Demand for tickets to see England’s historic World Cup semi-final against Croatia tomorrow at Nottingham Castle was so high that 3,000 tickets were snapped up inside five minutes.
A big screen – twice the size as last time, at 45m sq – will be back in place at the iconic venue after Saturday’s screening of the quarter-final win over Sweden. Tickets for tomorrow evening were made available at 1pm this afternoon and had all gone by 1.05pm.
A positive, family atmosphere was generated by supporters on Saturday and there were no incidents of trouble at the event.
Tomorrow’s screening was made ticket-only to keep queues to a minimum outside the venue, and clean-up crews will be on hand to manage any increased demand.
The event will be stewarded and discussions have taken place with transport providers to help signpost fans to buses and trams after the game. Entrance and exit from the Castle will be closely controlled.
Everyone who was successful in securing a ticket will also receive an email providing more information about attending the event.
Councillor Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “The event we held on Saturday was really popular and well received, so I’m not surprised that these tickets were snapped up so quickly. It’s been 30 years since England have made it through to the World Cup semi-finals so there was bound to be huge demand for them.
“We’re looking forward to hosting another screening that allows football fans to come together and enjoy history being made on the football pitch. We would encourage everyone to enjoy themselves across the city, but to do so safely and responsibly.”
While the quarter-final screening was put together at extremely short notice, and time has been spent time over the past few days reviewing what can be improved on, there was no trouble at the City Council’s event.
It is estimated that there were more than 20,000 people in the city centre after the game on Saturday, and only a small percentage of those were at the Castle. There is nothing to suggest those responsible for some of the scenes afterwards had come from there.
The City Council is working closely with partner agencies in the planning of tomorrow night’s event. The police lead on managing the city’s streets, with help from the authority’s Community Protection officers, and the Council welcomes their announcement that more police officers will be out tomorrow night.
Council licensing teams have also written to bars and pubs ahead of the game highlighting their responsibilities and measures they can take, such as serving drinks in plastic glasses.
Public attending the event are again asked to note the following entry conditions:
- No outside food or drink permitted apart from a single bottle of water. Food and drink, including alcohol, will be on sale within the venue.
- Please dress for the weather
- No chairs but blankets are fine
- No club football colours
- Children under 16 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian
- Please do not bring glass bottles, fireworks or flares to the event
- Animals, with the exception of assistance dogs, are not permitted in the venue
- A full search will be in place upon entry to the site
- This is a smoke-free event
Full terms and conditions and event timings are available at whatsonnottingham.com