Fair chance for fans to see ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 matches

More than 800,000 tickets - ranging from US$10 for a Single Match ticket to US$300 for the best seats at the Final as well as special Combinations, Tour & Travel and Corporate Hospitality packages - will go on sale for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 from January.

Announcing a phased roll-out of Ticketing for the Event at a Press conference in Jamaica earlier today, ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Commercial Manager Stephen Price assured cricket fans of "a fair and equitable distribution of tickets" for the 51 matches to be played over 47 days in March and April 2007 in nine Host Venues in the Caribbean.

To ensure this, he disclosed that quotas have been allocated for Host Venue nationals, Caricom residents and international purchasers who will have to apply online or in person to purchase tickets for the biggest sports showpiece in regional history.

"If demand for tickets of a certain price for any one match or combination or package is higher than the number of tickets available, the applications will go into a ballot to determine who receives the tickets. This ballot will be supervised by independent auditors," Price told an audience of more than 70 media personnel and invited guests.

Tour & Travel packages, he disclosed will go on sale from January 2006, while Corporate Hospitality packages will be available from February 2006 followed by the sale of Public tickets on May 1, 2006.

Focusing on the latter segment, Price outlined a three-stage plan with the first stage, from Monday May 1, 2006, to Monday July 31, 2006, allowing fans to apply for Single Match tickets, Venue Combinations or Follow A Path Combinations. During this time, applications will be available from Official ICC CWC 2007 Inc. Ticket Centres and the Official Ticketing website.

Thereafter, in August 2006, applications and payments will be processed, before Phase 2 of applications opens from Friday September 1, 2006, to Thursday November 30, 2006. This stage will be conducted on a "first come, first served" basis with remaining tickets available via the Official Ticketing website and Official Ticket Centres in the nine Host Venues.

The third and final phase of Ticketing runs from Monday January 9, 2007, up to the morning of the Final on Saturday April 28, 2007 - again on a "first come, first served" principle - with actual seats being sold from the Official Ticketing website, Official Ticket Centres and Venue Box Offices in the Host Venues.

Prior to this, between Friday December 1, 2006, and Monday January 9, 2007, ticket sales will be closed while specific seat locations are assigned to all ticket purchasers and tickets are printed and prepared for distribution.

There will be three price categories - depending on the quality of seats - for Single Match tickets, Venue Combinations or Follow A Path Combinations at all matches. There are also separate Party Stand prices.

Again as part of a fair distribution policy, Price said that during Phase 1 of Ticketing, ICC CWC 2007 Inc. will limit the number of Single Match tickets or Venue Combinations or Follow A Path Combinations which the Public can seek to four per application. In addition, only two applications per residential address will be allowed. Restrictions for the other two phases will be disclosed later. There will also be special criteria for ordering Semi Finals and Final tickets.

"Everyone will have equal chance to buy a ticket and there are prices for every pocket at ICC Cricket World Cup 2007," he stated.

Stressing there will be "no free tickets", the Commercial Manager noted that the Ticketing Programme, which took 12 months to finalise with input from a gamut of stakeholders, is designed to maximise ticket sales and thereby match attendance. This, he added, should ultimately generate significant revenue for West Indies cricket via the nine Local Organising Committees (LOCs) who will be the beneficiaries of Ticketing profits.

Regarding the Tour & Travel packages, Price disclosed that these will include flights, specially-packaged tours, ground transportation, accommodation and match tickets and will be sold via Official Travel Agents (OTAs) which will be appointed by Cricket Logistics 2007 in cricketing territories throughout the world, starting early next year.

Corporate Hospitality packages, he added, will encompass a hospitality component as well as match tickets and will be available from Official Corporate Hospitality Agents (OCHAs) in cricketing territories throughout the world.

More information on the Ticketing Programme, including the Official Application Form and Ticketing Conditions, can be found on the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. website (www.cricketworldcup.com). Applications for Phase 1 can be submitted online or to the Official Ticket Centres which will also have application forms available and all the relevant information. These forms and further details will be available at the start of Phase 1.