RISK FACTORS

An investment in our Class A ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider the following risks before deciding to invest in our Class A ordinary shares. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow could be materially impaired. The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares could decline due to any of these risks, and you could lose all or part of your investment. When determining whether to buy our Class A ordinary shares in this offering, you should also read carefully the other information in this prospectus, including our financial statements and related notes thereto.

Risks Related to Our Business

If we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation, particularly in new markets, or if events occur that damage our brand and reputation, our ability to expand our follower base, sponsors, and commercial partners or to sell significant quantities of our products may be impaired.

The success of our business depends on the value and strength of our brand and reputation. Our brand and reputation are also integral to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our follower base, sponsors and commercial partners. To be successful in the future, particularly outside of Europe, we believe we must preserve, grow and leverage the value of our brand across all of our revenue streams. For instance, we have in the past experienced, and we expect that in the future we will continue to receive, a high degree of media coverage. Unfavorable publicity regarding our first team's performance in league and cup competitions or their behavior off the field, our ability to attract and retain certain players and coaching staff or actions by or changes in our ownership, could negatively affect our brand and reputation. Failure to respond effectively to negative publicity could also further erode our brand and reputation. In addition, events in the football industry as whole, even if unrelated to us, may negatively affect our brand or reputation. As a result, the size, engagement, and loyalty of our follower base and the demand for our products may decline. Damage to our brand or reputation or loss of our followers' commitment for any of these reasons could impair our ability to expand our follower base, sponsors and commercial partners or our ability to sell significant quantities of our products, which would result in decreased revenue across our five revenue streams, and have a material adverse effect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our brand and reputation.

In addition, maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation may require us to make substantial investments. We cannot assure you that such investments will be successful. Failure to successfully maintain and enhance the Manchester United brand or our reputation or excessive or unsuccessful expenses in connection with this effort could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Our business is dependent upon our ability to attract and retain key personnel, including players.

We are highly dependent on members of our management, coaching staff and our players. Competition for talented players and staff is, and will continue to be, intense. Our ability to attract and retain the highest quality players for our first team, reserve team and youth academy as well as coaching staff is critical to our first team's success in league and cup competitions and increasing popularity and, consequently, critical to our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow. Any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager. A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players. In addition, our popularity in certain countries or regions may depend, at least in part, on fielding certain players from those countries or regions. While we enter into employment contracts with each of our key personnel with the aim of securing their services for the term of the contract, the retention of their services for the full term of the contract cannot be guaranteed due to possible contract disputes or approaches by other clubs. Our failure to attract and retain key personnel could have a negative impact on our ability to effectively manage and grow our business.

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We are dependent upon the performance and popularity of our first team.

Our revenue streams are driven by the performance and popularity of our first team. Significant sources of our revenue are the result of historically strong performances in English domestic and European competitions, specifically the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League. Our income varies significantly depending on our first team's participation and performance in these competitions. Our first team's performance affects all five of our revenue streams:

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sponsorship revenue through sponsorship relationships;



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retail, merchandising, apparel & product licensing revenue through product sales;



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new media & mobile revenue through telecom partnerships and our website;



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broadcasting revenue through the frequency of appearances and performance based share of league broadcasting revenue and Champions League prize money; and



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matchday revenue through ticket sales.

Our first team currently plays in the Premier League, the top football league in England. Our performance in the Premier League directly affects, and a weak performance in the Premier League could adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow. For example, our revenue from the sale of products, media rights, tickets and hospitality would fall considerably if our first team were relegated from (or otherwise ceased to play in) the Premier League, the Champions League or the Europa League.

We cannot ensure that our first team will be successful in the Premier League or in the other leagues and tournaments in which it plays. Relegation from the Premier League or a general decline in the success of our first team, particularly in consecutive seasons, would negatively affect our ability to attract or retain talented players and coaching staff, as well as supporters, sponsors and other commercial partners, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, our business could suffer.

The planned growth of our commercial operations may place a significant strain on our management and on our operational and financial resources and systems. To manage growth effectively, we will need to maintain a system of management controls, and attract and retain qualified personnel, as well as, develop, train and manage management-level and other employees. Failure to manage our growth effectively could cause us to over-invest or under-invest in infrastructure, and result in losses or weaknesses in our infrastructure, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow. Any failure by us to manage our growth effectively could have a negative effect on our ability to achieve our development and commercialization goals and strategies.

If we are unable to maintain, train and build an effective international sales and marketing infrastructure, we will not be able to commercialize and grow our brand successfully.

As we grow, we may not be able to secure sales personnel or organizations that are adequate in number or expertise to successfully market and sell our brand and products on a global scale. If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capability, train our sales force effectively or provide any other capabilities necessary to commercialize our brand internationally, we will need to contract with third parties to market and sell our brand. If we are unable to establish and maintain compliant and adequate sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be able to increase our revenue, may generate increased expenses, and may not continue to be profitable.

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It may not be possible to renew or replace key commercial agreements on similar or better terms, or attract new sponsors.

Our Commercial revenue for each of the years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011 represented 23.7%, 27.0% and 31.2% of our total revenue, respectively. The substantial majority of our commercial revenue is generated from commercial agreements with our sponsors, and these agreements have finite terms. When these contracts do expire, we may not be able to renew or replace them with contracts on similar or better terms or at all. Our most important commercial contracts include contracts with global, regional, mobile, media and supplier sponsors representing industries including financial services, automotive, beverage, airline, timepiece, betting and telecommunications, which typically have contract terms of two to five years.

If we fail to renew or replace these key commercial agreements on similar or better terms, we could experience a material reduction in our Commercial and sponsorship revenue. Such a reduction could have a material adverse effect on our overall revenue and our ability to continue to compete with the top football clubs in England and Europe.

As part of our business plan, we intend to continue to grow our sponsorship portfolio by developing and expanding our geographic and product categorized approach, which will include partnering with additional global sponsors, regional sponsors, and mobile and media operators. We may not be able to successfully execute our business plan in promoting our brand to attract new sponsors. We are subject to certain contractual restrictions under our sponsorship agreement with Nike that may affect our ability to expand on our categories of sponsors, including certain restrictions on our ability to grant sponsorship, suppliership, advertising and promotional rights to certain types of businesses. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in implementing our business plan or that our Commercial and sponsorship revenue will continue to grow at the same rate as it has in the past or at all. Any of these events could negatively affect our ability to achieve our development and commercialization goals, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Negotiation and pricing of key media contracts are outside our control and those contracts may change in the future.

For each of the years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011, 32.7%, 39.4% and 39.8% of our Broadcasting revenue, respectively, was generated from the media rights for Champions League matches, and 53.1%, 51.3% and 51.4% of our Broadcasting revenue, respectively, was generated from the media rights for Premier League matches. Contracts for these media rights and certain other revenue for those competitions (both domestically and internationally) are negotiated collectively by the Premier League and the Union of European Football Associations ("UEFA"). We are not a party to the contracts negotiated by the Premier League and UEFA. Further, we do not participate in and therefore do not have any direct influence on the outcome of contract negotiations. As a result, we may be subject to media rights contracts with media distributors with whom we may not otherwise contract or media rights contracts that are not as favorable to us as we might otherwise be able to negotiate individually with media distributors. Furthermore, the limited number of media distributors bidding for Premier League and Champions League media rights may result in reduced prices paid for those rights and, as a result, a decline in revenue received from our media contracts.

In addition, although an agreement has been reached for the sale of Premier League domestic broadcasting rights through the end of the 2015/16 football season and Premier League international broadcasting rights through the end of the 2012/13 football season and for the sale of Champions League broadcasting rights through the end of the 2014/15 football season, future agreements may not maintain our current level of Broadcasting revenue. Or, if international broadcasting revenue becomes an increasingly large portion of total revenue for the Premier League, a single club's domestic success and corresponding revenue may be outweighed by international media rights, which are distributed among all domestic clubs in even proportion. As a result, success of our first team in the Premier League could become less of an overall competitive advantage.

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Future intervention by the European Commission, the European Court of Justice (the "ECJ") or other competent authorities and courts having jurisdiction may also have a negative effect on our revenue from media rights. For example, on October 4, 2011, the ECJ ruled on referrals it had received from English courts involving the cases of the Premier League & others vs. QC Leisure & Others / Karen Murphy vs. Media Protection Services. The ruling held that any agreement designed to guarantee country-by-country exclusivity within the European Union (the "EU") (i.e. by stopping any cross-border provision of broadcasting services) is deemed to be anti-competitive and prohibited by EU competition law. The ECJ also addressed copyright matters and determined that (i) there is no copyright in an actual football match itself but there is copyright in other elements such as the broadcast of the match or the copyright holder's logo and music; (ii) a copyright is not infringed where a member of the public in the EU buys a decoder and card from within the EU and watches a match in his own home; and (iii) a copyright may be infringed where commercial premises broadcast a match to the public. This decision has created uncertainty as to the commercial viability of copyright holders continuing to adopt the same country-by-country sales model within the EU as they have adopted previously. A change of sales model could negatively affect the amount which copyright holders, such as the Premier League, are able to derive from the exploitation of rights within the EU. As a result, our Broadcasting revenue from the sale of those rights could decrease. Any significant reduction in our Broadcasting revenue could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

European competitions cannot be relied upon as a source of income.

Qualification for the Champions League is dependent upon our first team's performance in the Premier League and, in some circumstances, the Champions League itself in the previous season. Qualification for the Champions League cannot, therefore, be guaranteed. Failure to qualify for the Champions League would result in a material reduction in revenue for each season in which our first team did not participate.

In addition, our participation in the Champions League or Europa League may be influenced by factors beyond our control. For example, the number of places in each league available to the clubs of each national football association in Europe can vary from year to year based on a ranking system. If the performance of English clubs in Europe declines, the number of places in each European competition available to English clubs may decline and it may be more difficult for our first team to qualify for each league in future seasons. Further, the rules governing qualification for European competitions (whether at the European or national level) may change and make it more difficult for our first team to qualify for each league in future seasons.

Moreover, because of the prestige associated with participating in the European competitions, particularly the Champions League, failure to qualify for any European competition, particularly for consecutive seasons, would negatively affect our ability to attract and retain talented players and coaching staff, as well as supporters, sponsors and other commercial partners. Any one or more of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flow.

Our business depends in part on relationships with certain third parties.

We consider the development of both our commercial and digital media assets to be central to our ongoing business plan and drivers of future growth. However, we do not currently have retail, merchandising and apparel operations in-house. For example, our contract with Nike provides them with certain rights to operate our global merchandising, product licensing and retail operations. While we have a significant degree of control over MUTV, we rely on MUTV for certain production capabilities with respect to video content for our digital media assets. While we have been able to execute our business plan to date with the support of Nike and MUTV, we remain subject to these contractual provisions and our business plan could be negatively impacted by non-compliance or poor execution of our strategy by these partners. Further, any interruption in our ability to obtain the services of these or other third parties or deterioration in their performance could negatively impact these portions of our operations. Furthermore, if our arrangements with

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any of these third parties are terminated or modified against our interest, we may not be able to find alternative solutions for these portions of our business on a timely basis or on terms favorable to us or at all.

In the future, we may enter into additional licensing arrangements permitting third parties to use our brand and trademarks. Although we take steps to carefully select our licensing partners, such arrangements may not be successful. Our licensing partners may fail to fulfill their obligations under their license agreements or have interests that differ from or conflict with our own. For example, we are dependent on our sponsors and commercial partners to effectively implement quality controls over products using our brand or trademarks. The inability of such sponsors and commercial partners to meet our quality standards could negatively affect consumer confidence in the quality and value of our brand, which could result in lower product sales. Any one or more of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flow.

We are exposed to credit related losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties to Premier League and UEFA media contracts as well as our key commercial and transfer contracts.

We derive the substantial majority of our Broadcasting revenue from media contracts negotiated by the Premier League and Champions League with media distributors, and although the Premier League obtains guarantees to support certain of its media contracts, typically in the form of letters of credit issued by commercial banks, it remains our single largest credit exposure. We derive our commercial and sponsor revenue from certain corporate sponsors, including global, regional, mobile, media and supplier sponsors in respect of which we may manage our credit risk by seeking advance payments, installments and/or bank guarantees where appropriate. The substantial majority of this revenue is derived from a limited number of sources. During the year ended June 30, 2011, those sources that represented greater than 10% of our total revenue were:

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Premier League (Broadcasting revenue): 18.3% of our total revenue; and



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UEFA (Broadcasting revenue): 14.2% of our total revenue.

We are also exposed to other football clubs globally for the payment of transfer fees on players. Depending on the transaction, some of these fees are paid to us in installments. We try to manage our credit risk with respect to those clubs by requiring payments in advance or, in the case of payments on installment, requiring bank guarantees on such payments in certain circumstances. However, we cannot ensure these efforts will eliminate our credit exposure to other clubs. A change in credit quality at one of the media broadcasters for the Premier League or UEFA, one of our sponsors, or a club to whom we have sold a player can increase the risk that such counterparty is unable or unwilling to pay amounts owed to us. The failure of a major television broadcaster for the Premier League or Champions League to pay outstanding amounts owed to its respective league, or the failure of one of our key sponsors or a club to pay outstanding amounts owed to us could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Matchday revenue from our supporters is a significant portion of overall revenue.

A significant amount of our revenue derives from ticket sales and other Matchday revenue for our first team matches at Old Trafford and our share of gate receipts from cup matches. In particular, the revenue generated from ticket sales and other Matchday revenue at Old Trafford will be highly dependent on the continued attendance at matches of our individual and corporate supporters as well as the number of home matches we play each season. During each of the 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons, we played 30, 28 and 29 home matches, respectively, and our Matchday revenue were £114.5 million, £105.8 million and £110.8 million for the years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. Match attendance is influenced by a number of factors, some of which are partly or wholly outside of our control. These factors include the success of our first team, broadcasting coverage and general economic conditions in the United Kingdom, which affect personal disposable income and corporate marketing and hospitality budgets. A

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reduction in matchday attendance could have a material adverse effect on our Matchday revenue and our overall business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, both within Europe and internationally, and increased competition could cause our profitability to decline.

We face competition from other football clubs in England and Europe. In the Premier League, recent investment from wealthy team owners has led to teams with deep financial backing that are able to acquire top players and coaching staff, which could result in improved performance from those teams in domestic and European competitions. As the Premier League continues to grow in popularity, the interest of wealthy potential owners may increase, leading to additional clubs substantially improving their financial position. Competition from European clubs also remains strong. Despite the adoption of the UEFA financial fair play initiative, a set of financial monitoring rules on clubs participating in the Champions League and Europa League, European and Premier League football clubs are spending substantial sums on transfer fees and player salaries. Competition from inside and outside the Premier League has led to higher salaries for our players as well as increased competition on the field. The increase in competition could result in our first team finishing lower in the Premier League than we have in the past and jeopardizing our qualification for or results in the Champions League. Competition within England could also cause our first team to fail to advance in the FA Cup and League Cup.

In addition, from a commercial perspective, we actively compete across many different industries and within many different markets. We believe our primary sources of competition, both in Europe and internationally, include, but are not limited to:

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other businesses seeking corporate sponsorships and commercial partners such as sports teams, other entertainment events and television and digital media outlets;



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providers of sports apparel and equipment seeking retail, merchandising, apparel & product licensing opportunities;



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digital content providers seeking consumer attention and leisure time, advertiser income and consumer e-commerce activity;



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other types of television programming seeking access to broadcasters and advertiser income; and



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alternative forms of corporate hospitality and live entertainment for the sale of matchday tickets such as other live sports events, concerts, festivals, theater and similar events.

All of the above forms of competition could have a material adverse effect on any of our five revenue streams and our overall business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

We are subject to special rules and regulations regarding insolvency and bankruptcy.

We are subject to, among other things, special insolvency or bankruptcy related rules of the Premier League and the Football Association (the "FA"). Those rules empower the Premier League board to direct certain payments otherwise due to us to the FA and its members, associate members and affiliates, certain other English football leagues and certain other entities if it is reasonably satisfied that we have failed to pay certain creditors including other football clubs, the Premier League and the Football League.

If we experience financial difficulty, we could also face sanctions under the Premier League rules, including suspension from the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and certain other competitions, the deduction of league points from us in the Premier League or Football League and loss of control of player registrations. For example, the Premier League could prevent us from playing, thereby cutting off our income from ticket sales and putting many of our other sources of revenue at risk. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition, cash flow as well as our ability to meet our financial obligations.

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Premier League voting rules may allow other clubs to take action contrary to our interests.

The Premier League is governed by its 20 club shareholders with most rule changes requiring the support of a minimum of 14 of the clubs. This allows a minority of clubs to block changes they view as unfavorable to their interests. In addition, it allows a concerted majority of the clubs to pass rules that may be disadvantageous to the remaining six clubs. As one of the larger clubs in the Premier League in terms of revenue and follower base, we can exert some influence on the rulemaking process, however, our interests may not always align with the majority of clubs and it may be difficult for us to effect changes that are advantageous to us. At the same time, it is possible that other clubs may take action that we view as contrary to our interests. If the Premier League clubs pass rules that limit our ability to operate our business as we have planned or otherwise affect the payments made to us, we may be unable to achieve our goals and strategies or increase our revenue.

Our digital media strategy is unproven and may not generate the revenue we anticipate.

We maintain contact with, and provide entertainment to, our global follower base through a number of digital and other media channels, including the internet, mobile services and social media. While we have attracted a significant number of followers to our digital media assets, including our website, the future revenue and income potential of our new media business is uncertain. You should consider our business and prospects in light of the challenges, risks and difficulties we may encounter in this new and rapidly evolving market, including:

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our digital media strategy will require us to provide offerings such as video on demand, highlights and international memberships that have not previously been a substantial part of our business;



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our ability to retain our current global follower base, build our follower base and increase engagement with our followers through our digital media assets;



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our ability to enhance the content offered through our digital media assets and increase our subscriber base;



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our ability to effectively generate revenue from interaction with our followers through our digital media assets;



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our ability to attract new sponsors and advertisers, retain existing sponsors and advertisers and demonstrate that our digital media assets will deliver value to them;



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our ability to develop our digital media assets in a cost effective manner and operate our digital media services profitably and securely;



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our ability to identify and capitalize on new digital media business opportunities; and



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our ability to compete with other sports and other media for users' time.

Failure to successfully address these risks and difficulties could affect our overall business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.

Serious injuries to or losses of playing staff may affect our performance, and therefore our results of operations and financial condition.

Injuries to members of the playing staff, particularly if career threatening or career ending, could have a detrimental effect on our business. Such injuries could have a negative effect upon our first team's performance and may also result in a loss of the revenue that would otherwise have resulted from a transfer of that player's registration. In addition, depending on the circumstances, we may write down the carrying value of a player on our balance sheet and record an impairment charge in our operating expenses to reflect any losses resulting from career threatening or career ending injuries to that player. Our strategy is to maintain a squad of first team players sufficient to mitigate the risk of player injuries. However, this strategy may not be sufficient to mitigate all financial losses in the event of an injury, and as a result such injury may affect the performance of our first team, and therefore our business, results of operations financial condition, and cash flow.

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Inability to renew our insurance policies could expose us to significant losses.

We insure against the death, permanent disablement and travel-related injuries of members of our first team, although not at such player's market value. Moreover, we do not carry insurance against injuries to our players sustained while playing or training. We also carry non-player related insurance typical for our business (including business interruption insurance). When any of our insurance policies expire, it may not be possible to renew them on the same terms, or at all. In such circumstances, some of our businesses and/or assets may be uninsured. If any of these uninsured businesses or assets were to suffer damage, we could suffer a financial loss. Our most valuable tangible asset is Old Trafford. An inability to renew insurance policies covering our players, Old Trafford, our training facilities at Carrington and other valuable assets could expose us to significant losses.

Furthermore, although some national football associations, such as the FA (which insures English players), do provide insurance for members of our first team while playing for their home country, our insurance policies do not cover our players during those periods and, under the rules of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ("FIFA"), national football associations are not obliged to provide insurance cover for players on international duty.

Our international expansion and operations in foreign markets expose us to risks associated with international sales and operations.

We intend to continue to expand internationally and operate in select foreign markets. Managing a global organization is difficult, time consuming and expensive. Our inexperience in operating the club's businesses globally increases the risk that any future international expansion efforts that we may undertake will not be successful. In addition, conducting international operations subjects us to risks such as the lack of familiarity with and unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements; difficulties in managing and staffing international operations; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; potentially adverse tax consequences, including foreign value added tax systems, and restrictions on repatriation of earnings; the burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and legal standards; increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities; the lack of strong intellectual property regimes and political, social and economic instability abroad. Operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. The investment and additional resources required to establish operations and manage growth in other countries may not produce desired levels of revenue or profitability.

Fluctuations in exchange rates may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our functional and reporting currency is the pound sterling and substantially all of our costs are denominated in pound sterling. However, Broadcasting revenue from our participation in the Champions League, as well as certain other revenue, is generated in euro. We also occasionally enter into transfer agreements or commercial partner agreements which are payable in euro. In addition, we have transactional currency exposure against the US dollar relating to the US dollar tranche of our senior secured notes as well as Commercial revenue from certain sponsors. In the year ended June 30, 2010, we recorded a foreign exchange loss of £19.3 million from our US dollar tranche of our senior secured notes, whereas in the year ended June 30, 2011, we recorded a foreign exchange gain of £16.4 million from those senior secured notes. For the years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011 approximately 12.0%, 14.2% and 14.4% of our total revenue were generated in euro, respectively, and approximately 3.4%, 4.9% and 8.2% of our total revenue were generated in US dollars, respectively. We may enter into foreign exchange contracts to hedge a portion of this transactional exposure. We net the value of our non-sterling revenue and the value of the corresponding hedge before including such amounts in our overall revenue. Our results of operations have in the past and will in the future fluctuate due to movements in exchange rates.

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Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property and curb the sale of counterfeit merchandise could injure our brand.

Like other popular brands, we are susceptible to instances of brand infringement (such as counterfeiting and other unauthorized uses of our intellectual property rights). We seek to protect our brand assets by ensuring that we own and control certain intellectual property rights in and to those assets and, where appropriate, by enforcing those intellectual property rights. For example, we own the copyright in our logo, and our logo and trade name are registered as trademarks (or are the subject of applications for registration) in a number of jurisdictions in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, North America and South America. However, it is not possible to detect all instances of brand infringement. Additionally, where instances of brand infringement are detected, we cannot guarantee that such instances will be prevented as there may be legal or factual circumstances which give rise to uncertainty as to the validity, scope and enforceability of our intellectual property rights in the brand assets. Furthermore, the laws of certain countries in which we license our brand and conduct operations, particularly those in Asia (such as China) may not offer the same level of protection to intellectual property rights holders as those in the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe and the United States, or the time required to enforce our intellectual property rights under these legal regimes may be lengthy and delay recovery. For example, the unauthorized use of intellectual property is common and widespread in China and enforcement of intellectual property rights by Chinese regulatory agencies is inconsistent. If we were to fail or be unable to secure, protect, maintain and/or enforce the intellectual property rights which vest in our brand assets, then we could lose our exclusive right to exploit such brand assets. Infringement of our trademark, copyright and other intellectual property rights could have an adverse effect on our business. We also license our intellectual property rights to third parties. In an effort to protect our brand, we enter into licensing agreements with these third parties which govern the use of our intellectual property and which require our licensees to abide by quality control standards with respect to such use. Although we make efforts to police our licensees' use of our intellectual property, we cannot assure you that these efforts will be sufficient to ensure their compliance. The failure of our licensees to comply with the terms of their licenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

We could be negatively affected if we fail to adequately protect follower account information.

We collect and process personal data (including name, address, age, bank details and other personal data) from our followers, customers, members, suppliers, business contacts and employees as part of the operation of our business (including online merchandising), and therefore we must comply with data protection and privacy laws in the United Kingdom and, in certain situations, other jurisdictions where our followers reside. Those laws impose certain requirements on us in respect of the collection, use and processing of personal information relating to our followers. In addition, we are exposed to the risk that the personal data we control could be wrongfully accessed and/or used, whether by employees, followers or other third parties, or otherwise lost or disclosed or processed in breach of data protection regulations. If we or any of the third party service providers on which we rely fail to process such personal data in a lawful or secure manner or if any theft or loss of personal follower data were to occur, we could face liability under data protection laws, including requirements to destroy customer information or notify the people to whom such information relates of any non-compliance as well as civil or criminal sanctions. This could also result in the loss of the goodwill of our followers and deter new followers. Each of these factors could harm our business reputation, our brand and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flow and prospects.

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Piracy and illegal live streaming may adversely impact our Broadcasting and new media & mobile revenue.

For each of the years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Broadcasting revenue constituted 35.2%, 36.1% and 35.4%, respectively, of our total revenue. Our Broadcasting revenue is principally generated by the broadcasting of our matches on pay and free to air television channels as well as content delivered over the internet and through our own television channel, MUTV. In recent years, piracy and illegal live streaming of subscription content over the internet has caused, and is continuing to cause, lost revenue to media distributors showing our matches. For example, the Premier League has initiated litigation against Google and YouTube for facilitating piracy and illegal streaming of subscription content, however there can be no guarantee that this or similar actions will prevent or limit future piracy or illegal streaming of subscription content. If these trends increase or continue unabated, they could pose a risk to subscription television services. The result could be a reduction in the value of our share of football broadcasting rights and of our online and MUTV services, which could have a material adverse effect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Our operating results may fluctuate due to seasonality.

Our operating results are subject to seasonal variation, limiting the overall comparability of interim financial periods. The seasonality of our operating results is primarily attributable to the number of games played in each financial period and therefore Matchday and Broadcasting revenue recognized. Similarly, certain of our costs derive from hosting games at Old Trafford, and these costs will also vary based on the number of games played in the period. We have historically generated higher revenue in the second and third quarters of our fiscal year. However because of the strong performance of our first team in the Champions League and domestic cups, which has resulted in us reaching the advanced stages of these competitions and therefore generating significant additional Broadcasting and Matchday revenue, we have generated the most revenue in our fourth quarter during the past few fiscal years. As a result, our interim results and any quarterly financial information that we publish should not be viewed as an indicator of our performance for the fiscal year.

We will be subject to greater tax liability.

During each of the three years ended June 30, 2009, 2010 and 2011, our principal operating subsidiaries were tax residents in the United Kingdom. During the years ended June 30, 2009 and 2010, we were subject to a statutory tax rate of 28.0%, and in the year ended June 30, 2011, we were subject to a weighted statutory tax rate of 27.5%. Following our reorganization in preparation for the offering, although we are organized as a Cayman Islands corporation, we believe that we will be treated as a US domestic corporation for US federal tax purposes. As a result, we will be subject to US federal income tax (currently at a statutory rate of 35%) on our worldwide income. In addition, we will primarily be subject to US and UK tax rules in the future, whereas we have previously been subject only to UK tax rules. As a result, we will be subject to different rules regarding deductions and carry forwards of losses incurred in prior years than those applicable to us prior to our reorganization in preparation for this offering. Furthermore, because most of our subsidiaries are classified as entities disregarded from their owner for US federal income tax purposes, we will not be able to control the timing of much of our US federal income tax liability. We may also be subject to US state and local income (or franchise) taxes which are generally imposed based upon where we do business. The tax rates and the tax base upon which the tax is calculated vary by jurisdiction. Generally, state and local taxes are deductible for US federal income tax purposes. As a result, we will be liable for additional taxes in the future for which we would not have been liable in previous years. This additional tax liability could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial conditions and cash flow.

In addition, we are subject to income and other taxes in various other jurisdictions. The amount of tax we pay is subject to our interpretation and application of tax laws in jurisdictions in which we operate. Changes in current or future laws or regulations, or the imposition of new or changed tax laws or regulations or new

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related interpretations by taxing authorities in the US or foreign jurisdictions, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Business interruptions due to natural disasters and other events could adversely affect us and Old Trafford.

Our operations can be subject to natural disasters and other events beyond our control, such as earthquakes, fires, power failures, telecommunication losses, terrorist attacks and acts of war. Such events, whether natural or manmade, could cause severe destruction or interruption to our operations, and as a result, our business could suffer serious harm. Our first team regularly tours the world for promotional matches, visiting various countries with a history of terrorism and civil unrest, and as a result, we and our players could be potential targets of terrorism when visiting such countries. In addition, any prolonged business interruption at Old Trafford could cause a decline in Matchday revenue. Our business interruption insurance only covers some, but not all, of these potential events, and even for those events that are covered, it may not be sufficient to compensate us fully for losses or damages that may occur as a result of such events, including, for example, loss of market share and diminution of our brand, reputation and client loyalty. Any one or more of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition or cash flow.

Risks Related to Our Industry

An economic downturn and adverse economic conditions may harm our business.

The recent economic downturn and adverse conditions in the United Kingdom and global markets may negatively affect our operations in the future. Our Matchday and Broadcasting revenue in part depend on personal disposable income and corporate marketing and hospitality budgets. Further, our sponsorship and Commercial revenue are contingent upon the expenditures of businesses across a wide range of industries, and as these industries continue to cut costs in response to the economic downturn, our revenue may similarly decline. Continued weak economic conditions could cause a reduction in our Commercial and sponsorship, Broadcasting and Matchday revenue, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

An increase in the relative size of salaries or transfer costs could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain the highest quality players and coaching staff. As a result, we are obliged to pay salaries generally comparable to our main competitors in England and Europe. Any increase in salaries may adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Other factors that affect player salaries, such as the recent increase in personal tax rates, changes to the treatment of income or other changes to taxation in the United Kingdom and the relative strength of the pound, may make it more difficult to attract top players and coaching staff from Europe or elsewhere or require us to pay higher salaries to compensate for higher taxes or less favorable exchange rates. In addition, if our revenue fall and salaries remain stable (for example as a result of fixed player or coaching staff salaries over a long period) or increase, our results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

An increase in transfer fees would require us to pay more than expected for the acquisition of players' registrations in the future, although the effect of these increased costs may be mitigated by our ability to sell the registrations of existing players at increased prices. However, if the increase in transfer fees occurred at a time when we were looking to buy rather than sell players, there is a risk that net transfer costs could increase, resulting in a reduction in the amount of cash available for us to meet our obligations. In addition, certain players' transfer values may diminish after we acquire them, and we may sell those players for transfer fees below their net book value, resulting in a loss on disposal of players' registrations. Net transfer costs could also increase if levies imposed by FIFA, the Premier League or any other organization in respect of the transfer of players' registrations were to increase.

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Recently approved UEFA restrictions could negatively affect our business.

As the primary governing body of European football, UEFA continually evaluates the dynamics in the football industry and considers changes to the regulatory framework governing European football clubs. As an example, UEFA recently approved certain financial monitoring rules on clubs participating in the Champions League and Europa League competitions, known as the financial fair play initiative. The rules, among other things, may result in withholding of prize money, transfer bans and ultimately disqualification from European competitions for clubs whose costs and capital expenditures on players exceed their revenue over a three year period. These rules are intended to discourage clubs from continually operating at a loss. However, the implementation of the financial fair play rules, and in particular the potential punishment for non-compliance, remains uncertain. There is a risk that application of the financial fair play initiative could have a material adverse effect on the performance of our first team and our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

We could be negatively affected by current and other future Premier League, FA, UEFA or FIFA regulations.

Future changes to the Premier League, FA, UEFA, FIFA or other regulations may adversely affect our results of operations. These regulations could cover various aspects of our business, such as the format of competitions, the eligibility of players, the operation of the transfer market and the distribution of broadcasting revenue. In addition, changes are being considered to address the financial sustainability of clubs such as more robust ownership rules and tests in relation to board directors and significant shareholders. In particular, changes to football regulations designed to promote competition could have a significant impact on our business. Such changes could include changes to the distribution of broadcasting income, changes to the relegation structure of English football and restrictions on player spending. In addition, rules designed to promote the development of local players, such as the Home Grown Player Rule, which requires each Premier League club to include at least eight "home grown" players in their squads, could limit our ability to select players. Any of these changes could make it more difficult for us to acquire top quality players and, therefore, adversely affect the performance of our first team.

Changes in the format of the league and cup competitions in which our first team plays, or might in the future play, could have a negative impact on our results of operations. In addition, in the event that new competitions are introduced to replace existing competitions (for example, a European league), our results of operations may be negatively affected.

There could be a decline in our popularity or the popularity of football.

There can be no assurance that football will retain its popularity as a sport around the world and its status in the United Kingdom as the so-called "national game," together with the associated levels of media coverage. In addition, we could suffer a decline in popularity. Any decline in popularity could result in lower ticket sales, broadcasting revenue, sponsorship revenue, a reduction in the value of our players or our brand, or a decline in the value of our securities, including our Class A ordinary shares. Any one of these events or a combination of such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Risk Related to Our Indebtedness

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and competitive position.

As of March 31, 2012, we had total indebtedness of £423.3 million. On an as adjusted basis giving effect to the use of proceeds from this offering, we would have had total indebtedness of £           million as of March 31, 2012. Our indebtedness increases the risk that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay amounts due in respect of our indebtedness. It could also have effects on our business. For example, it could:

•

limit our ability to pay dividends;

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•

increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;



•

require us to dedicate a material portion of our cash flow from operations to make payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund the hiring and retention of players and coaching staff, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;



•

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the football industry;



•

affect our ability to compete for players and coaching staff; and



•

limit our ability to borrow additional funds.

In addition, our existing revolving credit facility and the indenture governing our senior secured notes contain, and any agreements evidencing or governing other future indebtedness may contain, certain restrictive covenants that will limit our ability to engage in certain activities that are in our long-term best interests (see "  — Our indebtedness may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies" below). We have not previously breached and are not in breach of any of the covenants under either of these facilities, however our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our indebtedness.

To service our indebtedness, we require cash, and our ability to generate cash is subject to many factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to the performance and popularity of our first team as well as general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control.

We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs. We may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Failure to refinance our indebtedness on terms we believe to be acceptable could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.

Our indebtedness may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies.

The indenture governing our senior secured notes and our revolving credit facility limit our ability, among other things, to:

•

incur additional indebtedness;



•

pay dividends or make other distributions or repurchase or redeem our shares;



•

make investments;



•

sell assets, including capital stock of restricted subsidiaries;



•

enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends;



•

consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;



•

enter into sale and leaseback transactions;



•

enter into transactions with our affiliates; and



•

incur liens.

Our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond our control. If we breach any of these covenants or restrictions, we could be in default under our senior secured notes and our revolving credit facility. This would permit the lending banks under our revolving credit facility to take certain actions, including declaring all amounts that we have borrowed under our revolving credit facility and other indebtedness to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. This would also result in an event of default under the indenture governing our senior secured notes. Furthermore, lending banks could refuse to extend further credit under the revolving credit facility. If the debt under our revolving

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credit facility, our senior secured notes or any other material financing arrangement that we enter into were to be accelerated, our assets, in particular liquid assets, may be insufficient to repay our indebtedness. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with borrowings under our revolving credit facility, which bears interest at variable rates. Interest rate changes will not affect the market value of any debt incurred under such facility, but could impact the amount of our interest payments, and accordingly, our future earnings and cash flow, assuming other factors are held constant. As of March 31, 2012, we had no variable rate indebtedness. In addition, we currently enter into interest rate swaps that involve the exchange of floating for fixed rate interest payments in order to reduce interest rate volatility. However, we cannot assure you that such hedging activities will be effective in fully mitigating our interest rate risk.

Risks Related to Our Initial Public Offering and the Ownership of Our Class A Ordinary Shares

Because of its significant share ownership, our principal shareholder will be able to exert control over us and our significant corporate decisions.

Immediately prior to this offering, our principal shareholder, Red Football LLC, will control 100% of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, representing 100% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. Upon the closing of this offering, the shares owned by our principal shareholder will represent           % of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. For special resolutions, which require the vote of two-thirds of the votes cast, at any time that the holders of the Class B ordinary shares together hold at least 10% of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding, the voting power permitted to be exercised by the holders of the Class B ordinary shares will be weighted such that the Class B ordinary shares shall represent, in the aggregate, 67% of the voting power of all shareholders. As a result, our principal shareholder will have the ability to significantly influence or determine the outcome of all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election and removal of directors and any merger, consolidation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. The interests of our principal shareholder might not coincide with the interests of the other holders of our capital stock. This concentration of ownership may harm the value of our Class A ordinary shares, among other things:

•

delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company;



•

impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving our Company; or



•

causing us to enter into transactions or agreements that are not in the best interests of all shareholders.

As a foreign private issuer and "controlled company" within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange's corporate governance rules, we are permitted to, and we will, rely on exemptions from certain of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards, including the requirement that a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors. Our reliance on such exemptions may afford less protection to holders of our Class A ordinary shares.

The New York Stock Exchange's corporate governance rules require listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of independent board members and independent director oversight of executive compensation, nomination of directors and corporate governance matters. As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we will, follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. As long as we rely on the foreign private issuer exemption to certain of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards, a majority of the directors on our board of directors are not required to be independent directors, our remuneration committee is not required to be comprised entirely of independent directors and we will not be required to have a nominating and corporate governance committee. Therefore, our board of

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director's approach to governance may be different from that of a board of directors consisting of a majority of independent directors, and, as a result, the management oversight of our Company may be more limited than if we were subject to all of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards.

In the event we no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, we intend to rely on the "controlled company" exemption under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules. A "controlled company" under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules is a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company. Following this offering, our principal shareholder will control a majority of the combined voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares, making us a "controlled company" within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules. As a controlled company, we would be eligible to, and, in the event we no longer qualify as a foreign private issuer, we intend to, elect not to comply with certain of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards, including the requirement that a majority of directors on our board of directors are independent directors and the requirement that our remuneration committee and our nominating and corporate governance committee consist entirely of independent directors.

Accordingly, our shareholders will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards, and the ability of our independent directors to influence our business policies and affairs may be reduced.

We are an "emerging growth company" and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Class A ordinary shares less attractive to investors.

We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the "JOBS Act"), and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not "emerging growth companies" including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"). We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A ordinary shares less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A ordinary shares and our share price may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an "emerging growth company" can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we are choosing to "opt out" of such extended transition period, and as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

The obligations associated with being a public company will require significant resources and management attention.

As a public company in the United States, we will incur legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur. We will become subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an "emerging growth company." The Exchange Act requires that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal controls and procedures for financial

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reporting. Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert management's attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. In addition, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. These additional obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.

In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be adversely affected.

For as long as we are an "emerging growth company" under the recently enacted JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years. See "Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company." Furthermore, after the date we are no longer an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm will only be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting depending on our market capitalization. Even if our management concludes that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may still decline to attest to our management's assessment or may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, in connection with the implementation of the necessary procedures and practices related to internal control over financial reporting, we may identify deficiencies that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. Failure to comply with Section 404 could subject us to regulatory scrutiny and sanctions, impair our ability to raise revenue, cause investors to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and negatively affect our share price.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

We are a "foreign private issuer," as such term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and therefore, we are not required to comply with all the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations. Under Rule 405, the determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer's most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on December 31, 2012.

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In the future, we would lose our foreign private issuer status if a majority of our shareholders, directors or management are US citizens or residents and we fail to meet additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. Although we have elected to comply with certain US regulatory provisions, our loss of foreign private issuer status would make such provisions mandatory. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under US securities laws as a US domestic issuer may be significantly higher. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on US domestic issuer forms with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. For example, the annual report on Form 10-K requires domestic issuers to disclose executive compensation information on an individual basis with specific disclosure regarding the domestic compensation philosophy, objectives, annual total compensation (base salary, bonus, equity compensation) and potential payments in connection with change in control, retirement, death or disability, while the annual report on Form 20-F permits foreign private issuers to disclose compensation information on an aggregate basis. We will also have to mandatorily comply with U.S. federal proxy requirements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will become subject to the short-swing profit disclosure and recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. We may also be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with good governance practices associated with US domestic issuers. Such conversion and modifications will involve additional costs. In addition, we may lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on US stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers.

There is no existing market for our Class A ordinary shares, and we do not know if one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A ordinary shares. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our Company will lead to the development of an active trading market on the New York Stock Exchange or otherwise or how liquid that market might become. If an active trading market does not develop, you may have difficulty selling any shares of our Class A ordinary shares that you purchase, and the value of such shares might be materially impaired. The initial public offering price for our Class A ordinary shares will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the several underwriters and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the open market following this offering. Consequently, you may not be able to sell shares of our Class A ordinary shares at prices equal to or greater than the price you paid in this offering.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Cayman Islands law may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders, which could depress the price of our Class A ordinary shares and prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. In particular, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will permit our board of directors to issue preference shares from time to time, with such rights and preferences as they consider appropriate. Our board of directors could also authorize the issuance of preference shares with terms and conditions and under circumstances that could have an effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction. We are also subject to certain provisions under Cayman Islands law which could delay or prevent a change of control. In particular, any merger, consolidation or amalgamation of the Company would require the active consent of our board of directors. Our board of directors may be appointed or removed by the holders of the majority of the voting power of our ordinary shares (which, upon consummation of this offering, will be controlled by our principal shareholder). Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares.

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The price of our Class A ordinary shares might fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Volatility in the market price of our Class A ordinary shares may prevent you from being able to sell your shares of our Class A ordinary shares at or above the price you paid for such shares. The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including:

•

performance of our first team;



•

the overall performance of the equity markets;



•

industry related regulatory developments;



•

issuance of new or changed securities analysts' reports or recommendations;



•

additions or departures of key personnel;



•

investor perceptions of us and the football industry, changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;



•

sale of our Class A ordinary shares by us, our principal shareholder or members of our management;



•

general economic conditions;



•

changes in interest rates; and



•

availability of capital.

These and other factors might cause the market price of our Class A ordinary shares to fluctuate substantially, which might limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of our Class A ordinary share and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, in recent years, the stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant impact on the market price of securities issued by many companies across many industries. The changes frequently appear to occur without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Accordingly, the price of our Class A ordinary shares could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with our Company, and these fluctuations could materially reduce our share price. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company's securities. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs, divert our management's attention and resources, and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Future sales of our Class A ordinary shares, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A ordinary shares in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the price of our Class A ordinary shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional shares. Upon completion of this offering, we will have                              million shares of Class A ordinary shares outstanding. The shares of Class A ordinary shares offered in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for any shares of our Class A ordinary shares that may be held or acquired by our directors, executive officers and other affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act, which will be restricted securities under the Securities Act. Restricted securities may not be sold in the public market unless the sale is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration is available.

We, our executive officers, directors and the selling shareholder have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, with the underwriters not to directly or indirectly sell, offer, contract or grant any option to sell (including any short sale), pledge, transfer, establish an open "put equivalent position" within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(h) under the Exchange Act; or otherwise dispose of any ordinary shares, options or warrants to acquire ordinary shares, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ordinary shares currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially; or publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of

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Jefferies & Company, Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. See "Underwriting."

All of our shares of Class A ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this prospectus may be sold in the public market by existing shareholders 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to applicable limitations imposed under federal securities laws. See "Ordinary Shares Eligible for Future Sale" for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling shares of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering.

In the future, we may also issue our securities if we need to raise capital in connection with a capital raise or acquisition. The amount of shares of our Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with a capital raise or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of our Class A ordinary shares.

Our ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions in our existing revolving credit facility, the indenture governing our senior secured notes, results of operations, distributable reserves and solvency requirements; our Class A ordinary shares have no guaranteed dividends and holders of our Class A ordinary shares have no recourse if dividends are not declared.

Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, distributable reserves, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. Furthermore, neither of our Class A ordinary shares or Class B ordinary shares have any guaranteed dividends and holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares have no recourse if dividends are not declared. Our ability to pay dividends on the Class A ordinary shares is limited by our existing revolving credit facility and the indenture governing our senior secured notes, which contain restricted payment covenants. The restricted payment covenants allow dividends in certain circumstances, including to the extent dividends do not exceed 50% of the cumulative consolidated net income of Red Football Limited, provided there is no event of default and Red Football Limited is able to meet the principal and interest payments on its debt under a fixed charge coverage test. Our ability to pay dividends may be further restricted by the terms of any of our future debt or preferred securities (see also "Dividend Policy" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Indebtedness"). Additionally, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares is limited by restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, including restrictions under the terms of the agreements governing our indebtedness.

We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares, and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our Class A ordinary shares.

We do not currently intend to pay any cash dividends on our Class A ordinary shares for the foreseeable future. The payment of any future dividends will be determined by the board of directors in light of conditions then existing, including our revenue, financial condition and capital requirements, business conditions, corporate law requirements and other factors.

The rules of the Premier League and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association impose certain limitations on shareholders' ability to invest in more than one football club.

The rules of the Premier League prohibit any person who holds an interest of 10% or more of the total voting rights exercisable in a Premier League football club from holding an interest in voting rights exercisable in any other Premier League football club. As a result, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibit shareholders from holding (i) 10% or more of our Class A ordinary shares if they hold any interest in voting rights exercisable in another Premier League football club and (ii) any Class A ordinary shares if they hold an interest of 10% or more of the total voting rights exercisable in another Premier League football club. In addition, under our amended and restated memorandum and

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articles of association, if any shareholder is determined by us, at our absolute discretion, to be holding any Class A ordinary shares in violation of this rule, we have the right to direct that shareholder to transfer those shares to another person or, failing such transfer, we have the right to sell those shares to another person on behalf of that shareholder. Until such transfer or sale is effected, that shareholder will not be entitled to receive or exercise any rights, benefits or privileges attaching to those Class A ordinary shares.

The purchase price of our Class A ordinary shares might not reflect its value, and you may experience dilution as a result of this offering and future equity issuances.

The purchase price of our Class A ordinary shares might not reflect its value, and you may experience dilution as a result of this offering and future equity issuances. Based on the initial public offering price of $               per share (the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), investors purchasing in this offering will experience an immediate dilution in the net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares of $               from such offering price. Investors purchasing in this offering will contribute approximately          % of the total amount invested by shareholders since our inception (gross of estimated expenses of this offering), but will only own approximately          % of our Class A ordinary shares outstanding on an as-converted basis. Additionally, the exercise of outstanding options or warrants and future equity issuances, including future public offerings or future private placements of equity securities and any additional Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with acquisitions, will result in further dilution to investors.

Exchange rate fluctuations may adversely affect the foreign currency value of the Class A ordinary shares and any dividends.

The Class A ordinary shares will be quoted in US dollars on the New York Stock Exchange. Our financial statements are prepared in pound sterling. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the pound sterling and the US dollar will affect, among other matters, the US dollar value of the Class A ordinary shares and of any dividends.

The rights afforded to shareholders are governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Our corporate affairs and the rights afforded to shareholders are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Law (2011 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, as amended and restated from time to time (the "Companies Law") and common law of the Cayman Islands, and these rights differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical US corporations. In particular, the laws of the Cayman Islands relating to the protection of the interests of minority shareholders differ in some respects from those established under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in the United States. The laws of the Cayman Island provide only limited circumstances under which shareholders of companies may bring derivative actions and (except in limited circumstances) do not afford appraisal rights to dissenting shareholders in the form typically available to shareholders of a US corporation other than in limited circumstances in relation to certain mergers. A summary of Cayman Islands law on the protection of minority shareholders is set out in "Description of Share Capital — Differences in Corporate Law."

We believe that we will be treated as a US domestic corporation for US federal income tax purposes.

As discussed more fully under "Material US Federal Income Tax Consequences," we believe that, pursuant to section 7874 of the Code, even though we are organized as a Cayman Islands corporation, Manchester United Ltd. will be treated as a US domestic corporation for all purposes of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Company will therefore be taxed as a US domestic corporation for US federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Company will be subject to US federal income tax on its worldwide income. In addition, if the Company pays dividends to a Non-US Holder, as defined in the discussion under the heading "Material US Federal Income Tax Consequences", it will be required to withhold US income tax at the rate of 30%, or such lower rate as may be provided in an applicable income

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tax treaty. Each investor should consult its own tax adviser regarding the US federal income tax position of the Company and the tax consequences of holding the Class A ordinary shares.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports or publish unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business or our industry. We have limited, and may never obtain significant, research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If no additional securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our Company, the trading price for our shares could be negatively affected. In the event we obtain additional securities or industry analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock, our share price will likely decline. If one or more of these analysts, or those who currently cover us, ceases to cover us or fails to publish regular reports on us, interest in the purchase of our shares could decrease, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

It may be difficult to enforce a US judgment against us, our directors and officers and certain experts named in this prospectus outside the United States, or to assert US securities law claims outside of the United States.

The majority of our directors and executive officers are not residents of the United States, and the majority of our assets and the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for investors to effect service of process upon us within the United States or other jurisdictions, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States. See "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities." Additionally, it may be difficult to assert US securities law claims in actions originally instituted outside of the United States. Foreign courts may refuse to hear a US securities law claim because foreign courts may not be the most appropriate forums in which to bring such a claim. Even if a foreign court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that the law of the jurisdiction in which the foreign court resides, and not US law, is applicable to the claim. Further, if US law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable US law must be proved as a fact, which can be a time-consuming and costly process, and certain matters of procedure would still be governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which the foreign court resides.

In particular, investors should be aware that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would recognize and enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or management as well as against the selling shareholder predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands courts against us or our directors or officers as well as against the selling shareholder predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. As a result of the difficulty associated with enforcing a judgment against us, you may not be able to collect any damages awarded by either a US or foreign court.

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