Hiking Up Season Ticket Prices Would Be Suicide

News sources report that the Glazers are considering increasing the season ticket prices at Old Trafford even further. Andy Mitten, founder of the United We Stand, described the potential move as a commercial suicide and I must agree with him.

The Glazers, trying to refinance the PIK loans and bringing in new sponsors in a hurry (three this week, quite impressive I must admit), are looking at the possibility of increasing the revenue by further hiking up the prices.

However, they cannot be that thick. Keith Harris called for a boycott of United games but insofar people have been reluctant to do that (and I think they're right, the aim is supposed to be saving the club from debt, not pushing it towards oblivion). But surely massive numbers of fans will give up their season tickets if the price is increased even further.

Since the Glazers took over the club, ticket prices have risen 48 percent. The season ticket waiting list is now a thing of the past and sometimes there are empty seats in the lower profile league games at Old Trafford, something that hasn't happened since 1992 as Mitten points out.

In these circumstances, as every other club freezes the prices due to the recession, an increase would be commercial suicide and would only increase the position of the protesters, the 'Red Knights' and whatever potential investors who are looking to take over the club.

So if the Glazers mean their oft-repeated stance that the club is not for sale then they simply cannot do it in my opinion. Because selling much fewer season tickets at an increased price does not sound as a very wise move: the money may be the same as if they sell every season ticket at a lower price but the huge empty chunks in the stands do not look good and could scare away the sponsors...

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