Ticketing information for the T&T vs England June 1.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).The following is a detailed outline of the sales of tickets for the June 1 Centennial Clash between Trinidad and Tobago and England at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, revealed at a media conference hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation at the Regency Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain on Tuesday April 29, 2008.
Revealing the details was Special Advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Jack Warner with Geoffrey Wharton Lake also explaining the process for the ordering and collection of tickets for the encounter.
Key Points* Tickets will be priced at $1200 TTD Special reserved (includes parking, reserved seating, refreshments, and centennial memorabilia), $600 TTD Covered stands, and $300 TTD Uncovered stands. These charges apply to adults, children & differently abled persons.
* There are 1,000 special reserved tickets 4,150 covered stands and 18,040 uncovered stands seat allotments. Total tickets amounts to 23,190.
* 750 tickets (uncovered stands) for the English “away” fans shall also be collected on May 01, 2008 and shipped to the English FA prior to the deadline date of May 10, 2008.
Distribution of tickets Ticketing.We have put in place one of the easiest and most efficient means possible of acquiring tickets for the match. It is a system that is used universally with great success and will alleviate the past challenges we have faced.
And it could not have come at a better time. Given the heightened interest in this historic match, we anticipate a huge response to the event. The official launch of the new ticketing arrangement will be made available to the public on May 5th 2008. This was the date carded for the sale of tickets and it is the date which will be used for introduction of the new system for making tickets available to the public.
The ticketing system is as easy as 1, 2, 3.1. A fan desirous of purchasing a ticket will be required to go on-line to the official T.T.F.F. website
www.ttffonline.com or by calling a prescribed number 800-FANS.
2. The fan will be given a confirmation code which will direct him or her to the next steps for collection of the ticket.
3. The fan arrives at the assigned Ticket Redemption point to pay and receive his or her ticket or tickets based upon a confirmation code and identification.
Tickets are priced as follows:-$1,200.00 TTD (Covered) Special Reserve. Includes parking in the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Reserved Seating, Memorabilia.
$600.00 TTD (Covered Stands.)
$300.00 TTD (Uncovered Stands.)
Four thousand six hundred tickets have been requested by the English Football Association for traveling fans. And this request is currently being considered by the T.T.F.F. Warner did add though that those numbers may be cut to between 700-1000 to allow more locals the chance to obtain tickets.
Timeline of ticketing system:* May 1,2008 - Press and Radio ads commences
* May 5, 2008 - Commencement of online ticket reservations and telephone bookings
* May 15, 2008 - Last day of online ticket reservations and telephone bookings
* May 17-18,2008 - Collation of successful ticket applicants and their respective ticket allotments for the match
* May 18, 2008 - Ticket packages are to be collected by successful ticket applicants at the Hasley Crawford Stadium from 9am-4pm. Online ticket applicants that were successful can get their tickets prior to May 18, 2008 as long as their credit card payment is processed prior to May 18, 2008
* May 19-20, 2008 - Uncollected tickets from May 18, 2008 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium by successful ticket applicants will be collated for re-sale.
Special adviser rationalises England friendly prices.
By: Ian Prescott (Express).Warner: People will payJack Warner, the special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF), reckons that people will pay the relatively steep prices to see what has been branded a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the England national football team play Trinidad and Tobago from 5.30 p.m. on June 1 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
The cheapest ticket for the match is valued at $300 for uncovered stand patrons, while covered stand patrons will pay $600, and an additional one thousand special reserved tickets will be sold at the maximum $1,200 price.
A total of 23,190 local tickets and an additional 750 for English fans are available for the match. One thousand local tickets are special reserved; 4,150 are for covered stand fans and 18,040 will goes to those in the uncovered section of the stadium.
Local fans can access tickets first on the TTFF website (
www.ttffonline.com) or by calling 800-fans. Warner said that the price structure was formulated after careful study.
"We have made a careful study of two things," Warner said. "First of all, the price that people pay for other events which have less importance...and the ease with which they pay for these events. And the price for football in the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica."
The FIFA vice-president claimed that in Jamaica, the cost of entrance to a match of this standard is twice what the people of T&T are being asked to pay.
Warner added that the England match was a special occasion for the Federation because very few organisations can boast of being in existence for 100 years.
"We looked at the reason, the occasion...a centennial match against England and the budget of TT15 millions dollars. And we felt that anybody who has the means to help to make this a reality should do so. And that was how the prices were arrived at," Warner said.
Meanwhile, Warner revealed that the English Football Association have requested just over 4,000 tickets for travelling fans, but instead the English have been given just 750 uncovered stand tickets.
Tickets for English fans will be collected on May 1 and shipped to the English FA. Warner also revealed that the English fans have gotten a small discount.
"I think it is $50 less," Warner revealed. "Because they pay airfare to come here and they pay for their hotel. So, we gave them an incentive to come here."
In addition to travelling fans, Warner revealed that approximately 200 British journalists will descend on the country for the match. Dave Lamy, liaison officer for the foreign media said few events have ever seen such an invasion of journalists.
"Trinidad and Tobago is a World Cup national now," Lamy said. "And a lot of people are interested in this match," which he said will be broadcast live to England and throughout Europe.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have acquired the rights for the match and will be taking charge of the production. They have already made plans to have between 15 -20 cameras covering the event.
Lamy said the game will be covered from all angles, making it an unprecedented feat in T&T.
As a result of the media invasion Warner said , the T&TFF will be hosting the mother of all media functions to give the English a taste of local culture.
Warner also explained the reason why the Soca Warriors were conceding their traditional red strip to the English.
"One of the ground rules was to have a playing facility that was first class," Warner said.
"Another was that they would play in red and we would play in an alternative colour, so, we chose white," he said.
$15 million for Soca Warriors vs England.
By: Nicolas Clarke (Guardian).The T&T Football Federation will spend a total of T&T $15 million on the international friendly between T&T and England which takes place at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on June 1. This was announced at a press conference for the match, entitled A Score to Settle, at the Hyatt Hotel on Wrightson Road yesterday. In attendance were Special Advisor to the T&TFF, Jack Warner, President of the TTFF, Oliver Camps and Vice-president of the T&TFF Lennox Watson.
Warner insisted that the sum was a fitting one for a centennial celebration and said that the T&TFF had no regrets about the cost. The monies will cover all expenses associated for the event.
It was also disclosed that tickets would go on sale online for $300 (Uncovered Stands), $600 (Covered Stands) and $1200 (Special Reserved) beginning on May 5 (see box). There are 18,040 uncovered stands, 4,150 covered stands and 1000 special reserve seat allotments. 750 tickets for the uncovered stands have been reserved for English “away” fans.
Surprisingly, it was announced that T&T would take the field in white uniforms since negotiations had specified that England would play in red. As a result, fans are being asked to don white apparel.
Warner encouraged Corporate T&T to get on board in supporting the event, advising that there would be three sponsorship packages available (Platinum, Gold and Silver).
He also promised that the pre-match cultural show, to be produced by Band of the Year 2008 winner Brian Mc Farlane, would be beamed throughout the world as “the mother of all cultural shows.”
The English team will arrive in T&T via private jet on May 29 following their match against the United States at Wembley Stadium, London the day before. On May 30 they will take part in a training session open to school children and the media at the Hasely Crawford Stadium beginning at 9 am.
Later that day at 6 pm, a coaching clinic conducted by coach Fabio Capello and two England players will take place at the Marvin Lee Stadium. The clinic will feature 60-70 selected young local players and will be open to the public.
That night, a media reception featuring approximately 200 invited BBC journalists will take place in Movie Towne.
On May 31, a media conference will be hosted at the Hyatt Hotel featuring coach Fabio Capello and captain John Terry followed by a dinner for the two teams which will be hosted at the President’s home in St Ann’s.
Ticket SystemMay 5—Commencement of online ticket reservations (
www.ttffonline.com) and telephone bookings (800-FANS (3267)). Limit of five tickets per person.
May 15—Reservations and Bookings close
May 17-18—Collation of successful ticket applicants and their respective ticket allotments for the match
May 18—Ticket packages to be collected at Hasely Crawford Stadium from 9am - 4pm. Online applicants that paid with credit card can get their tickets prior to May 18.
May 19-20—Uncollected tickets will be collated for resale.
Pricey England tickets under fire.
T&T Newsday Reports.The Trinidad and Tobago public reacted with surprise at the high cost of tickets for the upcoming friendly football international between Trinidad and Tobago and England.
Several former top footballers were among those who felt that the tickets for the 26,000 plus seats in the Hasely Crawford Stadium at Mucurapo were overpriced for the June 1 match.
The match between 2006 World Cup team Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors and England is organised by the TT Football Federation to celebrate their 100th anniversary. But fans will have to fork out hefty sums for tickets.
Jack Warner, Special Advisor to the TTFF announced on Tuesday that All Inclusive tickets will cost $1,200; with $600 for the Covered Stands; and $300 for the terraces.
Football enthusiast Tansley Thompson, a professional boxing promoter and manager was among those adding his voice to the chorus describing the prices of the tickets as “ridiculous”.
Yesterday Haynes, a former national captain and prolific striker criticised the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) for charging a price that he considers outside of the range of the average local football fan.
“It is the poor man who would normally be the ones to attend and support the sport,” Haynes said.“By charging that amount of money you are asking people not to attend the game.”
He called on the TTFF to put out their own money if they want to celebrate their 100th anniversary by staging the match expected to cost in excess of $15 million.
Haynes also slammed the football federation for what he described as “indiscriminate pricing”, saying they are hiking up their cost at a time when already food prices are out of the reach of some sectors of the population.
And in giving a breakdown of the price for which tickets should be offered Haynes said, “For the most, the game should be $600 or $700 for VIP and broken down for Covered and Uncovered Stands.
Thompson told Newsday that the prices being charged are discouraging to young budding footballers who may want to see their heroes in action.
“To attend a match with such a price you should be getting dinner, lunch and punch,” Thompson said disappointingly.
He expressed the view that he was willing to attend the game and pay for about three young men, but said with the prices, it seems now that not even him would be able to attend.
Thompson questioned how could one attend a football game with such prices comparing it to the spiralling food prices which has reached crisis proportion.
Meanwhile Brian Williams, a former national defender in the Strike Squad of 1989 said he does not know about the prices charged for top international games such as this one, but feels that the amount being asked to attend may be too high for the average football fan.
Paying the piper.
By: Fazeer Mohammed (Express).[/size]
I know many of us are upset about the price, but is the anger really directed at the man who is justifying it?
There is no question that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) suffers from a serious credibility problem, much of it having to do with the domineering presence of the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West. Still, you have to give Jack his jacket for, as he implied on Tuesday, if people rush to pay a whole heap of money for coonoomoonoo events, there should be no problem filling up the Hasely Crawford Stadium on June 1 for the first-ever full international played by England in this country.
Whatever opinions we may have about Jack Warner as a football official and a politician, the inescapable reality is that it is only because of the considerable status and influence of the FIFA vice-president that the English are coming here, ostensibly to mark the centenary of the TTFF, but really to keep currying favour with a man who, as the undisputed head of CONCACAF, holds 35 votes in the palm of his hand, votes that the English authorities are desperate will go their way in determining the hosts of the 2018 World Cup finals.
Whatever our indifference to the apparent status of the England national team as a superpower in the game, you cannot avoid the almost magnetic attraction we seem to have towards their football. It is partially a legacy of colonialism, an almost automatic recognition that anything they do must be just about the best and therefore worthy of admiration and emulation. But it is also about exposure (most of us grew up watching English football on TV every weekend and know more about Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool than the Pro League teams right here) and effective global marketing to the extent that a top-of-the-table clash in the English Premier League can attract a television audience equivalent to almost one-sixth of the entire population of the planet.
So we're talking top drawer here in terms of the global marketplace. And top drawer means top dollar, so it isn't even a calculated risk to establish prices which are considerably higher than what would have normally applied, even for a critical World Cup qualifier just over two years ago.
Apart from the fact that a lot of people don't like Jack for whatever reason and remain suspicious of the accountability of the TTFF (how many times have we heard of the Federation incurring losses despite a ram-crammed stadium?), one of the other criticisms about ticket prices ranging from $300 to $1,200 is that the poor man, who might actually be the most loyal supporter of Trinidad and Tobago football, is priced out of the historic experience.
Well, and I know this may sound extremely harsh, that's just the way it is. Remember, this is not a gift to the nation but in many respects a business transaction, and people don't go into business to lose the shirts off their backs. So often we talk about sport not just being about Sunday morning recreation and healthy activity, but hard-nosed professionalism that requires a businesslike attitude if it is to survive and prosper in the modern environment.
This fixture between Trinidad and Tobago and England is a case in point, and the business people associated with the exercise are not in it purely for the love of the game or the generosity of their hearts, but for the profits to be made from it. They would have factored in already the negative publicity about the ticket prices, the occasional cussing they might get personally from some irate fan, and have calculated the value of the game based on what they perceive to be the appetite of the public to pay for it.
As for the true, true supporters complaining that they will be left outside, this situation is really no different from playing mas. The same grassroots people who grumble and get on about bandleaders digging out their eyes every year, yet somehow find the money because Carniva l just cannot pass them by, will also put together the three blue notes one way or the other, if they value what some may consider to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to the extent that they are prepared to make sacrifices in other areas so as not to miss out.
It's the same as with food prices. If it's ridiculously expensive and not really essential, just don't buy it. If you do, even grudgingly, you are essentially validating the market price because there is enough of a demand to keep it at that level.
Would I pay $300 to be at the game on June 1? No, but then again I'm not only cheap and stingy, but don't value seeing the England national football team in action to that extent (not to mention that it will also be the third day of the second cricket Test between the West Indies and Australia in Antigua).
However, my older daughter, who should be focusing on the first stage of her CAPE exams right now, is already harassing my soul about getting a ticket for her.
If she somehow manages to extricate the money despite the scorpions guarding my wallet, then Jack and the others associated with this financial beanstalk of a football game will be vindicated. Time will tell.
Anyone out there knows where I can get scorpion vitamins?
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