Soca Warriors, England match sold out in 24 hours
LOCAL football enthusiasts who didn’t get a ticket to witness the centennial friendly international between T&T and England—dubbed the biggest match ever to be played on local soil—will have to make up their mind to watch the high-profile game on television.
After just two days of sales, tickets that were being sold online were completely sold out, in spite of claims that the prices were to exuberant for the average football fan and queries about the new electronic ticketing system.
Special reserved tickets were priced at $1200 (includes parking, reserved seating, refreshments, and centennial memorabilia), covered stands at $600 and uncovered stands at $300.
These charges applied to adults, children and differently-abled persons.
There are seating allotments for 1,000 special reserved ticket holders, 4,150 for covered stands patrons and 18,040 for those in the uncovered stands. Total tickets amounts to 23,190.
Some 750 tickets (uncovered stands) have been allocated for the English “away” fans
Yesterday’s letter to media houses issued by TTFF Special Advisor and Fifa Vice President Jack Warner indicating that all tickets were sold out read:
“On behalf of the TTFF, I wish to formally announce that all tickets for the match T&T versus England have been sold out.
It is at times like this the work I do for the promotion of my country through football and elsewhere inspires me to continue, despite the ridicule and criticism.
I persevere through it all, confident that the results of everything I do will vilify my critics. Here we are on the cusp of our renewed efforts at qualifying for World Cup, South Africa, 2010 and the near impossible is achieved, that is, a final warm-up match between a full strength England national football team and T&T played right here at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
In most parts of the world, pulling that off would have been lauded by all local sports officials and media. Instead, the platform has become a source of the usual criticism, this time about prices and the new electronic ticketing system.
Once again, the results speak for themselves as for the first time in the history of any sports event locally I believe, over 20,000 tickets have been sold out within 24 hours.
This reaffirmation of public support goes against the grain of all the doomsayers and armchair critics. The public has kept the faith. May we all use this event to rekindle that belief in ourselves, to inspire that strong sense of nationalism we encountered during the last World Cup and to move beyond the negativity and disbelief we too often display in ourselves.
May the nation rally as one, once again behind our team. The surge of support is evidently there, let us build the momentum. It is time to settle the score.”
guardian
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