Billion Vision for the Future
The context behind all this? Manchester United’s ambitious plan to build a new 100,000-seat stadium, potentially right next to Old Trafford.
The design—crafted by renowned architect Lord Norman Foster—would be part of a massive regeneration project for the surrounding area.
While the club is hoping for some government support to fund wider infrastructure, the actual stadium construction would be financed privately.
And that’s where ideas like PSLs come in—as potential revenue generators.
What Would Fans Get in Return?
Supporters who buy a PSL wouldn’t get a free season ticket.
They’d still need to pay separately every year.
What they would have is exclusive access to that same seat for three decades.
This system has raised eyebrows, and rightly so.
Current adult season tickets at Old Trafford cost between £608 and £1,121—and that’s already up 5% from last season.
Adding a multi-thousand-pound licence on top would mark a seismic shift in affordability for many fans.
Lessons From Across the Pond
In the United States, PSLs are standard practice.
For example, fans of the San Francisco 49ers have paid up to £60,000 for a seat licence at Levi’s Stadium.
When Stan Kroenke’s Los Angeles Rams launched the SoFi Stadium, some seat licences were reportedly priced as high as £166,000.
Even Barcelona and Real Madrid have dabbled in this territory, selling pricey seat licences in the VIP sections of their stadiums to wealthy patrons to help fund renovations.
Targeting the Corporate Crowd?
It’s worth noting that United’s new stadium—if built—is expected to have around 20% of its capacity reserved for corporate clients.
That could mean this PSL approach ends up being targeted mainly at business partners and VIPs, rather than the average season ticket holder.
Still, the idea of even a limited PSL rollout is likely to meet resistance among the fanbase, especially in a league where this kind of system has never been the norm.
What’s Next for United Fans?
The club insists this is just a preliminary discussion.
Focus group feedback is being reviewed, and a broader fan survey is expected soon.
The goal, they say, is to gather honest opinions and refine the proposals before anything becomes official.
So while there’s no need to panic just yet, supporters may want to start paying close attention.
The future of how fans pay to watch Manchester United could be on the brink of a major transformation.
