Man Utd considering 'seat licences' for new stadium

- Published
Manchester United are considering introducing stadium seat licences in their proposed new £2bn stadium.
The idea was mentioned in a document sent to season ticket holders, official members and hospitality purchasers on Thursday surveying preferred options for the 100,000-capacity arena United hope to build close to Old Trafford.
Seat licences are an American concept and allow supporters to pay a certain amount of money over an extended period of time to give them the right to buy the same seat.
It is envisaged only those fans intending to buy a season ticket would purchase a licence. The club stress supporters will be able to buy a season ticket without one.
United say no decision has been made on actual pricing but each part of the ground has been given an indicative season ticket price, ranging from £570 for a general area ticket in the corner of the upper tier of the east stand, to £4,830 for the lower tier of the stand opposite the dug-outs.
Indicative prices for hospitality areas rise to £424,800 for a 16-seat large private box in the middle tier of the main stand, level with the halfway line.
United say testing a wide range of pricing options represents best practice and that "exploring the possibility of personal seat licences could form part of the commercial case for the major investment which would be required to build a new stadium".
Fans have also been asked about the importance of safe standing and the location of the club's museum.
There are plenty who question whether the new stadium will ever be built. Doubt has been cast on the viability of selling the required amount of corporate facilities to pay back the financing, which is yet to be determined, at a period of wider economic uncertainty and the team's chronic form.
Even some inside the club acknowledge it is a tall order, although they point to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ability to finalise deals as a genuine reason for optimism.
However, more than six months after he first suggested there might be spades in the ground by the end of the year, United are not even close to being in a position to submit a planning application.