Manchester City confirmed yesterday that the FA Youth Cup Final will be played in their academy stadium with a tiny capacity of just 7,000. As a result, Manchester United fans have been given a pitiful allocation of just 968 tickets. When you consider 60,000 reds attended our last FA Youth Cup final in 2022 it’s a slap in the face for a club that has such a long and rich history with the competition.
With City unable to find a date where they can host the game at the Etihad, United offered Old Trafford as a venue for the final, which was turned down by the blues who had been drawn as the home team for the final. It’s not just the fans and kids who City are denying access to a live final, but their own academy players of having the first opportunity of their career to play in front of a huge crowd.
Manchester United Supporter’s Trust (MUST) released a statement urging for the location of the final to be swapped to Old Trafford.
The news that the FA Youth Cup Final, a great fixture which has heralded so many superstars of the future, is to be played in a stadium of just 6,000 people is a disgrace. Last time United were in the final we had 67,000 fans in Old Trafford so allowing this massive game to be played in front of such a paltry few fans is letting down supporters and denying these young footballers the biggest night of their careers so far. The FA needs to step in and ensure the game can be played at either the Etihad or Old Trafford. Time to put fans first for once.
United have a long-reaching history in the competition winning it more times than any other club, 11, and also being runners up on four occasions. We were the first team to win it with our legendary Busby Babes side who won it for five consecutive years. Duncan Edwards was the first player to score a hattrick in the competition. We hold the record attendance of 67,492 for our victorious final against Nottingham Forest in 2022.
