Manchester City’s decision to freeze ticket prices came after first proposing a 2.8 per cent increase at a meeting with supporters.
City moved to stick with their existing pricing for general season and matchday tickets ahead of the 2025-26 campaign following ‘constructive dialogue’ with fans.
The club’s Premier League mandated fan advisory board, City Matters, were presented with the plan for price rises across the board in line with the Consumer Price Index.
But following talks at that meeting, City opted to maintain the status quo after a decade of hikes – becoming the seventh Premier League to freeze prices this year in response to nationwide protests.
City met with City Matters last Thursday, 24 hours after thousands of fans demonstrated against the recently announced partnership with third-party seller Viagogo, one of the largest stadium protests in Premier League history.
Supporters – also agitated at general ticketing issues - remained on the concourse for the first nine minutes of their victory over Leicester City, with Pep Guardiola backing their right to protest.
There are concerns around the number of new season tickets available in a stadium that is currently being redeveloped and the distribution of seats after high-profile incidents have seen away fans infiltrate the home ends.
General admission tickets for the home clash against Aston Villa in a fortnight cost £71 and supporters claim the strategy needs a rethink. The Villa game, on April 22, is being potentially earmarked as another night to protest by supporter groups.
A City statement read: ‘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 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.’