The Plight of Ticketless Fulham fans goes national on front page BBC

[os5889]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/8663270.stm

Fulham lobby Uefa for extra Europa League final tickets



Fulham take on Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on 12 May

By Sean Chaney

Fulham have asked Uefa for more tickets for the Europa League final in Hamburg, after selling out their entire 12,650 allocation in under four hours.

Fulham claim the scarcity of tickets for the game against Atletico Madrid is due to "unprecedented demand".
But fan groups have blamed a decision to let season ticket holders buy up to four tickets for the 12 May final.
"We are lobbying for more tickets, fans should register with us," said Fulham's communications director Sarah Brookes.
Uefa, European football's governing body, was unable to comment on Fulham's appeal for more tickets on Wednesday.

The Craven Cottage club has 10,000 season ticket holders but the decision to allow them to buy up to four tickets each could mean that some regular supporters miss out.
   
Tickets went on sale at 0700 BST on Friday, less than 12 hours after Fulham booked their place in their first ever European final with a 2-1 win over Hamburg.

And Fulham supporters' club spokesman John Aitken, 50, described the club's ticketing policy as "a joke."

"It is always a constant battle, we have been in the Premier League for 10 years and got to a European final, we are established, but the club are acting like we are still in the old third division," said Aitken.

"They took about £1 million in a morning, surely the computer system should have told them that they needed to hold some back for other season ticket holders?"

Mr Aitken, who predicts Fulham could have up to 20,000 supporters in Germany, said he missed out on tickets, despite being a season ticket holder and going to the club's ground on Friday morning.
"I went down to the office to collect tickets for the West Ham game, but they said I had to apply online for the Europa tickets By the time I got home and logged on they had already sold out," he said.

Fulham say they had no choice but to sell as many tickets as possible, pointing to the fact that they have not sold out a single away ticket allocation during their historic 18-game European odyssey.

"We had a limited window to sell off our tickets and if we didn't manage to sell them all then the club would have taken a million-pound financial hit," continued Brookes.

"We apologise, of course we apologise if anyone has missed out, but this really is an unprecedented level of demand - we have never sold out an away ticket allocation so quickly.

Fulham's Europa League journey has taken them all over Europe
"We have asked fans to register with us if they don't have tickets and we are lobbying Uefa for more tickets."

Uefa confirmed both sides have been allocated 12,650 tickets for the final, with a further 14,000 available to the general public.
Many of the general public tickets are likely to have been bought by fans of Hamburg, who would have been hoping to see their team triumph on home soil, before they lost to Fulham in the semi-finals.

4,600 tickets go to the local organising committee, while the 6,100 tickets available to the Uefa associations and commercial partners make up the expected 49,000 capacity of the Hamburg Arena.

"We are looking at ways to help genuine supporters and season ticket holders who may have missed out and we will do all can to help and sort out any anomalies," said Brookes.

"But I am confident that the vast majority of fans who have followed us through thick and thin over the years will be with us in Hamburg."

[os5889]

How do you think a story like this portrays the club? Does it make us look like a club with plastic "good times" fans?

[finnster01]

All I know Owen is that I will make my way across the Atlantic Ocean for the event. I still have my 6 season tix and if this chap had asked me beforehand about getting a ticket I probably would have helped (didn't use my extra allocations but did pick up 4 tickets for the final).

Anyway, it is a lifetime event for a Fulham fan. I am sure I will never see this happen again. Call me pessimistic, call me Fulhamish, call me whatever you like, but this one will be one that my own old man that took me to Wembley in 75' and carried me on his arms at a few points, would have loved to be at. As Mr Vic suggested, I will have a photo of the old bugger in my pocket and I will probably cry like a baby at some point no matter the outcome. God Bless you Mr Johnny where ever you may be.

This is Fulham history, and we can be very proud of our lads.

[LBNo11]

How do you think a story like this portrays the club? Does it make us look like a club with plastic "good times" fans?

...no it makes us look like fans given a possible once in a lifetime opportunity to see a major European cup final and a club run by business people who have to make their sale, never mind the fans.

Does Sarah Brookes really believe that they would have been lumbered with a load of unsold tickets? They don't give us much credit do they...

[JBH]

Its a shame that so many have missed out but even if the club had limited it to 2 tickets per ST holder, they would have sold out just as quickley, the club can't win.

Its UEFA that every one should blame for their appaulling ticket allocation to the 2 finalist's

[mrska]

We have 14,000 season ticket holders .....

[SHADY1]

It's not really a big deal is it we may be 4000 short. Liverpool would have been 30,000 short yes its a shame for those who can't get them but tickets will 100% be available in Germany IF we had been playing Liverpool doubt we'd have a chance at any extras and we'd have been out numbered 4-1 ...
lets just shut up now and make the most of it... if you want to be a part of it still travel it will be an amazing few days.... and most will get tickets IF you really want them and aren't just looking for something else to moan about.