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Sir Alex Ferguson has revived the 'prawn sandwich' debate by complaining about the lack of noise from the fans in the game against Birmingham City. Perhaps the pricing structure at Old Trafford reflects the club's search for fans with deep pockets rather than loud voices? The average cost of a ticket has risen from £26.50 in 2004-5 to £34 three seasons later and is expected to continue to rise at a rate above inflation. The most expensive non-corporate seat is £44 which is far lower than £65 at Chelsea and £94 at Arsenal. In their business plan in 2006 the Glazers stated that 'while Premiership teams in the north of England have historically been viewed as having a lower-wealth fan base, the perceived gulf in fan wealth is not enormous' and that 'in the context of the quality of the Old Trafford experience, the club's tickets have been undervalued.' To put it another way, Cheshire is the northern equivalent of Surrey.
The real money comes from supporters in the corporate seats, of which there are slightly more than 9,000 (compared with 3,000 for away fans). In the Europa Suite, tickets are £425 a head plus VAT although that does include 'fine cuisine'. United have 1,000 executive boxes whereas Liverpool have just 32 which gives some idea why the rival clubs are so mismatched when it comes to commercial revenue. United's match-day income is more than £35m, well over double that at Anfield. Perhaps that is reflected in the respective positions of the two clubs in the table and hence a quiet ground is a price worth paying. In any case, grounds everywhere may have become quieter with the changing demographic of supporters and more rigorous stewarding.
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