Ok, so I know you’ve erased last season’s FA Cup final from your mind, but do you remember the hassle of getting tickets for the big day out?
With only 25,000 being made available per team (leaving 40,000 for the football family and sponsors), for many a die-hard fan it was a struggle to get a golden ticket. Granted, it was more of an issue for Arsenal fans with the amount of season ticket holders they have and their close proximity to Wembley, but when so many sponsors were offering up tickets for competitions and the FA was reported to give a considerable amount of comps to the finance sector there was a bad taste leading up to the game.
It also creates a black market in which supporters are ripped off to the tune of hundreds of pounds, sometimes even thousands.
Before the FA Cup final, MOMS had been in contact with leading Arsenal supporter groups who had offered their support to the issue we had with the FA and Wembley over the surfer flag we organised for the day, that was banned. Talk frequently turned to the ticket allocation for the final and they were more than annoyed by it. We had both mentioned the issue to the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) and proposed doing something when the 2016 version of the FA cup kicked off in earnest.
It is good to see the FSF officially address the matter by sending a letter yesterday (Thursday 7th January 2016) to the FA, which My Old Man Said has signed.
The letter calls on the FA to cut the number of FA Cup final tickets redistributed to the football family in half.
This would free up 10,000 tickets every year for loyal, match-going fans.
The full letter and signatories below. You can download the letter in its original format here
FSF letter to the FA (Thursday 7th January 2016)
Dear FA,The FA Cup has supplied countless special memories across generations of fans and, with the Third Round only days away, we’ll see many of those famous images again and again.We’re sure many more FA Cup memories will be created in the years ahead but, unless the FA act, tens of thousands of supporters will see those scenes on TV rather than from their seat at Wembley.That is because season-after-season thousands of loyal fans miss out on final tickets. Wembley holds 90,000 yet only 25,000 tickets are given to each competing club. The remaining 40,000 are redistributed to the “football family” and Club Wembley.Every year the FA Cup’s reputation takes a blow because of this.All-too-often supporters who have followed their side through the early rounds of the FA Cup and the semi-final miss out on the big day or are forced to pay extortionate prices for tickets which have been sold on the black market. Those tickets should be going directly into the hands of fans.The Football Supporters’ Federation and all our affiliates and associates listed below call upon the FA to listen to supporters and increase the number of tickets it gives to fans of competing clubs.If the FA cut the number of FA Cup final tickets it redistributed to the football family in half, this would free up at least 10,000 tickets every year for loyal, match-going fans.We understand that the FA must convince its members to voluntarily take fewer tickets but we also believe that this is the right thing to do for both the good of the game and the long-term health of a competition that we all love.Yours sincerely,Kevin MilesChief Executive,The Football Supporters’ FederationSIGNATORIESA Love Supreme – SunderlandArsenal Independent Supporters’ Association (AISA) – ArsenalArsenal Supporters’ Trust – ArsenalAssociation of Millwall Supporters (AMS) – MillwallAston Villa Supporters Trust – Aston Villaavillafan.com – Aston VillaBangla Bantams – Bradford CityBarnsley FC Supporters’ Trust – BarnsleyBlackpool Fans’ Progress Group – BlackpoolBlue & Gold Supporters Society Ltd – King’s LynnBradford City Supporters’ Trust – Bradford CityBrentford Independent Association Of Supporters’ – BrentfordBrighton & Hove Albion Supporters’ Club – Brighton and Hove AlbionBristol City Supporters’ Trust – Bristol CityCambridge Fans’ United – Cambridge UnitedCanaries Trust – Norwich CityCardiff City Supporters’ Club – Cardiff CityCardiff City Supporters’ Trust – Cardiff CityChelsea Supporters’ Trust – ChelseaCoalville Town Supporters’ Club – Coalville TownCrawley Town Supporters’ Society Ltd – Crawley TownCrystal Palace Supporters’ Trust (CPST) – Crystal PalaceDenbighshire Liverpool FC Supporters Club – LiverpoolEverton South Wales Branch – EvertonEverton Supporters’ Trust – EvertonExeter City AFC Supporters’ Trust – Exeter CityFC United of Manchester Forces2Canaries – Norwich CityForever Bury – BuryFulham Supporters’ Trust – FulhamGloucester City AFC Supporters’ Trust – Gloucester CityGrimsby Town – Grimsby TownHalifax Town Supporters’ Club – Halifax TownHarrogate & District Everton Supporters’ Club – EvertonHuddersfield Town Supporters’ Association – Huddersfield TownHull City Supporters’ Trust – Hull CityIpswich Town Independent Supporters’ Trust – Ipswich TownLeeds United Supporters Trust – Leeds UnitedLeyton Orient Fans’ Trust – Leyton OrientLevel Playing Field*Liverpool FC Supporters’ Committee – Liverpool Liverpool Supporters’ Club (Deeside) – LiverpoolLiverpool Supporters Union – LiverpoolManchester City Disabled Supporters’ Association – Manchester CityManchester City Official Supporters’ Club (1949) – Manchester CityManchester United Supporters’ Club (Oxford & Banbury Branch) – Manchester UnitedManchester United Supporters’ Trust – Manchester UnitedMerseyside Socios of Torrevieja My Old Man Said – Aston VillaNewcastle United Supporters Trust – Newcastle UnitedNorth West Sussex Seagulls – Brighton and Hove AlbionNottingham Forest Supporters’ Club – Nottingham ForestNotts County FC Official Supporters Association – Notts CountyNUFC Fans UTD – Newcastle UnitedOfficial Wycombe Wanderers Supporters’ Club – Wycombe WanderersPompey Supporters’ Trust – PortsmouthPort Vale Supporters’ Club – Port ValePortsmouth FC Supporters’ Club (Central Branch) – PortsmouthPreston Supporters’ Group – Preston North EndPride in Football Pride of Irons – West Ham UnitedQPR1st Supporters’ Trust – QPRRams Trust – Derby CountyRamsActive – Derby CountyREDaction – ArsenalRochdale Fans United – RochdaleSaddlers Club – WalsallSaints Disabled Supporters Association – SouthamptonSatis – EvertonScunthorpe United Supporters’ Trust – Scunthorpe UnitedShareholders for Albion (S4A) – West Bromwich Albion Shrewsbury Town FC Official Supporters Club – Shrewsbury TownSky Blue Trust – Coventry CityStevenage FC Supporters Association – StevenageStoke City Southern Supporters’ Club – Stoke CitySunderland AFC Supporters’ Association – SunderlandSwansea City Supporters Trust – Swansea CitySwindon Town Supporters Trust – Swindon TownTangerine Knights – BlackpoolThe Blue Union – EvertonThe Cards Trust – WokingThe Foxes Trust – Leicester CityThe United Trust – Carlisle UnitedTottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust – Tottenham HotspurTrue Faith – Newcastle UnitedUnion FS – Leicester CityVale Park Beano – Port ValeVikings Supporters’ Co-Operative – Doncaster RoversWolverhampton Wanderers London Supporters Club – Wolverhampton WanderersWycombe Wanderers Trust – Wycombe WanderersFollow MOMS on Twitter – @oldmansaidFollow The FSF on Twitter – @The_FSF