The "football family" spiralling out of control !

[Deleted User] · 14/04/14 - 23:22

In my view it's an absolute disgrace that Arsenal and Hull City are each only getting a 25,000 allocation for the FA Cup Final.

Yes, football needs it's many great volunteers, but this is ridicuously out of proportion, and I suspect far too many are on a jolly, depriving many fans of the two teams.

Ultimately the FA Cup Final is about the teams and many more of the final teams' fans should be able to share this occasion.

Especially so when we have two teams for which winning trophies is a bit of a novelty ;-)

Robbedin73 · 15/04/14 - 00:59

Trouble is half of Wembley is corporate & club Wembley members, ie people who probably have very little interest in the domestic leagues an afraid, tho with Arsenals south east fan base Am sure club Wembley members won't be short of offers for boxes, etc
But that's what the "New " Wembley is all about
give me twin towers and cup final grandstand
Any day, used to love watching it, no matter who was playing building up to 3pm kick off

Harry Boat · 15/04/14 - 01:08

UEFA is even worse. We (Chelsea) and Bayern both got 17,500 tickets for the 2012 final, Just over half of the total.

shankly123 · 15/04/14 - 08:12

'twas ever thus, unfortunately. FA Cup Final tickets have always been distributed unfairly - many of those given to the 'football family' simply end up in the hands of the touts and, ultimately, the fans at extortionate prices. If the FA want to reward these people, why don't they give them England tickets? It would serve two purposes - presumably, as non fans of the cup final teams, they would get to see a team they have an interest in and it would then free up tickets for fans of the competing teams.

The_don1 · 15/04/14 - 09:05

We have always had issues with tickets for Wembley the problem is nowadays its got worse not because of the football family but sponsership and "club wembley", things like this have so many sponsers nowadays for everything and everything and all those get tickets plus with the Club Wembley lot it shrinks the tickets even further then you bring the tv channels into as well its just gets more and more silly.

Its a shame but unless they start cutting back on things like Sponsership and TV then there is nothing that can be done

Tel69 · 15/04/14 - 09:14

Nearly every major final is now ruined because so few tickets go to the loyal supporters of the clubs involved. The European finals usually see less than half of the stadium allocated while sponsors and the family gobble up tickets they have no right to have. Having been to 15 games this season I have no chance of getting A ticket for the final so it'll be the tv for me watching row upon row of empty corporate seats. It's the same every year for every club that reaches the final. It stinks but nothing is done about it while thousands of tickets end up on the black market.>:(

walterwhite · 15/04/14 - 13:13

Do the teams always get the same amount? Based on the fact that Arsenal have a much bigger fanbase I thought they might get more.

Wallasey Saint · 15/04/14 - 14:59

walterwhite wrote: »

Do the teams always get the same amount? Based on the fact that Arsenal have a much bigger fanbase I thought they might get more.

Yes, last years FA Cup Final both teams got 25,000 each in a 90,000 stadium, & has been the same allocation for FA Cup finals since the new Wembley was built.

The Wembley Club area have around 15,000 seats. It's irritating when you see the Wembley Cluib blocks either side of the tunnel mostly empty wehen the teams come out for the second half which lead one commentator to call the Wembley Club area the ring of indifference[should be the bocks of indifference].:D

shelleyj89 · 15/04/14 - 15:08

Aren't they getting the same allocation that every team has got in the final since the new Wembley was open?

wolvesdavid · 15/04/14 - 17:48

Wembley does have to be paid for!

You also have to have TV coverage of the event!

The thing is even if each side had 45,000 tickets each, the demand would still be higher than the supply. And out of those 25,000 tickets each for the club, even some of those would still get to the sponsors of the club.

There is no easy answer for this, but a lot of tickets DO go to hardworking volunteers, without them football at lower levels would not exist. One of my family members once got tickets to a cup final, despite not supporting one of the two teams involved, because Wolves got a share of the tickets, they volunteered at the time for Wolves, then you have the local level 7 referees, people that run the county FAs etc.

Despite the fact that I probably agree that more of the clubs supporters of the two teams should get to the cup final, I also think I would go to a cup final if offered the chance.

blitzben85 · 15/04/14 - 18:54

The Blades - Hull semi-final had an allocation of just over 30,000 each. Hull took just over 25K and Sheffield United were given just over 1500 more due to demand. But I agree, it's shit how fans get treated but we still bend over and take it.

shankly123 · 15/04/14 - 19:26

wolvesdavid wrote: »

There is no easy answer for this, but a lot of tickets DO go to hardworking volunteers, without them football at lower levels would not exist. One of my family members once got tickets to a cup final, despite not supporting one of the two teams involved, because Wolves got a share of the tickets, they volunteered at the time for Wolves, then you have the local level 7 referees, people that run the county FAs etc.

Despite the fact that I probably agree that more of the clubs supporters of the two teams should get to the cup final, I also think I would go to a cup final if offered the chance.

Why does it have to be the FA Cup Final - there are plenty of other big games at Wembley they could be rewarded with tickets for instead of depriving a fan
of one of the competing teams a ticket.

The_don1 · 15/04/14 - 19:33

wolvesdavid wrote: »

Wembley does have to be paid for!

You also have to have TV coverage of the event!

The thing is even if each side had 45,000 tickets each, the demand would still be higher than the supply. And out of those 25,000 tickets each for the club, even some of those would still get to the sponsors of the club.

There is no easy answer for this, but a lot of tickets DO go to hardworking volunteers, without them football at lower levels would not exist. One of my family members once got tickets to a cup final, despite not supporting one of the two teams involved, because Wolves got a share of the tickets, they volunteered at the time for Wolves, then you have the local level 7 referees, people that run the county FAs etc.

Despite the fact that I probably agree that more of the clubs supporters of the two teams should get to the cup final, I also think I would go to a cup final if offered the chance.

Thats fine to a certain level BUT there are just as many as these people who pass the tickets on or sell them.

While I do agree there is no easy answer but it is I think time to reopen the debate about the way tickets are handed out for games like this.

alanrollins · 15/04/14 - 19:51

I was about to say something very similar to that post above. I think we should reward volunteers in other ways and maybe with other games. I agree that for everyone who cant wait to go there are a few more happy to pass the tickets on for a few bob.

Suddenly its quite lucrative to be a volunteer, says this cynic.

This is one FA Cup tradition I would love to see booted out. 45,000 for each team, no empty seats, fantastic.

I am also keen to understand how dishing a load of tickets out to volunteers for nothing is helping to pay for the stadium?

bob187 · 15/04/14 - 21:07

alanrollins wrote: »

I am also keen to understand how dishing a load of tickets out to volunteers for nothing is helping to pay for the stadium?

I don't think they do get them for nothing, do they?
I was under the impression that they still had to be paid for.

alanrollins · 15/04/14 - 21:30

I think they do get them for nothing.

I am not having a go at the volunteers, by the way. I know who they are and what they do. But I cannot believe a Cup Final ticket represents a proportionate reward for 20,000 people.

wolvesdavid · 16/04/14 - 00:25

If you had 45,000 fans each, you wouldn't have any seats for the media etc.

Club Wembley is 13,000 so that leaves 77,000 for everyone else.

I suppose 35,000 each to equal 70,000 combined for both clubs leaves 7,000 for media, sponsors and volunteers.

alanrollins · 16/04/14 - 07:42

I think we all agree that 25k is a bit frugal to put it mildly.

The FA have always done it this way, so its nothing new but obviously it doesn't make it right. The 1989 final is the only one I recall being split 50-50.

The_don1 · 16/04/14 - 08:01

bob187 wrote: »

I don't think they do get them for nothing, do they?
I was under the impression that they still had to be paid for.

Yea but more then likely for face falue (or a discount) but they can be sold for three or four times that (i have heard fans paying £500 or more).

Hey there!

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The "football family" spiralling out of control !

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