The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand executive box at Manchester United is at the top end of the club’s corporate hospitality at Old Trafford (Picture: Manchester United, manutd.com)
Manchester United’s priciest VIP box for next season comes with champagne and fine dining as part of a £136,000 package.
The executive space, in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, offers a ‘premium’ drinks and food menu and ‘outstanding’ views of the Old Trafford pitch.
The berth at the club where Ruben Amorim has taken over as head coach is the most expensive hospitality option for the 2024-2025 season.
The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand Box on Level 3 has gone on sale as fans campaign against rising Premier League ticket prices across the board and with the legendary manager preparing to leave his role as club ambassador at the end of the season.
Match days in the private box include a five-course, fine dining menu with a starter, main, dessert, cheese and petit fours.
An all-inclusive complimentary bar features champagne, sommelier-selected wines and premium spirits.
Guests will be able to watch all home Premier League, domestic cup and European games from private outdoor balcony seating, with further perks including a framed signed shirt and matchday programmes.
A smart dress code applies, except for children under 12.
The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand Box on Level 3 at Old Trafford caters for fans wanting a premium match day experience (Picture: Manchester United, manutd.com)
Manchester United maintains that, based on expected games per season, the VIP suite costs around £600 per person, per game – less than comparable products sold by clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal.
The price secures the space hosting a minimum of eight people. The marketing does not specify how many of the boxes are available.
Also available are seats in the 1878 hospitality space at a price of £18,240 each. The cost includes a ‘refined atmosphere and exceptional service’, also in the Sir Alex Ferguson stand.
A steak main course is the headline dish of the five-course, fine dining menu, with a bar offering premium wine, spirits, cocktails and champagne.
Corporate hospitality has been a growth sector as Premier League clubs increasingly cater for a market that has been disparagingly termed ‘the prawn sandwich brigade’ after remarks by Roy Keane two decades ago.
Kieran Maguire, a football finance analyst at the University of Liverpool, said: ‘Football is more popular than ever and owners are catering to the corporate and non-season ticket sectors as demand exceeds supply at the biggest clubs, so putting up prices increases revenue at a time when broadcast income for the Premier League domestic deal has flatlined.
Customers buying corporate packages for the forthcoming season will hope for more star quality from Alejandro Garnacho (Picture: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
‘Corporate partners want to entertain their clients and providing lavish surroundings at an entertainment event such as top flight football to impress others is one way of making an impression.’
Maguire, who co-hosts The Price of Football podcast, added: ‘Clubs such as Manchester United know that there is a long line of potential customers willing to pay ever-increasing sums for tickets.
‘It’s not just the ticketing for Oasis, Manchester’s other stars, which shows that fans will pay big sums to see an event.
‘Therefore prices are likely to continue to rise until people stop buying, but with an estimated 1.1 billion followers per the club’s own figures, it is likely to be a very long-term approach.’
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has a stand bearing his name at Old Trafford (Picture: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United chief executive David Gill (right) announces the name changing of Old Trafford’s North Stand to the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson Stand’ (Picture: Getty)
Roy Keane took a swipe at Old Trafford’s pampered fans in 2000 when he said that the home supporters were probably too busy eating prawn sandwiches rather than cheering on the Reds at a Champions League game against Dynamo Kyiv.
Luxury catering across Premier League grounds has since entered a new era, with Fulham unveiling a ‘Sky Deck’ hospitality area boasting views of the Thames, two Michelin Star restaurants and a rooftop swimming pool earlier this year.
At the same time, ticket prices for ordinary fans are increasing across the board. In September, a motion tabled by 24 MPs stated that 19 out of 20 clubs — with Crystal Palace being the only exception— had upped the cost in the present season.
The members said: ‘Top-flight clubs increasingly seem intent on replacing long-time season ticket holders with increased numbers of hospitality clients and one-off visitors who are more willing to accept high prices.’
Manchester United attracts considerable loyalty from fans at home and abroad (Picture: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
The MPs want a new independent football regulator to produce a report on pricing and for clubs to undertake a review of concessionary rates.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) is currently running its #stopexploitingloyalty campaign, claiming that ‘club owners and executives see regular match goers as a resource to be bled dry rather than valued.’ Research by the FSA suggests that prices have gone up around 7% on average with a ‘widespread attack’ on concessionary prices.
The vast majority of tickets for games at Old Trafford are sold to season ticket holders and official members at general admission prices.
The club maintains that it has a range of hospitality options at different price points from ‘grab and go’ street food to five-course fine dining menus.
The hospitality is sold on a game-by-game basis as matchday VIP packages and on a seasonal basis as executive club membership, which sells out every season.
The ‘relaxed’ entry level options start at just £137 per game and range up to the most premium experiences Old Trafford has to offer.
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