Manchester United’s proposal to sell personal seat licences (PSLs) to help fund a £2bn Old Trafford redevelopment has been thrown into uncertainty after the UK government announced a major crackdown on ticket resales.
United had been exploring a PSL model that would allow fans to buy the right to a specific seat for decades and, crucially, to resell that licence at a profit—a system widely used in American sports. But new legislation, set for next year’s king’s speech, will ban selling sports and music tickets above face value, effectively eliminating profitable secondary markets.
Government sources say they would oppose any attempt by United to create a resale system for seat licences, even though football ticket resales are already illegal under the 1994 Criminal Justice Act.
United’s plan, which fans have been surveyed on in recent months, proposed:
- PSLs only for the most premium seats
- Fans still paying separately for season tickets
- The right to keep the same seat every season
- Loss of the licence if the fan stops buying a season ticket
PSLs differ from existing UK debentures at Wimbledon or Twickenham, which operate as loans and are repaid; the government does not view those as secondary ticketing.
With resale profits now likely to be banned, United may need to reduce prices or rethink the model entirely, with reports suggesting PSLs were being considered at £4,000 for a 30-year term.
The club declined to comment but has said privately it will comply with all legislation.
