Manchester United will allow season ticket holders to opt-out of cup competitions next season.
United supporters have been pushing for the club to allow cup games to be optional with season tickets for several years, with the club making them compulsory in 2007, and after consultation with the fans' forum and the new Fans' Advisory Board (FAB), the change will be implemented for next season.
The change in policy is the first significant outcome of United's promise to strengthen engagement with fans made a year ago, in the wake of the European Super League protests.
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The FAB has met twice since its launch in January, with Joel Glazer attending both meetings via video link.
Under current rules, season ticket holders are guaranteed their seats for all 19 Premier League home games and are obliged to buy all FA Cup and UEFA competition home games.
Under the new rules to be introduced for the 2022/23 season, fans will have the choice of a Premier League-only season ticket, with the option to add FA Cup, Carabao Cup and European tickets on a competition-by-competition basis.
Season ticket holders who opt out of a competition will be able to apply for cup tickets on a match-by-match basis, subject to availability, alongside official members.
A cup season ticket will also be introduced for the first time, guaranteeing access to all cup games at Old Trafford for official members.
A Manchester United Supporters' Trust spokesman said: "The ACS [auto cup scheme] was introduced initially as a convenient option for supporters who wanted to purchase every cup match, to save administration hassle.
"The club making this compulsory in the summer of 2007 caused widespread resentment and became a symbol of unpopular and punitive steps taken by the Glazers as it was perceived that it was forcing some fans to buy tickets for games they did not wish to attend.
"The removal of the compulsory nature of the ACS has been a long-standing ask for MUST and, while the club never took the issue off the table, it has clearly been slow-moving. The last six months have seen more detailed discussions on what removing it would actually look like, resulting in today’s announcement.
"There’s still a huge amount more we want from the club. But for today, this is a big win for match-going fans removing the running sore of the compulsory ACS."
Further flexibility will be provided by the launch of a ticket buy-back scheme, allowing fans to sell unwanted season tickets back to the club on a match-by-match basis where there is demand. This will be in addition to existing policies which enable tickets to be forwarded to official members or donated to the Manchester United Foundation.
Collette Roche, Manchester United Chief Operating Officer, said: “When the Fans’ Advisory Board (FAB) asked us to review our season ticket policies, we were pleased to work with them to explore options for providing fans with more choice and flexibility.
"We recognise that not all season ticket holders are able to attend every home game over the course of the season, and given the high demand, we want to increase the opportunities for official members to access seats that would otherwise go unused.
“We have listened to fans’ opinions and worked closely with the FAB and Fans’ Forum to agree reforms that will allow each season ticket holder to choose the option that works best for them. We believe this new offer provides flexibility and fairness for both our season ticket holders and official members."
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