FC St. Pauli

Demand for tickets for home matches remains high. Tickets for the next home game against MSV Duisburg on 10 December sold out within a few hours. The games against VfL Bochum on 18 December, Darmstadt 98 on 29 January and FC Nürnberg on 12 February are also in demand and almost sold out. In the view of the current ticket situation, we felt it necessary to comment once again on the black market and ticket reselling.

HANDS OFF UNAUTHORISED TICKET RESALE PLATFORMS!

Anyone purchasing tickets for future home matches on an unauthorised ticket resale platform such as Viagogo or eBay should note that such tickets are invalid, and they will be denied entry to the stadium. Sellers are subject to the club's Ticketing Terms and Conditions (ATGB), which prohibit the resale of tickets above face value on unauthorised platforms. Anyone selling tickets in this way is thus in breach of contract. The buyer may have acquired a ticket but not the right to access the corresponding match. The German ATGB can be read HERE.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE TICKET OFFICE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE BLACK MARKET

Besides the buyer of a black-market ticket being refused access to the stadium, there are also negative consequences for the seller for being in breach of contract. The ticket be rendered invalid, and the seller will be liable for liquidated damages as well as being barred from purchasing tickets for several years.

Last season more than 650 tickets sold on unauthorised online platforms, in particular Viagogo, were cancelled. FC St. Pauli wishes to point out that it maintains no business relations with Viagogo whatsoever and distances itself from this company and its platform. This season some 350 tickets have already been cancelled. A number of tickets will also be cancelled for the next four home matches. The interests of the club in continuing to oppose unauthorised ticket resellers lie in the maintenance of a social ticket price structure and safety and security inside the stadium.

HOW CAN I GET HOLD OF A TICKET IF THE GAME HAS ALREADY SOLD OUT?

Most home games sell out not long after the tickets go on open sale. Yet even if the game is sold out, you still have a chance of obtaining a ticket, for example via the FC St. Pauli Ticket Exchange, the club's official secondary market platform, where ticketholders can sell their season ticket/match ticket at face value. In the 2016/17 season some 5,000 tickets changed hands in this way. Tickets for home matches can be offered for sale on the exchange up to one day before the game. You will often find tickets on offer there, especially in the week before the match.  Another alternative is the AFM Ticket Exchange run by the Abteilung Fördernde Mitglieder (AFM) on matchdays. The AFM container on the South Stand concourse opens 2½ hours before kick-off. Spare tickets can be bought at face value here, with AFM members enjoying priority.

HOW CAN I SELL MY TICKETS ON LEGALLY?

In addition to the two aforementioned options (official ticket exchange/AFM ticket exchange), you can, of course, pass your ticket to a friend or acquaintance on a non-commercial basis. This must be done in compliance with the Ticketing Terms and Conditions, however. Tickets may also be sold at the price paid outside the ground on matchdays. Since some people buy up tickets and then sell them on at much higher prices, you should be careful about who you sell your spare tickets to. We therefore recommend that the interested buyer goes straight into the ground with you.

SUPPORT FROM THE TICKET OFFICE

If you have bought a home match ticket at a higher price from Viagogo & Co. and wish to avoid a nasty surprise on the day of the game, please contact the club ticket office by sending an email to kartenhandel@fcstpauli.com.

We also continue to gather information on ticket resellers and unauthorised sales. Anyone who has purchased tickets from an unauthorised source is also welcome to get in touch with us.

RELEVANT LINKS:

You can find more information on tickets here.

The official ticket exchange (in German) is here.