sport news IN THE MONEY: Has Wembley lost it's lustre? Sales for VIP seats have dropped by ... trends now
A sold-out Wembley will today set a record attendance figure for a women’s football match in the UK when Chelsea play Man United in the FA Cup final — but the stadium’s finances are not so buoyant.
A substantial fall in demand for VIP seats at the national stadium has seen sales plummet by £36.5million since 2017. The FA now face an ongoing financial black hole to cover the cost of running Wembley, which posted losses of £19.6m last season despite the post-Covid return of fans and a full calendar.
A major factor in the losses was the drop in Club Wembley membership sales. Just last month, rows of empty seats including VIP areas were spotted during the FA Cup semi-final as Man City beat Sheffield United.
Up until several years ago, Club Wembley tickets were practically sold out. Now there are plenty of available packages on offer for all six sections of Club Wembley, with prices ranging from £2,466 a year through to £40,000-plus for a private box.
The tickets include guaranteed seats for all England senior men’s internationals at Wembley, the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals and final, the Carabao Cup final and the FA Community Shield.
The statistics show that luxury Wembley tickets are losing their appeal among consumers
Club Wembley revenues peaked at £58.2m in 2017, but fell to beneath £40m a year in 2018 and 2019
They also provide priority over tickets for the EFL play-off finals, music concerts and one-off events including boxing and NFL games.
A Mail on Sunday investigation found that Club Wembley revenues peaked at £58.2m in 2017, but fell to beneath £40m a year in 2018 and 2019, before the pandemic hit.
Club Wembley seats were sold mostly in 10-year packages when the new Wembley opened in 2007 and those deals ended in 2017. The reselling process exposed a drop-off in interest.
The number of Club Wembley seats was reduced by
