MP talks to ministers over play-off tickets row

A Labour MP has ed government ministers over the limited number of tickets being sold for the National League play-off final next month.

Southend United said it expected 30,000 of its fans to want tickets for the match against Oldham Athletic on 1 June, but Wembley Stadium has capped the allocation at 20,000 for both clubs.

No London Underground trains are due to stop at Wembley Park station on the day because of planned engineering work.

David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West and Leigh, said fans should "watch this space".

"We are working behind the scenes to try and get this ridiculous situation resolved," he said.

A Wembley Stadium spokesperson said "the safety and security of fans" was of "paramount importance".

Southend United said it had communicated its dissatisfaction with Wembley Stadium, the National League, the Mayor of London's office and senior ministers.

The allocation is limited to 17,500 tickets and a further 2,500 coach and ticket packages.

The Shrimpers' said they had sourced 28 coaches, which could take sales up to 18,900. They said they would continue finding more coaches.

"Our focus at present is finding solutions to the problems we have been presented with," a club spokesperson added.

Last year's final where Bromley beat Solihull Moors had a crowd of 23,374.

Southend said they expected the attendance record would be beaten this year.

That record was set in 2015 when 47,029 saw Bristol Rovers beat Grimsby, when the division was known as the Conference.

Burton-Sampson has signed a t letter with Southend-on-Sea City Council Labour leader Daniel Cowan, and fellow Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, Bayo Alaba.

They wrote to various offices, and asked for the planned works at Wembley Park tube station to be deferred or for the release of more tickets.

"The fans of both clubs deserve to be able to cheer on their teams from the stands," the letter said.

Former Southend, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and England striker Stan Collymore posted on X to say fans were being "unfairly punished".

He claimed the ticket limitation would "probably not be implemented would this be a Premier League or England national team game".

Addressing London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has responsibility for transport in the capital, Collymore said: "I'd be more than happy to set out a thousand reasons why it is important for both clubs to be fully represented at Wembley, and should only be afforded the same privilege as any club, namely to 'fill the damn place'."

The Shrimpers Trust ers group said in a statement: "Unfortunately, the excitement [of Oldham and Southend fans] has been trampled on by the seemingly-amateurish planning of several key stakeholders."

The Echo newspaper in Essex and the Oldham Times have started a t petition urging for a larger ticket allocation.

Transport for London (TfL) chief operating officer Claire Mann confirmed trains would not stop at Wembley Park because of planned engineering/upgrade works that would "transform journeys for people using the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines".

"We have worked closely with Wembley Stadium, Brent Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Safety Advisory Group to understand the expected attendance and ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for fans," she said.

"To help mitigate the impact of Wembley Park being closed, we have arranged for more Bakerloo line trains to serve Wembley Central and Chiltern Railways are providing an additional two services per hour servicing Wembley Stadium station on Sunday.

"Based on the number of people expected at the event, we are confident that this will help customers travelling to and from the match."

A Wembley Stadium spokesperson described the planned works as "significant" and said they could not be moved to another weekend.

They said the ticket allocations were discussed with TfL, Chiltern Rail and National Express.

The 40,000 capacity limit would be reviewed following the initial ticket sale, the spokesperson added.

Wembley Central (Underground) and Wembley Stadium (overground) stations are both due to be open.

Southend began selling their ticket allocation to season ticket holders from noon on Saturday, with the general sale under way from 13:00 BST on Sunday.

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