Wembley Pressured to Boost Ticket Allocation After Fans Fume Over Shortage

• Oldham and Southend will face off against each other for a position in League Two the following Sunday.
• Due to the station's closure, each club has received an allotment of 17,500.
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The pressure on authorities is increasing to raise the contentious limit on ticket sales for the National League playoff final, aiming to set it between 60,000 and 70,000, as reported by Mail Sport.

Supporters of both Oldham Athletic and Southend United responded with anger upon learning that due to the closure of Wembley Park Station for maintenance work, each team would receive only an allotment of 17,500 tickets for next Sunday’s final at the national stadium.

Each club believes demand will far outstrip that number, and while extra tickets can be sold they will only be available at this stage to those who have booked coach travel.

Discussions are still underway, and the introduction of extra transportation options in recent times has sparked optimism that the limit might be raised considerably.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham clarified: "We're discussing two former EFL clubs with massive supporter bases that have both faced extremely tough periods. Preventing some of those supporters from witnessing their teams play at Wembley seems unjust."

'We all recognize the significance of ensuring safety; however, following the initial choice, additional services have been introduced on both the Bakerloo Line and Chiltern Railways heading towards Wembley Stadium. These additions ought to enable the officials to expand capacity without compromising security. Therefore, we kindly request they reconsider their earlier decision based on these updated details.'

'We hope this will resolve the problem and allow us to increase the capacity to between 60,000 and 70,000 without any limitations on transportation for attendees.'

‘The Wembley Station and Wembley Stadium stations remain operational, and the region boasts substantial infrastructure. ManyPremier League venues operate with even fewer resources without encountering similar limitations.'

Tickets from the first batch of allotments were made available for purchase on Saturday, with approximately 23,000 tickets being sold out almost immediately.

A Wembley spokesperson said: ‘The safety and security of fans at Wembley Stadium is of paramount importance. The safety requirements of each event are assessed individually, and we work with several key stakeholders including TfL, Chiltern Rail and the local authority to ensure supporters can safely arrive and depart the venue.’

Fans groups from both sides and politicians, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Leader of Oldham council Arooj Shah, have been lobbying for an uplift, with talks ongoing.

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