Man Utd 'consider cutting £40k-a-year payment' to club's disabled supporters association
Manchester United's disabled supporters' association celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2024 but could fall victim to part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting measures
by Tom Victor · The MirrorManchester United have looked into halving the sum they currently pay to their disabled supporters association, it has been claimed.
The Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association, established in 1989, claims to be the oldest Disabled Football Association in the world. United are understood to currently pay the group £40,000 per year, but fresh reports indicate it could suffer as budget cuts continue at the Premier League club.
Since part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over at the start of the year, there have been a number of cuts put in place. Some of the measures have saved millions, such as the decision to end Sir Alex Ferguson's ambassador deal, while others save smaller sums.
MUDSA welcomed former United star Denis Irwin for their anniversary dinner in early November, with the event taking place at Old Trafford, but it remains to be seen what impact any reduction in the payment from United would mean for the association going forward. Mirror Football has approached Manchester United for comments.
According to The Mail, United are 'reluctantly' considering cutting the £40,000 annual payment in half. The publication stresses that a final decision on the matter has yet to be made.
The same report also suggests there has been no confirmation on whether the annual MUDSA Christmas party - where some tickets are subsidised through that five-figure payment - will be held in 2024. The event has taken place every year since 1989, with the exception of the Covid-affected 2020 plans, though talks over this year's edition are said to still be on the horizon.
A number of current and former United stars, including Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, have had interviews shared on MUDSA's website. Treble-winning defender Irwin has also spoken highly of the group and of its secretary Chas Banks, who died in 2024.
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"Obviously he's part of the furniture here at Manchester United, " said Irwin, who laid a wreath for Banks before United's Carabao Cup game against Leicester in October. "I knew him very well.
"Before every Christmas do, the players used to pop down here and attend the disabled supporters' branch's Christmas do as well, and meet everybody, so great memories of Chas. Obviously he grew up around the area, [was] a huge Manchester United fan.
"He'd done so much, particularly in the last few years, in improving the facilities for the disabled branch... the new viewing platform in different parts of the ground. But yeah, he had a great partnership with Richard Arnold and Manchester United as a whole, and the players used to love coming down here and meeting the supporters, and real fond memories of Chas."
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