Manchester City fan trio calls for urgent review of club decision

Manchester City supporter representatives are coming together to call on the Club to promptly reevaluate and reverse a significant increase in season ticket prices.

The upcoming 2024/25 season will mark nearly a decade of continual increases in season ticket prices, with a recent decision to raise the cost of season-long access cards by an average of five percent across the Etihad Stadium.

Since the start of the Treble-winning season, the average season ticket price in Manchester City’s South Stand has risen from around £544 to an average of approximately £618 stadium-wide, showing an average increase of 13.5 percent.

In fact, the South Stand of the Etihad Stadium has seen the highest average increase since the start of the 2021/22 season, with a rise of nearly 25 percent compared to the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.

In response to the latest announcement of season ticket renewal costs, three Manchester City fan groups have united to express their disappointment to the media regarding the club’s treatment of their most loyal supporters.

A representative from the 1894 Group expressed “immense disappointment” and called on Manchester City to reconsider their decision to raise season ticket prices once again.

“The rise is immensely disappointing. There is no justification for it. We’d like the club to reconsider. People want a freeze, which is achievable. We’re in a situation now where they don’t need to wring every last bit out of the matchday revenue.”

City Matters chair Alex Howell highlighted the consistency of Manchester City’s price hikes and their impact during an ongoing cost of living crisis in the UK.

“At what point does the success on and off the pitch get passed to supporters? I echo the sentiment for the club to reverse the decision,” Howell emphasized. “In isolation, it’s not a huge rise but it’s the context of the past 10-15 years.”

MCFC Fans Foodbank Support shared their perspective, citing manager Pep Guardiola’s messaging during his time at the club and its contradiction to the current decisions impacting fans.

“Pep (Guardiola) always talks about ‘our people’ but it’s his friends in the boardroom who are making it more difficult for ‘our people’,” a spokesman stated. “Decisions like this are actively excluding them. It feels like we’re taken for granted.”

Manchester City fans holding season tickets for the Etihad Stadium have a limited time to decide on their season ticket future, with the renewal period drawing criticism online for its brevity.