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The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, which has not done anything silly in about the last 48 hours, could not help itself.
This evening, in a further effort to impress fans with their organisational prowess, the TTFA revealed that children under-12 must have “kids tickets” to get into the Hasely Crawford Stadium on December 2 to support the “Women Soca Warriors” in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play Off second leg against Ecuador.
(Courtesy CONCACAF)
The “kids tickets” are for the uncovered section and are available at all Kenny’s Sports outlets and Fan Club stores.
There are no “kids tickets” for the covered stands since, if your daddy and mommy can afford $200 per seat, the TTFA reserves the right to charge you as an adult.
“Kids” are still free in the uncovered stands, though. So why use good money to print free tickets at a venue you don’t expect to be anywhere near to full?
Well, Mr Live Wire has not gotten a response on that yet from the TTFA. But there is a hint of a motive in the fine print.
“A limit of two kids’ tickets will be allowed per purchase of a regular ticket,” stated the TTFA release. “These tickets will permit the kids free entry to the December 2nd Women’s World Cup Qualifier. Only persons with ticket in hand will be allowed entry into the Hasely Crawford Stadium.”
It would appear, therefore, the TTFA is concerned that children under 12 years old across Trinidad and Tobago are planning to take the stadium by storm on December 2. And, apparently, that is a bad thing.
TTFA general secretary Sheldon Phillips told Wired868 that he would consider it a success if 12,000 to 15,000 patrons came out to see the match. So, in his ideal scenario, there will be between 7,000 to 10,000 free seats at least.
But don’t take that as an excuse to sneak in extra children please. The TTFA can only stomach so many of those little freebies at a time. Or maybe Phillips does not like large families.
If your house has two adults and more than four children, Mr Live Wire recommends you look one in the eye and say: “Mommy and daddy made a mistake.” We suggest you go for the youngest child, he or she will have more time to adjust.
Unless your household can afford $200 per seat, of course. Then the TTFA welcomes you as a valuable member of the football family.
And what about persons who already purchased tickets for uncovered and have now discovered that, without those accompanying kids tickets, those little rascals cannot tag along?
Well, you might go back to Kenny’s, present your adult ticket and ask for two kids tickets. But then won’t that defeat the purpose of having a limit in the first place? Won’t people who already received their kids tickets be able to return to Kenny’s and pull the same stunt?
Oh my God, will dishonest people flood the Hasely Crawford Stadium with children?!
Just to be clear, we are talking about “poor children” here; if mommy and daddy can pay for an adult seat for the little Pumpkin, then he or she is as welcome as a blank cheque.
So, to clarify, children are still free for Trinidad and Tobago’s decisive FIFA Women’s World Cup Play Off against Ecuador. Unless their parents have money to spare; then they are adults not children.
The free children are only allowed two at a time like in Noah’s Ark and must walk with those tickets that cost more than their admission. So, adults who are aiming for the uncovered stands, be sure to get those kids tickets.
(Courtesy SPORTT)
Unless you were so excited about supporting the Women’s Soca Warriors that you already bought your tickets.
In which case, the TTFA will probably have to get back on to you, our best customers.
In no way, Mr Live Wire must add, is the TTFA making this up as they go along. Go T&T!
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Just came from the fan club in trincity mall and the folks there know nothing of children’s tickets. TTFF alyuh rell sickening wii.
I do not have a problem with the tickets as I see it as a safety measure. I also cannot expect kids to get in free in the covered stands. A reduced price would have been appropriate. What I find ridiculous is that they brought this restriction a week AFTER they began selling tickets. It tells me that they did not expect sales to go well initially and once they got feedback that they are selling well they reactively came up with a plan. They will forever remain dotish in my book.
Have you ever heard of Hillsborough? Of course there needs to be controls in place for this kind of event. Are you willing to take responsibility for overcrowding at the stadium? Are you willing to assume responsibility for children under the age of 12 roaming the stadium?
Grow up man. This is the way things are done in civilized society.
As a Liverpool fan for the past 34 years, I find that invoking Hillsborough in this is a bit of fallacious thinking. For one, which child under twelve is going to make their own way to the Stadium – unsupervised no less – and present themselves for entry into the venue? To fill the stadium will require the numbers of the level of the entire SEA class of 2014 to achieve this; do you really feel that is what is going to happen? Also, the Stadium isn’t some smaller ground like Mahaica Oval that is ill-prepared to accommodate thousands of fans coming to see football.
Stop pelting around red herrings and deal with the real issues. This kids tickets mess was concocted to solve a dilemma that not only did not exist but was utterly unrealistic to start with. Also it deals with a segment of the population that is the least capable of mobilising themselves into large groups (on their own volition) and going anywhere en masse in a coordinated fashion in the middle of the week to boot! Make some sense!
This is totally ridiculous as I bought tickets for the covered stand and feel that if two kids’ tickets are being given for every one ticket bought everyone who purchases a ticket should be entitled to the two kids’ tickets even if they are for the open stands so you can at least assist a coach with a kids’ team to bring along two kids. This is hogwash and totally ridiculous. I feel that the TTFA should welcome young players who are supervised by coaches and parents and want to attend the game. That type of support should be commended.
A TTFA official apparently told a caller that the new rule for “kids tickets” was introduced to stop adults turning up with a maxi load of children at the game.
Shucks. They foiled those adults driving around with maxi loads of children on school evenings looking for a place to park them for two or three hours.
And only at the expense of adults with legitimate reason to carry children to the game; or adults who bought tickets before the TTFA decided to prepare for this siege of maxi loads of children. Nice. 🙂
“a ttfa official apparently …” is a very seditious statement that should not be used by someone who wishes to be considered a serious journalist.
Look up the word “apparently.” Someone made a claim that cannot be verified. “Apparently” is a responsible way of saying as much.
CORRUPTION
I called TTFF. The kids are free for the uncovered still, you just have to get a ‘ticket’ from Kenny’s of the Fan Shop. There is no cost to this. I’m guessing they are doing this the manage the amount of persons that will be in the Stadium. Technically if kids are free, an adult can show up with a maxi-load of kids and get in with one ticket. I don’t expect the stadium to be full, but proper planning would suggest that they should have an idea of how many people (kids included) that will be there that day.
Shucks. They foiled those adults driving around with a maxi load of children on school evenings looking for a place to park them for two or three hours.
And only at the expense of adults with legitimate reason to carry children to the game; or adults who bought tickets before the TTFA decided to prepare for this siege of maxi loads of children. Nice. 🙂
And they complain about Jack Warner?
ROFL this article … but seriously though what is the main criteria for working in the TTFA, Stupidi… oh I digress :/
So, if I read this with some sincerity, is the TTFA fearfully expect that some thousands-strong horde of pre-teens – unsupervised and hell-bent on anarchy – will descend unto the National Stadium on December 2nd demanding that to see women’s football or else? Are Tim Kee-kee-kee and Fill-ups in their right minds? If ever they deserved one, those two have with this latest act of intellectual retardness earned the loudest, clearest, spit-filled #bigfriggingsteups I can muster!
Contact the TTFA office is all I can tell you…The number I have is 623-9500. Hope that is still current
That is, of course, if TTFA have paid their phone bills recently …
So I bought my tickets the day it came out. How can I get the kids tickets now?
Poor planning…. the costs of all tickets are too high… better to have a full stadium at reasonable prices that to have those who could afford fill only sections. Further complicated by the nonsense about CHILDREN’S PRICES (notice i said CHILDREN?…we are not goats who produce KIDS… STOP mimicking the US please).
Buh wa de…
Not to mention d dreams that will b
Planted in d young minds! Another opportunity to show good will gone
Through the door!!! Smh
Lasana i really getting sick and tired of them!!! No planning for d future if d staduim full of u12 children that have to b good bc it must have adults to supervise!!!smh
here we go again
Nicholas Griffith, that’s crazy man! They must make an exception for you. You heard that Gordon Pierre?
Lol. Nah. You know I like being kept on my toes. Healthy disagreements are good.
“But don’t take that as an excuse to sneak in extra children please. The TTFA can only stomach so many of those little freebies at a time. Or maybe Phillips does not like large families. ” But give them freebies nah, they grabbing at it. But I honestly hope they not paying someone to think of all this shite! Love the meme tho
You’re still my boy Lasana, though we have disagreed over a few issues of late. I enjoy the articles and read every one. Just making sure there is balance as appropriate. Wired868 deserves nothing less to continue to grow and prosper.
Not denying that the TTFA isn’t well run and organised Lasana. I am pretty sure if you were to check, you would not find any official Fifa game played where there is open entry. It is not a matter of whether it would be a full stadium. The systems need to be there to ensure that it cannot happen.
You put systems in place to ensure that problems don’t happen. Doesn’t matter whether you think they will or not.
Do not mistake this to mean that I am saying that the TTFA is well run. Just saying that you did not seem to recognise that there is a need to ensure that the systems to control entry are there. It doesn’t matter if you think they aren’t needed. I just don’t think that it is an issue in the manner you imply.
The issue about tickets already purchased does obviously need to be addressed.
Crazyness!!! I wanted to carry my whole Under 12 football team to support. Guess i’ll have to buy one ticket and carry only two
Hey you know what else, since food isn’t allowed, kenny’s can sell chits in $20 denominations. O_o #StopMakingStuffUp #ZeroPlanning
It is satire Prince. But it is not make-believe. That is what the TTFA said. I responded with satire.
1) They are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist and will frustrate some fans at the same time.
2) They are changing the rules in mid-stream and will affect their best fans who already bought their tickets.
Someone said it is necessary to ensure the stadium isn’t overfull. So I guess some people think over 10,000 children under-12 might show up on a school night.
All I can say is that I respectfully disagree.
I mentioned in the story the fact that, by the TTFA’s own best estimate, the stadium would be half full.
Stephen John, there is no guarantee that you will get kids tickets for adult tickets that were already purchased. The TTFA didn’t address that issue in the release.
I did think of that Kendall Tull, And I assumed that if the TTFA’s best case scenario is 10,000 empty seats and it is a Tuesday night, it would seem that the TTFA is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
Not to mention the obvious that they are making things up on the fly as they go along and after tickets have already been purchased. Thought of that?
Lol
Lasana Boi!!! So ah cyah stop laughing! Yuh think they paying some brilliant Marketing Executive to come up with this bullshit or they just DOTISH all by themselves. Oh lawd!! How much more STUPIDITY are we expected to stomach!! And i’m supposed to swallow this shit?? SMDH!!!
Is this satire? Please say it is
Well back to Kenny’s I go. So just to be clear. It is two free kids tickets per adult ticket. I have three children so just making sure.
boy we can fup any thing yes omg wdf when will we learn all this shit for one game they go kkkkkkkiiiiiiiiilllllllllllweeeeeeeeeeeeee
Kids tickets would allow you to keep track of and control the total amount of people in the stadium. Did you think of that? You cannot leave entry open ended and have the potential for overcrowding.
hahaha this article made me laugh!! seriously tho…that makes no sense AT ALL!..good job TTFA…where u think the next generation of footballers coming from? smh..age discrimination…
They serious ??? Hahahaha Christ hadda come back yes
sigh
lmao they are too ridiculous for words!
Corruption prepare