Physical season tickets are a thing of the past in the Premier League.
Clubs now use digital systems where fans download tickets to their phones. The change has been accompanied at many clubs by stricter rules on how, and how often, ticket holders can transfer their tickets to other people.
At Manchester United, for example, fans can have their season ticket revoked if they do not attend or forward their ticket to approved friends and family members for at least 16 out of 19 Premier League fixtures.
Last season, the club moved 500 season ticket holders from seats they had used for years in order to accommodate an increase in hospitality tickets.
The Red Devils have made sweeping cuts to their workforce since the partial takeover by Ineos in 2024, including those working in ticketing.
The method of identifying suspicious accounts United have employed uses third-party software and is largely automated.
In a message sent to the club fans’ forum last week, after the first restrictions were sent out to supporters, United defended their approach and insisted the vast majority of those facing potential sanctions have misbehaved.
“Our recent operation focused on instances where multiple accounts displayed patterns of activity indicating they may have been centrally controlled, coordinated by the same individual, or operated using automated software,” they said.
“We are confident that the vast majority of accounts identified for misuse have been correctly flagged with the appropriate action taken.”
United conducted a crackdown on touting last season, cancelling 22,000 tickets for the first five home games of the season.
They regard that figure as “the tip of the iceberg” and believe around 10-15% of season tickets are controlled by touts.
A joint statement signed by United supporter organisations, fan clubs and fanzines acknowledged the need to crack down on touting but said the issue must be tackled appropriately.
“The club and its supporters share the same objective: ensuring tickets are used fairly by genuine Manchester United supporters while protecting the integrity of the ticketing system,” said the statement.
“That objective will only be achieved through trust, transparency, proportionate enforcement, better-designed systems and meaningful engagement.
“Taking time to review the current approach, engage with supporter representatives and restore confidence is in the interests of both the club and its supporters.”
