UEFA Cup final ticket sale – starts soon!

General public ticket sales for the 2007/08 UEFA Cup final in Manchester start on 14 February – and a British football legend is helping to promote the final in the northern English city where he made his name.

Official ambassador
Denis Law, the Scottish striker who was a household name in the European game thanks to his exploits for, among others, Manchester City FC and Manchester United FC in the 1960s and 1970s, is the official ambassador for this season's UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 May.

Ticket deadline
Law was on hand to help promote the start of ticket sales to the general public for the final, which begins on 14 February at 12.00CET (11.00 UK time) and closes on 16 March at midnight (23.00 UK time). Applications may be made online via uefa.com exclusively, and no tickets will be sold via brokers or agencies. Payment must be made by credit card.

Scene set
The scene is set for a great final at the superb City of Manchester Stadium. Initially constructed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the venue was converted for use as a football arena the following year. It is one of the largest grounds in the English Premier League and home to Manchester City, as well as a popular setting for music concerts. It also hosted England's opening game against Finland at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ – the crowd of 29,092 a finals record.

Exciting activities
The event was launched in December with the unveiling of the 2008 final design, created by the eminent English artist Liam Spencer, and a number of exciting activities are lined up in the weeks to come. The trophy handover ceremony will take place in mid-March at Manchester Town Hall, with current holders Sevilla FC handing the trophy to UEFA and the City of Manchester. The trophy will then go on tour until the eve of the final when it is returned to UEFA at the official dinner the evening before the match itself.

Fan festivals
Fan festivals are being lined up in Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens featuring music and entertainment, and further details will be announced shortly. A special 3 v 3 Street Challenge is also involving youngsters in the road to the final. Up to 600 participants will take part in the challenge – primary school boys and girls (from mid-February), disabled youngsters (early March) and under-16 boys (early April). The finals will take place in the city centre on the day of the final.

Ticket distribution
As far as ticket distribution is concerned, the UEFA Cup final will have a 44,000 spectator capacity. Some 11,000 tickets will be available for fans worldwide, and 13,000 will be reserved for each finalist. The finalists will distribute these tickets directly to their fans – detailed procedures will be known at the beginning of May. Ticket prices will be £95 (Category 1), £75 (Category 2), £55 (Category 3) and £35 (Category 4). Disabled seats will be charged at Category 4 prices, and a complimentary ticket will be given to the escort.

Allocation by ballot
For general public ticket sales, allocation will be decided by means of a ballot after the closing of the application period on 16 March. Applicants will be informed whether their applications have been successful or not by 25 March. The cancellation period is between 25 March and 3 April, and tickets will be dispatched on 18 April.