FA Cup final 2009: People's final is 'open to abuse'

29 May 2009 21:28
Contemplating the club's official allocation of 25,019 tickets he was almost in despair. "I get the emails every day," he said. "I shouldn't read them but I respond to them and they're hideous. [LNB]"How fans have supported the club longer than me but can't afford a season ticket. We live in a world where week after week, season after season, we say come and see us, come and sing your heart out and then we get to a Cup final and we've only got 25,000 tickets. It's not on."[LNB] Related ArticlesHiddink leaves team smilingWembley has faith in Cup final pitchChelsea plan Hiddink farewellDavid Moyes v Guus HiddinkTop 10: Cup final songsSport on televisionKenwright's frustration stems from a system that many, including influential voices at Soho Square, feel needs reforming to allow more tickets to reach the fans and turn English football's grand day into the "people's final" the FA once promised it would be. [LNB]The current system is hampered by a lack of transparency. Wembley's official capacity is 90,000, but with 17,000 seats reserved for Club Wembley members, whose investment paid for the stadium to be built, its effective capacity is no more than 72,000. [LNB]Of these 50,000 go to the fans, with a further 22,000 or so going to the "football family", which the FA defines as "the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs, 134 other 'full member' clubs, other clubs who reached the third round, charities, FA sponsors, the Football Foundation, the Premier League, Football League, Football Conference, PFA, International Associations, Fifa, Uefa and County Football Associations."[LNB]The FA does not publish a detailed breakdown of ticket allocation but inquiries by the Telegraph Sport have established that the largest single beneficiaries are the Counties and the 115 members of the FA Council, known as "football's parliament". [LNB]Between them they control some 9,500 tickets, with 8,500 going to the counties and councillors themselves receiving up to eight tickets each, four of them complimentary. The entire system is overseen by the Council itself, whose members include the chairs of all 51 County Associations. [LNB]The County allocation is intended to provide an incentive and a reward for those who have provided voluntary service to the game, ensuring that it flourishes in local communities. [LNB]The FA point out that a huge number of people help sustain the grass-roots of the game. Around 400,000 volunteers give up their time each week, and the FA has 44,000 affiliated clubs running 125,000 teams in 1,700 leagues. In addition 26,000 referees and 150,000 qualified coaches work in the game. Providing a ticket to the domestic game's showpiece event for these deserving volunteers is, the FA argue, just reward for their commitment. [LNB]Few would argue with that, but to some observers the proportion shared by the Council and the Counties - 12 per cent of the capacity if Club Wembley is removed - constitutes a perk for "blazers" that is wide-open to abuse. There are also concerns that the clubs share some 4,000 tickets. [LNB]Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation and an FA Councillor, compares the system to MP's self-regulation of expenses, and says the time has come for an open debate. [LNB]"We live in an age of transparency, as MPs can testify, and the time has come for an open debate and review of practice on this issue. We think many more tickets should go to fans of the competing clubs but we also recognise that people who give valuable voluntary service to the game deserve to be rewarded. We would like to see clear and open rules about who can get the tickets and strong controls to ensure that they end up in the right hands."[LNB]The FA imposes strict conditions on tickets and any County selling them on or otherwise abusing the system faces the loss of future allocations. The FA can trace every ticket and has launched an "Out The tout" hotline, encouraging people to return tickets purchased on the secondary market so that they can be sourced back to the original owner. Club Wembley seats can be traded among members, but anyone selling at a mark-up beyond the internal market is in breach of their licence and can lose the seat. [LNB]The FA also point out that it is almost impossible to balance the competing demands for tickets, and that the FA Cup final is no different to the champions League or Carling Cup finals, where around a third of tickets are shared beyond the competing clubs. [LNB]That said, the system has been the cause of frustration within the FA in recent years, and there are influential figures who would welcome a chance to debate the issue. [LNB]Previous attempts at reform have foundered on resistance from Council. One former executive told Telegraph Sport: "It is deeply frustrating when you work there because you come under pressure from supporters groups and have to defend the system even though it is not fair. There is not much chance of getting it changes because the Council would have to approve it and they are the one's getting the tickets. It's like turkeys voting for Christmas."[LNB]The amateur game is not the only sector that could come under pressure. The FA's professional and FA full member clubs receive as many as 4,000 tickets in total, with each of the 92 Premier and Football League clubs getting 18 each. [LNB]FA staff meanwhile are entitled to two tickets each as a condition of employment and have the option to buy two more, which accounts for a further 1,000. The media receive 500 seats. [LNB]Sponsors and broadcasters account for up to another 1,000, and the FA reserves a significant proportion to entertain a large number of VIPs from the world of politics, sport and business as well as football dignitaries from Fifa and Uefa, all drawn by the enduring appeal of an FA Cup final ticket. [LNB] 

Source: Telegraph