| By Clayton Barnes
Match Hospitality, the company responsible for World Cup ticketing, has assured disabled soccer-lovers attending the games of a hassle-free World Cup, provided they include "exactly what they need" on their ticket application forms.
Tickets will go on sale on February 20 and preparations are already under way to make Africa's biggest sporting event yet as comfortable as possible for the disabled.
The City of Cape Town has announced plans to use the Cape Peninsula University of Technology's Cape Town campus as a disabled parking and loading area, where people could be dropped off and transported directly to the Green Point Stadium by the city's Dial-a-Ride service.
The R140 category 4 tickets are open to all South Africans
Match Hospitality's head of ticketing, Prinisha Pillay, said it was "crucial" for disabled spectators to stipulate their disability status, and to add "whatever else they require" in writing on the form.
She said space would be allocated for them depending on how many disabled people applied for tickets.
"The R140 category 4 tickets are open to all South Africans, including the disabled," said Pillay.
"However, when disabled people apply for tickets, they must stipulate their disability status and whether they are in a wheelchair or require any additional help."
Pillay encouraged disabled spectators to start applying for tickets as soon as ticket sales opened on February 20 "to avoid disappointment".
The tickets are going to sell fast
"The tickets are going to sell fast," she said, "especially the category 4 tickets, which have been made available exclusively to South Africans at a fixed rate of R140 each.
"We need to know exactly how many disabled spectators will be attending the matches so that necessary planning and arrangements can be made for them to have a pleasant World Cup experience."
World Cup tickets can be purchased from any FNB branch or via the Fifa website at www.fifa.com.
The number of tickets available for the 2010 World Cup has not been finalised and will be confirmed only once all World Cup stadiums are complete.
Based on the stadium configuration of previous World Cup finals and the capacity of the 10 new World Cup stadiums, Fifa expects between 2.8 and 3.1 million purchasable tickets for the 64 matches.
This falls in line with the number of tickets that went on sale for the 2002 and 2006 Fifa World Cup tournaments.
"It is important to note that the number of tickets available for sale will not correspond with the capacity of the stadiums because the media and VIPs will have to be accommodated.
"Security and other factors will also reduce the number of seats available before Fifa and the Local Organising Committee are able to determine the total number of tickets that may be sold for any given match," said Fifa spokeswoman Delia Fischer
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