Web frenzy as Liam Miller game tickets go on sale

TICKETS for the Liam Miller tribute match are selling at a rapid rate – with more than 31,000 being snapped up yesterday.

Such was the demand that at one point more than 2,500 people were left queuing for up to 15 minutes on tickets.ie.

This was due to the heavy demand at 10am when the tickets went on sale. Organisers later apologised for this. As of around 6pm yesterday, a total of 38,000 tickets, including the 7,000 sold for when the match was originally set to take place at Turners Cross in Cork, had been sold.

This means the match at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork on September 25 – with Manchester United Legends taking on Republic of Ireland & Celtic Legends – is just 7,000 ticket sales away from being a sell-out.

And a substantial number of those were expected to sell last night and today.

A spokesperson for the organisers said last night: ‘The organisers would like to apologise to anyone who had difficulty logging on to the tickets.ie website this morning. The issued was caused by the high volume of people logging on to the site. The problem has now been fixed and the website is running normally.’

Tickets are also available from selected SuperValu and Centra stores nationwide.

Former Ireland international Liam Miller, who also played for Manchester United and Celtic, died from cancer earlier this year at 36. Proceeds from the match will be used to help his widow Clare and their three children rebuild their lives, while Marymount Hospice is among the charities benefiting from the day.

An initial request for the game be played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh was declined due to a GAA rule that – in effect – prohibits soccer being played on any of its grounds, excluding Croke Park. However, the GAA caved in to public demand for the game to be played at the 45,000-capacity venue.