Help Me Get to Highbury

January 18, 2006 2:05 PM

How to get tickets to see Arsenal at Highbury?

As an American fan of the Gunners, my game-watching experience has been limited to TV. With this being the last season at Highbury, I realize it's now or never to get over there and see a game before the new stadium opens.

Money is (within reason) not an issue, and Google has no shortage of ticket brokers offering seats to the matches, but given the concurrent commitment of time and money (i.e. plane tickets, lodging, a day off of work, etc.) I'm reluctant to shop without knowing the reputation of the company. Does anyone have experience getting Premiership tickets through a third party broker? Thanks!

posted by jalexei to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

I don't have experience of this -- though friends have had good things to say about doing flight/ticket packages to Europe from UK-based agents -- but SoccerTravel looks good, and is recommended by US Soccer.

Very not cheap, but with so few home games left, I'd probably lean towards getting a complete package rather than trying to wing it.
posted by holgate at 2:22 PM on January 18, 2006

If you plan to stay at a decent hotle, call the concierge at the hotel where you have reservations and ask him/her to get the ticket(s) for you in advance of your trip. I did the same thing 3 years ago. It worked great. The concierge found a broker that the hotel had worked with, so I did not have to worry about the reputation of the broker myself. Assuming he comes through for you, be sure to tip the concierge when you arrive.
posted by Carsey at 2:39 PM on January 18, 2006

Go here and sign up to the relevant programs, shouldn't be hard to get tickets. I would not trust a broker and there is really no reason to go any other route than the official one, unless you are desperate to get to a certain game that is already sold out.
posted by fire&wings at 2:44 PM on January 18, 2006

I asked this exact question last year...
I ended up getting tickets on London Craigslist. They were not cheap - with the exchange rate - about 200 bucks each - but good seats and worth every penny.
There were a TON of touts outside the grounds before the match. We probably would have been fine waiting until we were there to get tickets.
Don't bother with membership - it'll be a decade before you're eligible to get tickets that way. Highbury is a very small stadium and all Aresenal fixtures sell out to premium members before they are ever for sale to the general public.
It's possible that since they aren't doing as well this season - they might be slightly easier to get or slightly less expensive - but I wouldn't count on it. And who knows after last weekend's game...
Good luck and have fun!
posted by Wolfie at 3:11 PM on January 18, 2006

Ah, Highbury. I'll miss that place.

When do you want to go? I have a good friend that's a season ticket holder - he may be able to get a spare one for you (at face value), that's how I always get my tickets; drop me a line with the match you want to attend if you're interested. It may cost you a trip to the gunners shop for my services once you're there, though. :-)

otherwise, there's always touts around the ground...
posted by pdb at 4:26 PM on January 18, 2006

Liverpool fan here. I made the pilgrimmage to Anfield last year - sans tickets - to see Liverpool play Arsenal (Liverpool won it in the 91st minute ;-) )

The day before the match, I went to the stadium to take the tour. Met up with a scalper, paid a lot of money, but ended up with great seats in the KOP. It's risky, but the whole day-before-the-match scalper thing seems to be a bit of a tradition. I was in Spain in November and visited Bernabeau (Real Madrid) and Nou Camp (FC Barca) on the day before the match and the street around both stadiums featured about a dozen scalpers.

It's a risky option, but it's an option. Good luck!
posted by 27 at 4:32 PM on January 18, 2006

There were a TON of touts outside the grounds before the match. We probably would have been fine waiting until we were there to get tickets.

That's true, but bear in mind it is illegal to ticket tout at a soccer match. Not illegal to buy, as far as I know, and probably nothing will happen, but you should be informed.

Don't bother with membership - it'll be a decade before you're eligible to get tickets that way.

That's not strictly true. There's three categories of membership - gold/silver/red. Anyone can become a red member, and there have been tickets available to red members for some games this season (though, you'll understand, not the best games).

For example, I would expect a very small number of tickets for Arsenal v Charlton would go on sale to red members.

Still, for a one-off visit your probably better paying for tix through a broker, or using pdb's generous suggestion.

If you do make it over and want to enjoy a pint with a fellow MeFite, let me know - I live two mins from Arsenal's ground.
posted by ascullion at 11:51 PM on January 18, 2006

Thanks all - I'm leaning toward the March 11th match against Liverpool, I figure the sooner I can go the cheaper the airfare will be. Contacting a season ticket holder looks like the safest route, and it turns out a co-worker knows a few - I'll follow up with him, and if that doesn't pan out I may take pdb up on his generous offer -

Thanks again!
posted by jalexei at 7:07 AM on January 19, 2006