Southend United and Oldham Athletic have announced an increase in their ticket allocations for the National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
Both clubs were originally allocated 17,500 tickets for the match scheduled on Sunday, June 1. However, this number has now risen to 21,500 tickets each. The initial lower allocation was due to the temporary closure of Wembley Park station for engineering works, which limited stadium access.
David Burton-Sampson, Member of Parliament for Southend West and Leigh, revealed he contacted government ministers over the limited ticket sales.
Southend United expressed that the earlier allocation “did not come close to reflecting the scale of demand” from their fans.
Oldham Athletic also reported that their supporters were “deeply frustrated” by the capped attendance.
The Latics confirmed they have been in daily communication with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is liaising directly with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to seek an increase in stadium capacity. The club is also in regular talks with local MP Jim McMahon.
In a further update on social media, Southend United said they could sell more than 35,000 tickets if allowed. They confirmed that the current ticket allotment has sold out, with a smaller batch of tickets to be released on Monday.
While pleased with the progress, Southend said they continue to urge all involved parties to explore creative solutions to safely expand capacity for the final.
