Portsmouth Wembley allocation 'potentially' higher than last season's numbers in record-breaking EFL Trophy final

Pompey supporters’ Wembley presence is poised to surpass last year’s Checkatrade Trophy final.
Neil Allen
By Neil Allen
Published 19th Feb 2020, 12:05 BST
Updated 19th Feb 2020, 17:12 BST
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Mark Catlin believes the Blues’ allocation can ‘potentially’ exceed the 42,000 tickets handed over for the March 2019 final against Sunderland.

Back then, Pompey sold out an initial 40,300 seats within eight days, before bolstering numbers through returns from other clubs.

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This year’s final will see Kenny Jackett’s men face either Newport County or Salford, who are in action this evening.

Neither side average more than 4,000 in home League Two fixtures this season.

And high-level talks have already been held to discuss a greater Pompey allocation for this year’s April 5 final.

Chief executive Catlin said: ‘We have already spoken about ticketing for the final.

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‘How it works is you travel to Wembley before the semi-finals and have an extensive planning meeting about the day itself, in regards of what you can and can’t do, ticketing, pricing, etc.

Around 42,000 Pompey fans were in attendance at Wembley to watch their team beat Sunderland in March 2019. Picture: Joe PeplerAround 42,000 Pompey fans were in attendance at Wembley to watch their team beat Sunderland in March 2019. Picture: Joe Pepler
Around 42,000 Pompey fans were in attendance at Wembley to watch their team beat Sunderland in March 2019. Picture: Joe Pepler

‘You meet the Wembley people and the EFL, working on the strategy in advance, and part of discussions is what the potential two finalists can bring in terms of their attendance.

‘I am pretty pleased and confident in what we believe we can do. To be fair to the EFL and Wembley, I think they are going to be very accommodating in regards of our fans and the potential numbers we could take to this event.

‘Potentially it could be more than last year. It is yet to be finalised, but, in the discussions we’ve had, it is apparent they would be very flexible in accommodating our requests for the final.

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‘At some point after tonight, we will sit down again and have another meeting to decide how many we get – and the opposition.’

The last EFL Trophy final attracted a record attendance of 85,021, of which around half were Pompey supporters. Picture: Joe PeplerThe last EFL Trophy final attracted a record attendance of 85,021, of which around half were Pompey supporters. Picture: Joe Pepler
The last EFL Trophy final attracted a record attendance of 85,021, of which around half were Pompey supporters. Picture: Joe Pepler

A record EFL Trophy crowd of 85,021 attended last season’s final between Pompey and Sunderland.

Jackett’s side won the fixture 5-4 on penalties after drawing 2-2 following time added on.

Catlin added: ‘The turnaround is relatively quick in regards of putting on a big event, so you have everything all done and dusted beforehand.

‘Then it’s just tweaking after it is known who the finalists are.’

Related topics:WembleyMark CatlinPortsmouthPompeyKenny JackettBluesSunderlandSalford

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