Whilst unsurprisingly the group games are oversubscribed, as well as the possible glamour tie in Mexico City in the R16, the numbers for the semi-final and final speak for themselves. England fans will gamble on getting a $60 ticket, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a huge drop in numbers if members don’t get their hands on one of them. The football mentality is if tickets sell, there isn’t a problem, we see this all the time. But the numbers are reflective of a fan base that has been priced out, and some of the most loyal supporters of the international game feel completely let down. Alarm bells should be ringing whenever participating member allocations, meant for the most loyal fans, are not sold out for any game at a World Cup. This is especially concerning when the allocations for games are so low, and England have a membership of over 30,000. This isn’t acceptable.

We have released the following statement about transport issues in Gelsenkirchen yesterday. Thank you to everyone who has fed back to us, it is greatly appreciated. thefsa.org.uk/news/free-lion…

⚽️𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐯 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 🗓️𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞, 𝐆𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 🏟️𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐮𝐟𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞 England fans will have access to the Trabrennbahn Gelsenkirchen, the racecourse, which has capacity for 40,000 people and will open at 11am on matchday and close at 3am. Entry is free. Inside there will be more than enough bars, €5 Bitburger Pils on sale as well as multiple food stalls including Bratwurst, Currywurst, pizzas, pretzels, nachos, tofu etc… There will be a large screen to watch the football for those without tickets to the game. There are some bars in the town centre, but not many. Serbia fans have sold their allocation of 10,000 and have a meeting point at Sankt-Urbanus-Kirchplatz in Buer, so it is advised not to use this area. 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐡𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 From Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof, there will be free shuttles to take you to the racecourse, plus you can take tram 107 to Revierpark Neinhausen, which is right next to Trabrennbahn. From Essen, you can catch tram 107 which will also take you direct to the racecourse. 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 From the racecourse, tram 107 will take you direct to the stadium, there will be shuttle buses on standby should it be busy. We would advise heading to the stadium early. Journey’s should take around 20 mins. From Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof, you can take tram 302 which also goes direct to the stadium. The tram stop at the stadium, the Veltins Arena is where you will get off. Fans with accessibility needs should get off at Willy-Brandt-Allee, which is the station just before, assistance will be waiting to take you to the stadium. 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐮𝐟𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞 The stadium will open 3 hours before kick-off at 18:00. Cashless payments are preferred. Alcohol will be limited to two beers per sale, and drinking in the stands is forbidden. Power banks are allowed. Carry some form of valid ID. You must get your ticket activated at the stadium by a steward at the security perimeter, it won’t work at the turnstile without this process. 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 Tram services will run for at least two hours after the game, and to assist with the demand on trams, shuttle services will run from car park P6 to Essen Central Station and to Gelsenkirchen Central Station. We have been assured there will plenty of trains afterwards to take you to surrounding towns and cities. Patience is obviously required, be kind to the volunteers. 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬’ 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐲 Our England Fans’ Embassy will be located outside of the main station in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday 15th June (around 11am-4pm) and on Sunday 16th June (around 10:30am-5:30pm). We have arranged for ESTC staff to join us on matchday, 11am-1pm. Issue 185 of the Free Lions will be available to collect. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿