MCC members face £350 bill for World Cup final seat

MCC members have been warned they may have to pay for a ticket to enter Lord’s for the first time when the ground hosts the World Cup next year, with seats for the final expected to be priced at £350.

The £350 is an estimate based on discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board and will be for members’ seats which are considered to be positioned in the best vantage points, so will come under the category A price band.

There will be much cheaper seats elsewhere when the ECB reveals its pricing with the launch of ticket sales for the tournament in June.

The MCC wrote to its members yesterday in a wide-ranging document entitled Focused on the Future, which also outlines plans to review the Champion County match, which could be scrapped if it is felt too costly and no longer relevant in the modern era. The document confirms plans to examine the use of drop-in pitches at Lord’s, and opening up the pavilion to nonmembers and children during the new Twenty20 competition.

It is the World Cup ticket news that will come as the biggest shock to members. At previous global tournaments, the club’s members have not had to pay for a ticket. But in the 20 years since the last World Cup in England, security and ticketing arrangements have become much more complex. Grounds want to know who is sitting in which seat and the exact numbers expected to turn up.

The club is putting three proposals to members. First, for the club to continue to pay for their tickets, which would cost “millions”, according to one source.

Another is for the members to pay a contribution to the ticket cost, which will be set when the ECB confirms prices.

The third is for members to pay the full ticket price. The worry with that is many will not pay the price either because they are too expensive or out of principle, which would leave MCC facing the embarrassing prospect of empty seats in the prime areas of the ground for a showpiece game such as the World Cup final.