Manchester United fans' anger after seats moved for ‘youth player development’

A Manchester United fan group is planning a protest after the club announced it would be moving their regular season ticket seats - to aid the development of young players.

The group, South Stand United, was formed after fans in block S122 of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand at Old Trafford were informed they would be moved in the 2024/25 season.

But the fans say they have been angered by the club's Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche, who says the change of location was to aid the development of young players.

“We believe, especially for our younger players, that having a side view of the action is optimal to their development and future performance, and being located close to the suite they access is also important,” Roche said in a letter to the fan group.

“It is also important these tickets are seated together with adequate supervision given the increasing profile of many of our younger and women’s team players.”

The group says it is planning a protest at United's FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool.

South Stand United bit back: “Who knew that all these years, fans were sitting on a gold mine of player potential in Block S122?

“Forget about the state-of-the-art training facilities or world-class coaching staff; it’s all about the angle of the dangle from the stands now.

“‘Pitch-Perfect View Turns Benchwarmers to Benchmarks’ the club might as well say.

“But here’s the kicker – the loyal legion of fans, those who’ve weathered storms and basked in glory, are the ones getting the boot, or rather, being ‘repositioned’ for this visionary masterstroke.”

United have issued a reminder of an existing statement on the issue.

It read: “We understand the disappointment caused to season ticket-holders by seat relocations.

"These happen for various reasons, including, next season, the moving of matchday hospitality seats into consolidated blocks to address fan concerns about them being dispersed around the stadium.

“Other changes next season include the removal of hospitality seating from the Stretford End and installation of further rail seating in the North-West Quadrant, bringing benefits to many fans but also causing some disruption.

“No additional hospitality seats are being created at the expense of season ticket-holders — in fact hospitality seating will reduce by more than 500 next season.

“We are committed to working with all season ticket holders affected by relocations to find them the best possible alternative seats elsewhere in the ground.”

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