Azkals-Sri Lanka July 3 match tickets sold out

Some of the reserved bleachers tickets can still go to lucky football fans who want to be at the July 3 2011 World Cup Asian qualifiers match between the Philippine men's national football team or Azkals and Sri Lanka, according to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) organizing committee Friday. The fan management committee for the July 3 match said in Facebook posts, fans who are interested in joining the booster squad, nicknamed Kaholeros, may email their names and contact details to kaholeros@yahoo.com. About 200 Kaholeros will have reservations for seats at the white bleachers section. Tickets for the match were quickly snapped up Friday. Bonnie Ladrido, chairman of the local organizing committee said, "We were caught off-guard. We didn't expect it to happen this fast." Ladrido explained that the P200 tickets are "practically sold-out" because they had to set aside eight percent of the tickets, roughly 800, for Sri Lanka according to international football rules. "If some of those Sri Lanka tickets will be freed, they will also be sold to the public," Ladrido said. As of early Saturday afternoon, some of the pricier P2,000 and P3,000 grandstand tickets can still be had through Ticketworld. Going, going, gone The white bleachers tickets were gone within an hour after Ticketworld offered them via its website, at its ticket outlets in a bookstore chain and at other commercial areas. The white bleachers section is directly across the field from the covered grandstand. Gobbled up next were the P200 tickets and then by mid-afternoon, the grandstand tickets that went for P2,000 and P3,000 were almost all gone. Ladrido informed GMA News Online late afternoon Friday that "maybe only about 5 to 10 percent of the grandstand tickets are left." Fans excited about PHL World Cup chances Some fans, interviewed by GMA News Online while they queued for tickets, gave mixed reactions to the ticket pricing scheme. Ernest Seña, a 21 year-old former national team junior golfer, said the tickets for the grandstand are "too expensive". He watched the Azkals game in Bacolod last February when all the tickets were priced at a flat rate of P300. Seña said he had to see the Azkals play again because, "I have been a fan of football, not just the Azkals. This is the first chance since I was born that the Philippines has a chance to advance in the World Cup." Marie Paat patiently waited in line while the Ticketworld outlet had to reboot its computer terminal as the ticket system coped with the flood of orders. She bought tickets as a birthday gift for her boyfriend, who she says is an Azkals fan. "I'll be wearing blue because that is what the fans have been asked to wear during the match," Paat said. Mia Montayre, who participated in a futsal summer camp recently organized by the Ateneo Football League, said the bleachers ticket prices "are fair because they are comparable to the prices for good seats for games of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP)." Angelo Montibon also lined up for tickets. He plays FIFA on Playstation with some friends. "I'm eager to watch the game live." PFF explains ticket pricing In an earlier interview with GMA News Online, Ladrido said they reset to about 13,000 the number of tickets because they "want to avoid overcrowding at the stadium and also avoid over-selling tickets." Ladrido also said the ticket prices reflect the fact that the PFF is basically shouldering the cost of renovating the stadium facilities "as its contribution to the efforts of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to support all sports in the country." He noted that other athletes and sports organizations also use the stadium. The organizing committee head also said "Any proceeds left over from the July 3 match will be used to augment the budget for the grassroots, coaching, referee and other programs of the PFF. We also want some funds set aside for if and when lean times come." Ladrido, who is also PFF treasurer, said the PFF "expects to receive about $300,000 to $500,000 this year from FIFA but $150,000 of that is earmarked for the grassroots program, coach development and training of referees." The rest of the FIFA assistance will be for the acquisition of sports equipment and subsidies for the seven national teams to help them prepare for local and international competitions. Stadium renovations Preparatory work and clean-up of the Rizal stadium bleachers began Friday while the dismantling of the grandstand seats began early this week. "Work will also begin soon on the dressing room, media room and other facilities to make them meet specification of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Meanwhile, organizers said football fans will get to meet the "booster squad" at the Azkals' friendly game with an all-star selection of the LBC United Football League on June 5 at the University of Makati. That Sunday football match is a fundraiser organized by Azkals Team Manager Dan Palami and the UFL. Game tickets go for P100 each. - JVP, GMA News