Manchester City Freezes Ticket Prices After Fan Protests, but Affordability Concerns Persist

Manchester City FC has announced a freeze on general admission season tickets and Premier League matchday ticket prices for the 2025/26 season, marking a rare concession to fan pressure after weeks of escalating protests. The decision, confirmed Wednesday, follows backlash over rising costs and a controversial partnership with third-party reseller Viagogo, which critics argued prioritized profit over accessibility for local supporters.

Fan Pressure Forces Change The move comes after a coordinated protest during City’s April 2 Premier League match against Leicester, where hundreds of fans delayed entering the Etihad Stadium for nine minutes, missing Jack Grealish’s early goal. Outside the venue, banners reading “MCFC For the [community] not the [corporates]” underscored frustrations over affordability and a perceived erosion of the club’s local identity. Seven fan groups had earlier sent an open letter to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, demanding price reductions and warning that younger and working-class supporters were being priced out.

The freeze applies to general admission season tickets and individual Premier League match tickets, with the club crediting its fan engagement program, City Matters, for facilitating “positive and constructive dialogue”. The elected 10-member network, established in 2018, represents diverse fan demographics—including under-25s, disabled supporters, and LGBTQ+ communities—and meets regularly with senior executives to address issues like ticketing and matchday operations.

A Partial Victory While the freeze is seen as a win for fan advocacy, many argue it fails to address systemic issues. Ticket prices have risen steadily in recent years, including a hike for the 2024/25 season that sparked some of the most vocal protests in the club’s modern history. Critics note that even with the freeze, City’s tickets remain among the Premier League’s priciest, particularly in the context of a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

“This is a step forward, but it’s not enough,” said a spokesperson for the 1894 Group, one of the organizing bodies behind the protests. “We need long-term guarantees that matchgoing fans won’t be treated as an afterthought”. Concerns also persist about the Viagogo partnership, which the club insists applies only to hospitality tickets but has raised fears of inflated resale prices.

Broader Challenges Ahead The decision arrives as City prepares to open the expanded North Stand at the Etihad in early 2026, a project that will add 7,900 seats and likely reignite debates over pricing and accessibility. Fan groups have urged the club to prioritize legacy supporters in allocating new seats, rather than catering to corporate or tourism-driven demand.

Manager Pep Guardiola, initially unaware of the protests, later acknowledged their significance: “Football clubs belong to the community. If fans disagree, they must speak—and the club must listen”.

For now, the freeze signals a détente, but with the Premier League’s Fan Engagement Standard requiring closer collaboration between clubs and supporters, City faces ongoing pressure to balance commercial ambitions with its working-class roots. As one protester’s banner warned: “Progress isn’t profit.”