Tickets for Newcastle vs. Barcelona were purchased by Dundee School.
When the remaining seats for next week’s eagerly awaited opening group match at St James’ Park went on sale on Tuesday, there were over 110,000 people in an online queue, demonstrating the level of demand.
However, it has come to light that the High School of Dundee had previously claimed forty-five tickets for the match on September 18th, having bought them after being “approached by an approved provider”. According to Lisa Mole, chair of the supporters’ trust, members are “fighting every week to get a ticket” at the moment. “We are not saying that we don’t want young fans to be brought into the stadium and to experience the matches,” she stated. “I just believe that everyone agrees right now how terrible the tickets situation is, so something like this just makes it worse.
Many members have contacted us after not receiving a single ticket on the ballot for the previous season, and we have members who pay an annual membership price but are not assured a ticket. “It’s a ballot – people are not guaranteed a ticket – but it does sting when they see people who are not necessarily Newcastle supporters being given an opportunity to go to such a high-profile game.” Newcastle’s most recent Champions League match versus AC Milan was previously attended by a comparable number of students from the private Dundee school in 2023.
One of the school’s representatives stated: “The High School of Dundee was approached by an approved provider and the tickets were bought as part of a group package.” Purchasing tickets outside of a club is not necessarily a recent development in the game. Former Newcastle footballer David Burt now works as a sports sales consultant for GB Sports Tours in northeastern England.
As a Newcastle supporter, Burt has “never been successful in the ballot” and has seen all sides of it. “We have had school groups from up here in Newcastle and various areas going to Man City,” he stated. “Sometimes they might be playing Newcastle or another good team and have said, ‘Can we get tickets for a game?'” By participating in the cup arrangement, Newcastle season ticket holders were able to secure their spot at every home Champions League match.
After that, the others were divided. The fans’ trust described how some tickets were put up for ballot and others were made available to season ticket holders who did not participate in the cup system as well as those who have a club membership, which costs £20 for children and £37 for adults. It should come as no surprise that the club is considering expanding St. James’ Park’s capacity or constructing a new stadium in light of the high demand.
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