Manchester United’s operations were put under the microscope during a panel discussion on April 30 at SportsPro Live.
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in Manchester United, the billionaire has attempted to catalyse a transformation and return the club to its glory days. However, recent decisions have received negative feedback from both supporters and the wider football ecosystem.
Laura Williamson, Editor in Chief at The Athletic, jokingly remarked that she “wouldn’t change a thing” when asked how she would improve the Premier League club if she were the CEO.
This statement pointed to the multiple headlines United has generated this season. One of which was the Dan Ashworth saga, highlighted by Williamson when discussing something she would look to change.
“They’ve got to have the business side of the operation and then have a director of football in, who hasn’t made his name in cycling,” she said. “All that money and all that gardening leave and five months later [Ashworth] was out the door and we’re back to square one again.”
While trying to improve on pitch success is the main aim for Ratcliffe, he has been very vocal about the lack of money the club has to spend. This has seen him painted as a Scrooge-like character, axing jobs and removing bonuses from workers.
These cost-cutting measures place greater scrutiny on Ratcliffe when expensive decisions such as Ashworth don’t work out. Williamson stated these actions have taken away from what Manchester United stands for.
“You still get a watch for 35 years of service, although you won’t because he [Ratcliffe] will cut it, but it’s that sort of establishment,” she said.
Could the women’s team be the answer?
Maggie Murphy, former CEO of Lewes Football Club, suggested that selling a stake in the women’s team would be among her top priorities if she were CEO of Manchester United.
She explained, by selling up to 30% and allowing someone else to run this side of the club, Ratcliffe could see significant financial returns in around five years. Murphy also noted United could implement legislation ensuring they have the opportunity to buy back the stake first.
This approach has already been explored by Chelsea, which recently separated its women’s and men’s operations. Currently, United’s women’s team generates around £7m in revenue, similar to that of a League Two club.
The split aims to ensure the women’s team has its own dedicated resources and is treated as a priority, something that does not seem to be the case at Manchester United. Murphy emphasised this point, stating that her first action as CEO would be attending the women’s FA Cup final, something Omar Berrada, the current CEO, failed to do last season.
