Following the ticket sale for the England U21 ramp up match, we have been contacted by members with many questions about the whole process.
Clearly there was a huge demand placed on our ticketing system. All the feedback we have received so far from members will be very useful as we prepare for the first full England match at the new stadium later this year.
Here is the latest information added to our FAQ section today:
1) Why is the U21 game being played on the same day as the Israel match?
There are a combination of reasons as to why the U21 match is being played on 24 March.
a) During the playing season, players will only be released during the stated international window.
b) Due to safety regulations, the ramp up match has to be played during daylight hours.
c) There has to be an agreement between the two competing associations and Italy were unable to play the match on Sunday 25 March.
d) The match could not be staged on a weekday as it needs to be accessible to as many people as possible .
2 ) Why wasn't there a priority sale for englandfans members?
The FA offers priority access for members of englandfans to tickets for England Senior matches. Last year we stated that consideration would be given to a members priority sale for the Wembley Ramp-Up events. We managed to secure tickets for all members who were interested in attending the first Ramp-Up event (the Community Day). However, we have been unable to offer priority for the second Ramp-Up event due to time constraints between the event being announced and tickets going on sale.
The FA were unable to announce the event until the stadium had been officially handed over. We can assure members that they will receive priority access for the first Senior International match at Wembley.
3) Why were there problems with the ticketing system during the U21 sale?
The first hour of ticket sales created an unprecedented load on our internet site with tens of thousands of people queuing for tickets. Despite careful planning and testing, our queuing system was overwhelmed and many visitors experienced problems trying to get into the ticketing website.
The ticketing system was constantly selling tickets from 3pm until we were sold out at around 8.40pm. The ticketing system did not crash, but the queuing system failed in the early stages of the sale, and was not fault free until around half way through the sale. We apologise for the problems that many of you experienced yesterday and we will work to ensure these problems are limited for future ticket sales.
4) What about tickets on eBay?
We are aware that some tickets are being offered on various internet auction sites. out legal team are currently investigating these cases. As ever, any members assistance in reporting these auctions would be appreciated.
Comments
Tuesday, 13 March 2007.
Following the ticket sale for the England U21 ramp up match, we have been contacted by members with many questions about the whole process.
Clearly there was a huge demand placed on our ticketing system. All the feedback we have received so far from members will be very useful as we prepare for the first full England match at the new stadium later this year.
Here is the latest information added to our FAQ section today:
1) Why is the U21 game being played on the same day as the Israel match?
There are a combination of reasons as to why the U21 match is being played on 24 March.
a) During the playing season, players will only be released during the stated international window.
b) Due to safety regulations, the ramp up match has to be played during daylight hours.
c) There has to be an agreement between the two competing associations and Italy were unable to play the match on Sunday 25 March.
d) The match could not be staged on a weekday as it needs to be accessible to as many people as possible .
2 ) Why wasn't there a priority sale for englandfans members?
The FA offers priority access for members of englandfans to tickets for England Senior matches. Last year we stated that consideration would be given to a members priority sale for the Wembley Ramp-Up events. We managed to secure tickets for all members who were interested in attending the first Ramp-Up event (the Community Day). However, we have been unable to offer priority for the second Ramp-Up event due to time constraints between the event being announced and tickets going on sale.
The FA were unable to announce the event until the stadium had been officially handed over. We can assure members that they will receive priority access for the first Senior International match at Wembley.
3) Why were there problems with the ticketing system during the U21 sale?
The first hour of ticket sales created an unprecedented load on our internet site with tens of thousands of people queuing for tickets. Despite careful planning and testing, our queuing system was overwhelmed and many visitors experienced problems trying to get into the ticketing website.
The ticketing system was constantly selling tickets from 3pm until we were sold out at around 8.40pm. The ticketing system did not crash, but the queuing system failed in the early stages of the sale, and was not fault free until around half way through the sale. We apologise for the problems that many of you experienced yesterday and we will work to ensure these problems are limited for future ticket sales.
4) What about tickets on eBay?
We are aware that some tickets are being offered on various internet auction sites. out legal team are currently investigating these cases. As ever, any members assistance in reporting these auctions would be appreciated.