Mayors Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham confirm increased 50,000 capacity for National League play-off final
- Capacity increased from original 40,000
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham have confirmed that capacity for Sunday’s National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium between Oldham Athletic and Southend United has increased from 40,000 to 50,000.
Both teams are former Football League clubs, but the ticket allocation was determined by the stadium and set at 40,000 before it was known which clubs would be competing as Wembley Park station will be closed on the day.
Following negotiations with Wembley Stadium, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham have now confirmed that capacity has been increased to 50,000.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to work with the FA to secure extra capacity at Wembley Stadium for this hugely important match. I recognise how big an occasion this game is for both sets of supporters who have seen their clubs endure extremely difficult times in recent years. I am sure this match will be an occasion to remember for fans of Oldham Athletic and Southend United.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Oldham Athletic and Southend United are two proud clubs with a long history in the Football League.
“This chance to get back where they belong was always going to mean a great deal to both sets of supporters and it is clear many would have missed out at a lower capacity.
“We are very grateful to Sadiq and his team for acting on the concerns we raised on behalf of Oldham supporters and working with the authorities in London to let more people get tickets for the game.”
Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council said: “This is a big day for Oldham, and Southend, so I’m over the moon that the FA has listened and increased capacity.
“On behalf of Oldham fans, I’d also like to thank Andy and Sadiq for doing so much when I asked them to step in.
“They’ve worked behind the scenes to help persuade the FA to do the right thing.
“Roll on Sunday!”
As part of the agreement to increase the number of tickets, the clubs are working with fans to ensure they have transport arrangements in place with the clubs providing additional coaches and rail transport operators including C2C and Chiltern Railway laying on additional trains and TfL providing extra trains on the Bakerloo line.
The decision to limit crowd numbers was not made by the Mayor or Transport for London. Capacity limits are set by relevant authorities.