Mayor clinches deal for thousands more tickets to ‘historic match’ for Oldham

Almost 10,000 more tickets will be released for Oldham’s first game at Wembley Stadium in over 30 years.

Fans were left devastated in recent weeks after tickets for the momentous occasion were capped at 17,500 per club due to Wembley Park Station being closed for engineering works. The FA and Transport for London feared the closure would make crowd control more difficult. 

But now Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham have confirmed that capacity for the National League play-off final between Oldham Athletic FC and Southend United has increased from 40,000 to almost 50,000. 

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.”

Fans and local politicians spoke out against the cap, noting that Wembley has ‘plenty of infrastructure’ to cope with crowds, including two other stations. Following negotiations with Wembley Stadium, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham have confirmed each club will receive an additional 5,000 tickets. 

Councillor 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!”

The day could be a huge moment for the Greater Manchester team – and the borough. After three ‘dark decades’ which saw Oldham drop down the divisions, and ultimately relegated to non-league in 2022, they are on the cusp of an EFL return. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commented: “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.” 

Oldham MP Jim McMahon shared his delight online, saying without the work of the club, mayors and organisations involved, ‘it was possible that thousands of loyal fans would have been denied the chance to witness this historic match’.

Extra transport links have been arranged to minimize disruption, including additional coaches and rail transport operators including C2C and Chiltern Railway laying on additional trains and TfL providing extra trains on the Bakerloo line.