Athletic Club cancels 1,019 VIP invitations at San Mamés and expects €1.3m boost

Athletic Club has confirmed the removal of 1,019 courtesy invitations at San Mamés, a decision explained by president Jon Uriarte on Thursday. The measure affects several groups within the club and is designed to free up seats for sale and bring in new members, with an estimated benefit of €1.3 million. Uriarte has defended the move as part of a plan to build a stronger, more competitive and sustainable Athletic, while acknowledging that not everyone affected has welcomed it.

• Athletic Club cancels 1,019 courtesy invitations at San Mamés and estimates a €1.3 million benefit.
• The men's first team loses 172 passes, former players lose 120 and the board of directors loses 88.
• The club will offer around 600 seats to academy players, sponsors, foundation companies and other sports groups.
• First-team players keep a preferential right to buy a set number of paid tickets per match.
• The waiting list to become a club member now exceeds 11,000 people.

How many invitations Athletic Club is withdrawing and who is affected

Uriarte broke down the distribution of the 1,019 cancelled invitations with the help of charts during his appearance. The board of directors loses 88 passes, while employee members give up 354, the largest group on the list. Former players see 120 invitations removed, former presidents 36 and the men's first team 172. The women's first team and Bilbao Athletic lose 102 invitations, along with 147 passes linked to other groups.

With the seats freed up, the club calculates an estimated benefit of €1.3 million. The aim is to increase the number of tickets available for general sale and to reduce a waiting list that already exceeds 11,000 people. Uriarte said many matches at San Mamés currently face unsatisfied demand for tickets.

The club will offer around 600 seats to academy players, sponsors, foundation companies and other sports groups. The men's first team retains a preferential right to buy a set number of paid tickets for each match.

Why Athletic Club needs to free up seats at San Mamés

The president stressed that the decision comes from the need to manage all the club's assets with maximum rigor, especially something as valuable as seats at San Mamés. The financial situation has been tight: in six of the last eight seasons, the club will record losses, Uriarte recalled.

Still, he made clear that Athletic is not operating under a war economy, but in a phase of expansion. He said one of the goals when he took over as president was to balance the books and bet on revenue growth. As part of that plan, a 35 percent increase has been applied to guarantee the growth of the men's first team.

For that to continue without tightening our belts, we need income. We are not in a war economy, but in expansion.

How the dressing room and former presidents reacted

Uriarte admitted that the measure has not been well received by everyone. Last week he met with the first-team captains to discuss the invitations and other issues that the squad felt had been left unresolved for four years and that affected other groups within the club. According to the president, the players expressed their dissatisfaction and raised areas for improvement, and the club has taken note so that everyone feels comfortable working at Athletic.

He was more critical of the reaction from some former presidents. Uriarte said he was hurt by the disproportionate response from part of that group, from whom he expected more empathy and understanding. He reminded that the goal is to avoid more painful decisions, such as selling key players or aggressively raising membership fees. He also highlighted the improvements made to the women's football structure over the past four years.

What Athletic Club gains from releasing seats

The club is looking to turn the freed-up seats into an additional source of revenue and a way to expand its membership base. The waiting list of more than 11,000 people shows that demand for season tickets and match seats far exceeds the current supply. With new tickets on sale, Athletic hopes to attract members who have been waiting for an opportunity.

Uriarte insisted that the final beneficiary is the club itself. He trusts that, once the explanations have been heard, the discontent among those affected will calm down. In his argument, he equates the management of seats with the rigorous administration of any other club asset.

Uriarte's relationship with the first team

The president also revealed one of the rules he set for himself after taking office: keeping a certain distance from the first team. He explained that going from admiring players to working side by side with them led him to establish that boundary to avoid the risk of wanting to be one of them. Even so, he says his door is always open and that he personally explained the decision to keep his distance to the squad.

Uriarte acknowledged that the distance hurts him, because he considers himself someone who is close to everyone. His relationship with the squad has been shaped by this policy, which now coexists with the preferential ticket-buying right that players keep for each match.