Burnham and khan issue statements as 10,000 extra tickets clinched for oldham

OLDHAM ATHLETIC ARE PLAYING SOUTHEND UNITED AT WEMBLEY ON SUNDAY 12:52, 30 May 2025 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 the 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.” Article continues below 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, Mr Khan and Mr

Burnham 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. Mr Khan added: “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. Article continues below "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.