Sport

Manchester City confirm ticket stance for next season

'A step in the right direction.'

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 9th April 2025

Manchester City have revealed their stance on Premier League admission for next season, announcing a price freeze on season cards and game-by-game tickets.

Regular match-going Blues will be buzzing to hear that the cost of going to the ground won’t be increasing as expected after all, with the East Manchester side delighting supporters with news of a ticket freeze on all domestic league games for the 2025/26 campaign.

Although this season has been an up-and-down one for the recent Treble winners and record-breaking four-time consecutive Premier League champions, this will come as a nice surprise.

For context, Man City season ticket prices have gone up almost every year bar 2020 – when football was being played behind closed doors during the pandemic – for the past half a decade.

Confirming the decision in a brief statement shared on the club website and social media channels, City said that the outcome arrives following “the latest consultation meeting with its elected fan engagement programme, City Matters”.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Club would like to thank City Matters representatives for the feedback they provide on a range of topics relating to ticketing, and for sharing a broad range of perspectives from the fans they represent”, the statement continues. 

“The Club and City Matters will continue their ongoing discussions and consultations throughout the coming months around the evolution of the fan experience on matchday in the redeveloped and expanded Etihad Stadium.”

ADVERTISEMENT

In terms of the stadium expansion, not only do the ongoing works include increasing the fan capacity to more than 60,000, but they will also be accompanied by a new sky bar, roof walk and on-site hotel.

The official hotelier partners for ‘The Medlock’ were recently revealed too, which could prove to be a game-changer for making the Etihad Campus the ‘year-round entertainment destination’ they’ve been dreaming of.

Manchester City reveal name, official partner and more images of huge new Etihad Stadium hotel
No doubt, all-in-one ticket prices for Man City matches and hotel stay packages will be introduced too.

While a season ticket freeze is no doubt a good thing, the news has been met with a somewhat measured response by most fans, with one responding in the comments below: “That’s a good start, now let’s reduce them.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Popular fan podcast The City Ramble went on to add: “A step in the right direction now time to make tickets more affordable for everyone.”

Moreover, it’s also worth noting that this decision to freeze season tickets and general matchday admission only relates to the Premier League; Manchester City has yet to detail the prices for 25/26 cup games and European fixtures.

The lowest possible season ticket price at the Etihad Stadium currently is around £540 in the Family Stand/Colin Bell Stand/South Stand pitchside, with single match tickets starting from roughly £30 for juniors and approximately £58 for standard adults.

On the other hand, while averages range close to £800-900, the top end touch four figures and some single matchday tickets push the £75 mark.

Happy, Blues?

ADVERTISEMENT

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt to shift

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt on the bar on derby day

Man City have divided a fair few supporters after they sacked a barman for wearing a United shirt to their shift during the Manchester derby.

Although it’s not exactly surprising, the decision has ruffled plenty of feathers on both sides, as well as among neutral fans.

The Blues emerged victorious in the 197th clash between the two local rivals, winning 3-0 on an evening that paid tribute to the late, great Ricky Hatton, but another backstory looming over the fixture that caught the attention of football fans online was the City staff member who lost his job.

Working on concessions inside the Etihad Stadium before the game, the barman was made known to the official MCFC Matchday Support channel on X, who quickly confirmed he had been let go before the game even began.

In the since-deleted post, the home fan who reported the worker wrote: “Absolute joke – letting one of the bar staff in block 315 wear a United shirt on Derby Day.”

Although many City fans applauded the fast action by the club on the day, it’s fair to say that sacking him so soon that he didn’t even last until kick-off has rubbed many others the wrong way.

One Liverpool fan commented: “I hate United way more than City, but to sack him from a job because of an item of clothing is crazy. So, so poor from Manchester City, this. It’s just football lads, he’s not wearing a political or derogatory symbol. It’s literally a football team…”

Another neutral added: “Getting a minimum wage worker sacked for having a bit of fun instead of just winding him up is the absolute sad state this country is in.”

Even the ‘Out Of Context Football Manager‘ parody account chipped in, writing: “The guy’s been sacked for this. All he needed was a formal warning. I get he’s taking the p*ss – but losing a salary he might really need over this?!

While many have been even more outspoken in their response, as you can see, many supporters – be they Red or otherwise – have come up with arguably the perfect solution:

Manchester City are yet to comment on the backlash, apart from the initial confirmation that the still-anonymous staff member has been released from his position, but as for Man United, simply sticking him on the kiosks in the Stretford End could prove to be a very easy bit of positive PR.

Besides the growing frustration around the fanbase, as Ruben Amorim has yet to turn things around at Old Trafford (pressure was growing even before the derby day defeat), the Red Devils could no doubt do with some positive press for a change.

In fact, it was only earlier this year that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and the wider INEOS Sports administration sanctioned a second round of redundancies at United, with approximately 450 individuals losing their jobs.

That being said, although some have labelled the sacking of the now ex-City barman as “absolutely horrendous behaviour” for Man City, many jumped to quip back that “[United are] more likely to sack more bar staff, not hire them”, as well as simultaneously taking aim at their significant transfer spending.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Mataniels via X (now deleted)/The Manc Group

Sport

Salford Red Devils supporters group outline plans for the next major protest march

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Salford Red Devils supporters trust, The 1873, have outlined details of their next major march in protest over the club’s well-publicised ownership troubles and financial crisis.

The fan group, which has mobilised on multiple occasions already this year, is set to hit the streets once again this month and in larger numbers than ever, confirming another big demonstration before their next home game this weekend.

Sharing the update with fellow Red Devils on social media, 1837 leaders are demanding “truth and accountability from the top” ahead of the peaceful protest through Salford.

They have dubbed the event ‘The Last Rally’, but we can only assume there’ll be more fan action as the weeks and possibly months of uncertainty continue.

As you can see, The 1837 are calling for like-minded supporters to rally outside another nearby amateur rugby league football team, Salford City Roosters, before marching on to a second meeting point and, ultimately, the Salford Community Stadium.

Starting in Eccles, with a stop at Barley Farm, before arriving at their club’s home ground in Barton-upon-Irwell, the plan is to gather as much awareness, support and local attention as possible.

Writing in the caption of the above post, they added: “We’ve dominated headlines. We’ve exposed bad ownership. We’ve stood together.

“A history worth fighting for. A future worth protecting. Our last chance to be heard. Don’t stay silent. Make it count.”

Following a recent meeting of the RFL and the two Greater Manchester Mayors, Andy Burnham and Paul Dennett, Salford Red Devils were given somewhat of an even further stay of execution, as it was confirmed that their ‘winding up’/administration deadline has now been adjourned until October.

Nevertheless, the majority of fans are still being kept in the dark about the exact and up-to-date nature of their rugby league club’s situation at present.

Back in June, it looked like new investors could very well still be injecting vital funds to keep key players and staff on the books, but jump to now, and it looks like they don’t know if even things like the big screen even belong to them much longer.

Once again, the march and peaceful protest will take place this Friday, 19 September, prior to the next fixture against Wakefield Trinity.

Getting points on the board will no doubt be a big plus for all, but the game looks like it will very much serve as the backdrop to the wider ongoing saga.

Are you a Red Devils fan, and if so, will you be attending the demonstration? Better still, even if not, what do you make of the circumstances surrounding your side at the moment?

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Ben Whitehurst (supplied via X)

More Sport

Mayor Andy Burnham confirms Greater Manchester tribute plans for Ricky Hatton

Boroughs

Mayor Andy Burnham promises Greater Manchester will honour Ricky Hatton ‘properly’

Man City tributes to Ricky Hatton

Manchester

Manchester City dedicate derby win to late and beloved boxing blue, Ricky Hatton

Boxing great Ricky Hatton found dead at home, aged 46

News

Boxing great Ricky Hatton found dead at home, aged 46

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches