59% of Man Utd fans consider not renewing their season tickets
Wed 10th Mar 2010 | Clubs Ownership
The Times reports that as many as two thirds of Manchester United fans are considering not renewing their season tickets next season.
The study conducted by Virgin Money, seems to suggest that supporters are ready to abandon the club in protest of the Glazers ownership.
Fans have seen the average cost of season ticket increase by more than 40% since the Glazers took over the club in 2005. The effect has been that while there has traditionally been a long waiting list for season tickets as demand far outstripped supply, for the first time in living memory a limited number of season tickets were available on general sale last summer.
The club has been the subject of much speculation recently that fans could boycott the club in an attempt to drive the American owners out. Keith Harris, who is one of the figures heading the Red Knights bid to takeover the club, urged supporters to back their bid by refusing to attend matches.
The survey suggests that 15 per cent of season-ticket holders will give up their tickets completely, while another 44 per cent will only buy tickets for matches occasionally.
The study, which also included fans from all the other Premier League clubs notes that 54 per cent of Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters are considering giving up their season tickets.
According to reports yesterday, thousands of fans are preparing to boycott the opening ten minutes of tonight's Champions League match against AC Milan, leaving the television cameras to pan empty seats in a visual demonstration of anti-Glazer feeling. The prime mover behind the green and gold movement, the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) sought yesterday to play down talk of a mass boycott tonight - although the ploy may be used at other matches.
The backlash against season tickets comes despite figures showing that the cost of attending games has fallen by 6 per cent in the past year. According to the study, fans of Liverpool and Stoke City are the least likely to give up season tickets next year with just 9 per cent of supporters considering cut backs.
Percentage of fans considering cancelling season tickets
Manchester United 59
Wolves 54
Burnley 31
Fulham 29
Everton 28
Blackburn 28
Portsmouth 28
West Ham 27
Aston Villa 24
Sunderland 23
Wigan 21
Tottenham 19
Manchester City 18
Birmingham 17
Chelsea 17
Hull 17
Arsenal 14
Bolton 13
Liverpool 9
Stoke City 9
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