FA Cup ticket allocations baffle United boss Skinner

FA Cup ticket allocations baffle United boss Skinner

Marc Skinner has questioned the "crazy" decision to only give Manchester United and Chelsea 8,000 tickets each for next month's Women's FA Cup final at Wembley.

The FA announced on Monday that 65,000 tickets had already been issued for the May 14 showpiece, with sales for the ends assigned to each club to follow. 

United confirmed they had been given an initial allocation of 8,000, while Chelsea said theirs was 7,530. 

Speaking ahead of his side's Women's Super League clash with Arsenal on Wednesday, Red Devils boss Skinner said: "I don't know how many it is in the men's game, I really don't, I don't know how many they allocate. 

"But to give clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United 8,000 tickets to sell, it's crazy. To give two massive clubs 8,000 tickets is just crazy."

The match is set to see the Women’s FA Cup final attendance record smashed, with the biggest crowd to date being the 49,094 that witnessed Chelsea's extra-time victory over Manchester City last season. 

An FA spokesperson said: "The FA Cup final is the showpiece event of the women's domestic season and to date we have issued over 65,000 tickets.

"Finalists Chelsea and Manchester United have each been issued with an additional 7,500 tickets for their fans. 

"This is to help meet the likely demand for each club and is almost double the amount of tickets the finalists received last year. 

"We look forward to hosting another memorable final at Wembley on May 14 and are anticipating a new record attendance."

It will be United's first appearance in the final, while Emma Hayes' Blues are aiming to lift the trophy for a third consecutive time. 

The sides are also vying for the WSL title, with leaders United currently a point clear of the champions having played a game more. 

Arsenal are a further two points back in third.

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