Fan's Guide to Getting Tickets to Wimbledon

Spring is here and that means that Wimbledon is not too far off. With ticket sales starting the second week of May, you can almost bet they are already sold out. Due to all of the recent construction and Court 3 still being worked on, there is a reduction in space. This also causes a problem for any would be spectators. IT would appear that there are 2,500 fewer ground tickets available. This means that only 37,500 will be sold this year, versus the normal 40,000. That is going to cause an even bigger crunch on an event that could sell double that amount easily. So if you haven't gotten your invitation ballot in the mail yet, don't hold your breath. You will need to find an alternative way to get tickets this year. Here are a couple ideas.

The Wimbledon Website

This is one sure way to get tickets and know that they will get you into the match. There have been many problems with counterfeit tickets to this event for almost as long as it has been around. Buying them from Wimbledon is one sure fire way to get these tickets. It can also result in getting an invite to next years event via the ballot method. If you are planning to attend, you will want to see if there are any tickets left on this site. You will also avoid paying broker fees and third party fees for your tickets. This can save you money and may make future matches easier to attend. You will need to hurry though. This is also the first place to sell out of tickets.

Travel Agents

This may be your best bet, especially if you are coming from somewhere other than London. Places like Broach Sports Tours have some reasonable, albeit more than I can afford, deals that include airfare, hotel, and tickets to the match. There are several ticket packages available that include hotel and airfare. You will be paying quite a bit for these, but it may be the only way to get in. There are all sorts of broker and third party fees, but if you have planned like most people and waited for the last week to get your tickets, it may be the only way you will see the strawberries and cream, Pimms, and live tennis on the grass.

Online Ticket Broker

There are several online agencies like Tickets Now and Ticketmaster (they did not have them at the time of this writing, but predict that they will get some) that have your Wimbledon tickets. These will include a service charge, but you can often piece together your own trip to London for cheaper than a travel agent and this may be the only way you can get into the tournament.

Befriend a Brit (Quickly!)

About the only other way you will be getting into the tournament is to find some British chap with a spare ticket and make him truly fall in love with you in under a month. You can then con him out of his ticket and you are in. While this may seem a bit extreme, so is the ticket market for Wimbledon. There is also the option of feeding him a mild poison that will cause him to be horribly sick during the match and he will grace you with the tickets as a gift. Sour mayo and guacamole work well for this trick.

If you have dreams of lounging on the grass with strawberries in one hand and a Pimm in the other, you will need to act quickly. One of these methods should work to get you in (I would save the last one as a last resort since it may be illegal) but you will need to act quickly. If you didn't reserve your tickets shortly after last year's Wimbledon, then you chances are pretty slim. No matter what you do, don't use a scalper in England. Scalpers here, while illegal, at least give you a real ticket. Scalper's there give you a counterfeit ticket and you will not be able to enter. That means you will just be out of money and still not have a ticket to the match. If at all possible, you may want to befriend a Brit so they can show you the deals and best spots. If you walk in there as an American, you will be spotted as a Yank and taken for everything you have.