Cash-strapped Manchester United sell Old Trafford turf cubes for £125 each

Manchester United are selling small cubes of turf dug up from Old Trafford’s pitch this summer for £125 each, a fundraising move that has attracted widespread attention given the club’s worsening financial position.

The 7x7cm “pitch cubes” were salvaged when United completely relaid the Old Trafford surface in June — the first full replacement in 14 years. The club has promoted the keepsakes across social media and via direct emails to supporters, describing each cube as “a priceless memento of iconic games played at home.”

The timing has raised eyebrows. On Wednesday, United published their end-of-year financial results, revealing record revenues of £677.6m for the 2024/25 season alongside an overall loss of £43m — up from a £33m loss the previous year. The club’s debt levels have also continued to climb, partly due to shifts in interest rates and the refinancing of bonds in June. United insiders acknowledged that stabilising the business still requires “hard work and financial discipline.”

This is not the first time the club has monetised its pitch. In 1999, United sold a limited-edition paperweight containing turf from the previous 11 years, priced at £45. The current offering, at nearly three times that price, reflects both inflation and the premium the club believes its global fanbase will bear.

The product listing on United’s official website pitches the cubes as suitable for display in a cabinet alongside other Manchester United collectables, or as a gift for “passionate Reds.” Whether supporters consider the price reasonable for a 7x7cm block of grass is another matter — but the juxtaposition of a nine-figure annual loss and a £125 piece of turf has not been lost on observers.