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 HOW TO GET TICKETSBernabeu Stadium has a capacity of around 87 000 (76 000 spectators, all seated for European games). As of 15th of August Real Madrid have stopped selling season tickets for the current season (2002/2003), the club has reported that they have received offers from people to buy 82000 season tickets. This season (2002/03) not counting the season ticket holders there is about 12 000 tickets available for sale, but the real number can be as low as 11500 ato 11000, due to special circumstances such as free tickets to VIPs etc. Getting tickets for Champions League this season will become even more difficult since season ticket holders have first right to buy Champions League tickets, meaning only 1000 tickets are "available" for sure and depending on how many of the season ticket holders want CL tickets, getting a ticket for CL seem close to impossible atleast for a foreign based supporter. I also know that the club has guaranteed the following this season: - Reserved about 5000 tickets for the members of their clubs of fans. - Reserved about 2000 tickets for the club players (for their relatives, friends, acquaintances).  How to get a ticket to a Real Madrid game Ticket Offices Real Madrid start the sale of tickets at their ground 2 days before the fixture, if you are interested in seeing Real Madrid play an away match, most other teams also start selling tickets 2 days before the game at their representative stadiums. As far as I know only Barcelona, Real Madrid, Ath. Madrid and Valencia offers any other way's of getting tickets to their homegames. So if you are looking to get tickets for Malaga - Real Madrid, the best way is to go to Malaga's stadium 2 days before the game. P.S: For Real Madrid away games you will normally get to buy a ticket on the match day, but those "big games" (Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Valencia, At. Madrid, Deportivo, Celta either home game for Real Madrid or away game) it is advisable that you go 2 days before the game to get a ticket, since the only thing you will be able to buy on those match days are fake tickets. Most of the clubs ticket offices are open from 10am to 1pm and from 3-4pm to 7-9pm and from 9am on match day (this are standard times for the openings but offcourse it varies a bit, but go with these times and you should do well). Automatic ticket machines Real Madrid in cooperation with Caja de Madrid Bank are giving supporters the opportunity to buy tickets from vending machines allocated at the Banks facilities, however only a few of the banks branches have these machines (as of speaking time 15th Aug 2001). These tickets go on sale 4 to 6 days before the match actually starts. P.S: it is advised that you go to this machines 6 days before the match is scheduled to play, if the machines are not selling any on the 6th day before the match, go the next day (the 5th day before the match), it is important that you do so since not that many tickets are available for sale true the machines and 1 or 2 days before the match can be sold out. As usual the amount of tickets Real Madrid allocates the automatic machine sale depends on the popularity of the game the more popular the less tickets are allocated the machines. To find out how many tickets are allocated the machines at Caja de Madrid Bank and which branches has these machines you can call a week before the match to this number 902-271708 or try this one 91 602 46 56. Real Madrid helpline: You can call the helpline for tickets (from 9 in the morning to 9 in the evening), number is: + 34 902 28 17 08 For payments most Credit cards are accepted and the only advisable payment method, money orders can work as well, not sure about it but by calling the hotline and asking about it you never know. P.S: whatever you do remember that if you have made arrangement of getting the tickets sent to your home address, take into account the days it takes to send it to you, depending on where you live in Europe calculate a whole week to be totally sure anywhere else should calculate 2 weeks, it is better to be safe than ending up looking like an idiot at Santiago Bernabeu with no tickets. There are no other way of getting tickets than those above So it shouldn't be necessary to say it, but I have gotten so many emails about people buying tickets on the black market (all of them ended up watching the match on TV instead). But here goes anyway, first of all Black Market sale in Spain is illegal, which shouldn't be a surprise really. If you buy a ticket from a random man that aren't sitting at a official ticket office or similar, you are buying a false ticket, plain and simple. Also if you meat somebody that tells you they are season ticketholder and that they can't go to the match on Saturday because their mum is in the hospital suffering from a strange illness, don't buy the ticket for that day either. He might show you a season ticket folder, but remember when you decide to buy that specific season ticket (that might also be the real thing), for all season ticket holders, you have to show a club membership card at the gate, if you don't have that card, which you don't have (unless you are a member without season tickets). Forget it. If someone are selling on the net etc, forget it....and even if they offer to borrow you their club membership card, it probably is false. But if you are a risk taker and you have high beliefs in your fellow man, and some season ticket holder is offering you a ticket, and that the tickets are not restricted to MEMBERS ONLY, go for it. But remember the best and safest way of getting tickets to one of the greatest spectaculars in the world is to either buy it from the ticket offices, automatic machines, calling the hotline or even sending an email to the Real Madrid, or if you are going on an away game the other clubs. Most clubs in Spain are very friendly towards foreigner wanting to come and watch a football match in Spain and you will in most circumstances be meet with great service. Click here to go to a section with all the Primera League teams and their official websites, if you are interested in finding out about the possibilites of getting tickets on Real Madrid away games, if the clubs have other facilities other than tickets offices. And some basic information on the Spanish league system.  Kick-Off Times Spanish first division matches are played on Sunday evenings, kick-off times vary but usually starts at 8pm in the summer time and 7pm during autumn months. But if a team has a mid-week game (CL etc) it is not uncommon that this game will be moved from Sunday to Saturday instead (with the same kick-off hours as Sunday matches). Matches on Spanish TV TV covers most games in Spain. with one match televised by a codified channel (Canal +). Most other Sunday games are shown on Pay Per View channels. With the Spanish national television, La 2 and regional channels transmitting one live match every Saturday night, game being usually related to region. Typical Channels in Spain (see Spanish newspapers for details) that shows matches TVE1 (national) La2 (national) Reg. (regional) Canal + (codified) PPV (pay channel) Go in here for a brief Spanish lesson (glossary), I have translated some words that might be usefull when looking up the newspapers, searching sites that are in Spanish etc. Non-Spanish Channels that shows matches from the Primera Liga are: ESPN International (shows the match of the day on Saturday's and Sunday's) Sky Sports Santiago Bernabeu Stadium: Address: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu Avda. Concha Espina 1, ES-28036, MADRID Telephone: + 0034 91 398 4300 Telephone: + 0034 902 28 17 09 customer service line (9am-9pm) Fax: + 0034 91 398 43 83 (2) Fax: 913984336 (Supporters Clubs Department) E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.realmadrid.com Transport choices: Metro: Santiago Bernabéu - Line 10 Bus: Bus 5, 14, 27, 147 or 150 Real Madrid have over the summer of 2001 improved a lot on facilities at Santiago Bernabeu such as dressing rooms, pressroom, hospitality hall, stand facilities as well. New features to Santiago Bernabeu The Youth stand holds 900 people all seated, but the seats will have the possibility that each seat can be lifted so that if you would like to watch the game standing, you can at this part. Future stadium plans Real Madrid are working on increasing the stadium capacity, currently it seems that there is a high possibility that Real Madrid will move to a new stadium that will facilitate up to 110 000 spectators, the new stadium is ecpected to be in the regions of the new sports complex (click on sports complex to read more about the project) Real Madrid is developing. Santiago Bernabeu are in full development of putting heating into the stands a Cologne based manufacturer (Schwank Ltd) has told me that by the end of this year there will be 800 heaters installed at the Bernabeu and all seated areas will be heated, the heaters are gas fired radiant heaters which are the most efficient of their kind on the market. The running cost of this system will be less than the price of one season ticket per match (heating 75,000 people). Thanks to Andy from Schwank Ltd for the information. Also at Santiago Bernabeu there works on developing panoramic elevators. |
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