The Tickets

First Leg Revised Ticket Details       Blue Kipper Comment      Ticket Fiasco @ Goodison Park

There are still tickets left for the Villareal game. Over 30,000 tickets have been sold up until Friday night. Everton’s Head of Communications Ian Ross says: "Although we do have tickets still available for the game they are selling quickly and we would urge all supporters to book as early as is possible.

The Box Office is open between 9.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, closed on Sunday before re-opening for business again on Monday morning. Meanwhile, any supporters now booking online will have to collect their tickets from the Bullens Road Box Office on the night of the game (from 5.00pm.) as no further tickets will be posted. (06/08/05)

Following The Ticket Fiasco Yesterday, Everton FC HAVE ANNOUNCED THE FOLLOWING:

In the wake of concerns raised from a number of supporters Everton will now give season ticket holders an exclusive 48-hour window to purchase tickets for next Tuesday’s meeting with Villarreal.

Tickets for the Blues’ debut in the Champions League went on general sale earlier today and staff at the Goodison Park Box Office witnessed unprecedented demand with over 12,000 tickets already being sold.
The decision to place tickets on general sale was made following conversations with UEFA and the club’s safety and security advisors but that policy has prompted widespread disharmony amongst 2005/06 season ticket holders. They felt they should be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket before non-season ticket holders were given the chance and officials at Goodison moved swiftly to recognise that fact.

Further security talks have taken place on Tuesday evening and it has now been agreed that from 9.30am on Wednesday August 3 until 7pm on Thursday August 4, there will be a window of opportunity for only season ticket holders to make their purchase.

Everton Chief Executive Keith Wyness explained the reason behind reversing the decision: “We may not always get everything right to everyones satisfaction but what we always do at this football club is listen to our supporters. Throughout the course of the day we were contacted by many season ticket holders who were concerned that they might not be able to purchase a ticket for this most significant of games. What we now propose to do is have a period of exclusivity – a window – which will provide season ticket holders with the opportunity to buy tickets.

All along our overriding – indeed our only – concern has been for the safety of supporters on the night of this game. What we were – and still are – determined to avoid is a scenario where several thousand supporters were gathering outside Goodison Park to pick up tickets in the hours leading up to kick-off. Our initial plans for ticket sales were set in place only after protracted and detailed talks with – and subsequent recommendations from – the club’s safety and security advisors. However, as a result of the concern expressed by our fanbase throughout the day, further talks were held and we have now been advised that a combination of an exclusive sales period for season ticket holders followed by a general sale should provide a safe environment for next week’s game. It is essential that season ticket holders use this window of opportunity – I urge them all to but their tickets as soon as possible.”

Season Ticket holders must produce their 2005/06 season ticket books at the Box Office at Goodison when purchasing and will be allowed a maximum of six tickets. Despite the offer of a two-day window the club are still keen to stress that season ticket holders must purchase as early as possible in an attempt to avoid any further unnecessary problems.

Supporters must also note that during the exclusive period for season ticket holders the facility to purchase online will not be available. However, tickets will still be available through Ticketmaster (from 11.00am on Wednesday) on 08707 3837866 supporters should quote their client reference no located on the computer insert at the front of their season ticket in order to purchase. There is a £1.55 charge per ticket plus a £1.55 booking charge for this service.

Box Office Opening Hours
Wednesday August 3 – 9.30am – 7.00pm (2005/06 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS ONLY)
Thursday August 4 – 9.30am – 7.00pm (2005/06 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS ONLY)
Friday August 5 – 9.30am – 7.00pm
Sunday August 7 - Closed
Monday August 8 – 9.30am – 7.00pm

(03/08/05)

First Leg Ticket Details

The first Leg has been confirmed to take place on Tuesday 9th August 2005. Kick-OFF 8.05PM. The kick-off time suggests the game will be screened live by SKY TV.

Everton FC HAVE ANNOUNCED THE FOLLOWING: Prices for a standard Premier league game apply.

MAIN STAND: £32.00
TOP BALCONY: £29.00 (Under 16's 17.00)
FAMILY ENCLOSURE: £29.00 (Under 16's 17.00)
UPPER BULLENS: £31.00
LOWER BULLENS: £27.00 (Over 65's 19.00/Under 16's 17.00)
PADDOCK: £29.00 (Under 16's 17.00)
UPPER GWLADYS: £29.00 (Under 16's 17.00)
LOWER GWLADYS: £26.00 (Over 65's 19.00/Under 16's 17.00)
PARK END STAND: £30.00 (Under 16's 19.00)

Tickets will be on General Sale from the Park End Box Office on Tuesday 2 August 2005 from 11am.
The Box Office will be open until 7.00pm each night this week due to the short time period in which we have to sell the game.

Postal applications may be made enclosing a letter of application, correct remittance, (cheques should be made payable to Goodison Park Stadium Limited) and a stamped addressed envelope to the Box Office, Goodison Park, Liverpool L4 4EL.
Supporters should be aware of the short time span involved and an immediate application is advised in order for us to return the tickets to you prior to the date of the fixture.

Dial-A-Seat (General Sale) Holders of Access and Visa cards may book seats subject to availability using our 24 hour Dial-A-Seat service 08707 3837866 from 12 noon Tuesday 2 August 2005. There is a £1.55 charge per ticket plus a £1.55 booking charge for this service.

Online Bookings -Tickets will be available online at evertonfc.com from 11.00am Tuesday 2 August 2005. There is a £1.50 charge per ticket plus a £1.50 booking charge for this service.

Lounge Members will be contacted in writing with arrangements regarding the use of their facilities for this fixture.

Supporters registered on the Home Cup Priority Scheme should note that it is not applicable to any European fixtures, in line with the terms and conditions of the Scheme. (01/08/05)

Second Leg

Merseyside Police is urging Everton supporters without tickets not to travel to Spain. The Force would also like to stress that supporters who do get tickets for the home areas of the ground are liable to be ejected from the stadium if there is any poor behaviour.

Supporters should only buy tickets from authorised outlets to ensure entry to the stadium. due to limited facilities at Villarreal it is unlikely that supporters who do not gain entry to the ground will find a suitable venue to watch the game on TV and we would advise recommend that people socialise in Valencia which has more amenities.

This is Everton's first official European fixture for a number of years and we would urge all travelling Everton supporters to respect the laws and traditions of the host country and act in a manner that the club and the city can be proud of. (23/08/05)

Everton have announced that Stand tickets priced £35.00 will be available to Season Ticket holders upon sole production of voucher no 62 from 9.30am Tomorrow, Thursday 18th August 2005, at the Park End Box Office. No Away Stubs are needed. Sales will be on a first come, first served basis. Only a very limited number of tickets remain available for independent travellers and supporters should be aware that it is likely that at some point during the day the only tickets remaining will be those on official Club packages. The Season Ticket holder must be the person who is travelling, the voucher is not transferable and should match the Season Ticket holder’s name. (17/08/05)

Fans can now get a ticket for the away leg if they have a season ticket together with 8 Away ticket stubs from last season. They go on sale from 9.30am Wed 17th August 2005 FROM THE BOX OFFICE. (16/08/05)

As revealed a few days ago (see below), Everton have just 1600 tickets and most of them are restricted view tickets.

Stand tickets priced £35.00 and £52.00 will go on sale in the first instance from Friday August 12 from 10.00am to season ticket holders from the Park End Box Office. Tickets will only be available upon production of voucher no 62 together with not less than 20 away match ticket stubs (different games) from season 2004/05 properly affixed to the official away match saving sheet. All supporters must also note that tickets will be allocated on a one qualifying application, one ticket basis. A small number of tickets will be held for immediate postal applications to the Box Office, from supporters who meet the above criteria.

Keith 'Bully' Wyness says: “Bearing in mind the size of our fan-base, it is, of course, disappointing that we have only been allocated 1,600 tickets for the return leg. However, I must point out that, initially, we were told that we would only be receiving 1,200 tickets, an allocation which Villarreal agreed to increase after we had stressed that demand would comfortably outstrip supply. In an ideal world, we would dearly love to be able to provide each and every supporter who wishes to watch David Moyes’ team play in Spain with a ticket; unfortunately, we cannot. Villarreal’s Stadium is currently being renovated - something which has served to reduce its capacity to just 21,000. In the interests of fair-play and honesty, I must also say that those seats which have been allocated to us are not of the highest quality. Although the section which will be filled by our supporters is fully-seated, the area is surrounded by what could best be described as obstructive fencing, something which will, sadly, restrict the sightlines of many fans. With such a small allocation at our disposal we have sought to be as fair as is possible and we believe that this is reflected in our sales plan.”

A number of tickets will be available to supporters wishing to travel independently. These fans will need to produce their passport together with a copy of their confirmed booking details for travel and any accommodation (if applicable) at the time of purchase. The Club, however, is warning all supporters - whatever their mode of travel - that the tickets they have been given in El Madrigal may not be the best seats in the stadium.

A further announcement will be made regarding remaining tickets at the Manchester United fixture this weekend.

Everton Official Supporter Day Trip Package - Price: £299 per person. (Ticket NOT Included)

Departs John Lennon Airport Wednesday 24th August at 09:00, arriving in Valencia Airport 12:30

* Coach Transfers with English speaking guides to Villarreal
* Free time in Valencia before the game
* Return Transfers to Valencia Airport after the game
* Return Flight to John Lennon Airport
* Estimated return time at Liverpool 03:00

The above Official Everton Travel package is available and should be booked from Goodison Park (venue to be confirmed when arriving at Box Office) immediately after you have purchased your match ticket voucher. Please note you will not qualify to book a travel package if you don't qualify for a ticket. Please also note that passports must be produced at the time of booking.

Everton Official Supporter One Night Hotel Package - Price: £399 per person. (Ticket NOT Included)

Departs Liverpool John Lennon Airport Wednesday 24th August at 09:30 arriving in Valencia Airport 13:00

* Coach Transfers with English speaking guides to your 4 Star Hotel in Valencia</li>
* One night accommodation, including breakfast
* Escorted Transfer to Villarreal for the Match
* Return flight to Liverpool John Lennon Airport
* Estimated return time at Liverpool 17:30 (Thursday Afternoon)

The above Official Everton Travel package is available and should be booked from Goodison Park (venue to be confirmed when arriving at Box Office) immediately after you have purchased your match ticket voucher.
Please note you will not qualify to book a travel package if you don't qualify for a ticket. Please also note that passports must be produced at the time of booking. (11/08/05)

Everton have announced that there will be a delay in the announcement. It will take place on Thursday, 11th August 2005. (10/08/05)

There will now be no announcement today, but on Wednesday after the 1st leg. Our information is that Everton will announce that they have managed to get hold of 1500 after being offered 1200 tickets for the second leg. They are talking to Villarreal's officials to get more but may get only 1600 tickets. Still very low for the fans. If the club allocates the tickets to shareholders first, there may be less than a 1000 tickets for the rest of the fans. So many are going to be disappointed.

There will be an official trip consisting of a flight on Wednesday morning from John Lennon airport to Valencia and returning straight after the game. Cost around £275. There is no news that a ticket will be part of the package. (08/08/05)

The second leg of Everton's third round qualifier away against Villarreal has been confirmed as Wednesday, 24th August 2005. The kick-off is still to be confirmed. Ticket and travel details for the second leg will be revealed next Monday, 8th August 2005. (03/08/05)

The date of the second leg away to Villareal has still to be decided. (Tue/Wed 23/24 Aug 2005). There will be an announcement regarding ticket and travel details on Monday (01/08/05)

10 Useless Bits of Bumph about Villareal

1. The town is renowned for its ceramics industry. The road into the city has a big sign saying "PORCELANOSA".

2. The Coach is Manuel Pellegrini, a Chilean who was successful in South America with River Plate, amongst others.

3. This will be Villareal's first season in the Champions League.

4. The city's population of 42,000, it means that almost 50% of Vila-realers are supporting it's club every home game.

5. They have 6 Argentineans in the side: forward Luciano Figueroa, play maker Juan Riquelme, the long haired Juan Sorin, new goalie Manuel Barbosa, International Gonzalo Rodriguez and dirty bastard Rodolfo Arruabarrena.

6. Veteran Juve midfielder Allessio Tacchinardi, has just signed to provide some Champions League experience.

7. They are not arsed how you spell Villarreal or Vila-real. This suits us just fine.

8. Riquelme has just signed a permanent contract after being on loan for two seasons from Barcelona.

9. Their nickname is "The Yellow Submarines", as they play in yellow. Of course. The Beatles song may be heard on match days.

10. There some Bars close to the stadium EL MADRIGAL, in the square Plaza del Labrador. It's usually full of dogs and the ale's a bit ruff.

The Ground

The stadium is named El Madrigal. It holds 22,570. Villareal average 15,920.

The Trip

Flights

1. Two flight tickets for sale due to no match ticket. £55 each, outbound flight only, no return. Going from Manchester Airport 10.45am Wednesday to Valencia, nearest airport to Villareal. If interested pls call 07977 252120. Ta.

2. I am in the costa del sol and have tickets for the everton villa real fixture. Do you know of anyone travelling from the costa del sol to villa real, who is willing to share transport. We are 2 fans looking for a lift to the game from Marbella and return. Regards Paul. Contact: ken mills [ken.mills@telefonica.net]

Cheap flight tickets to Spain in August - Your havin a laugh. Some fans have taken a flyer at this and have done ok.

The following fights were priced on the interweb at 11.15am ish on (31/07/05). These will no doubt have trebled by now.

From John Lennon Airport to Alicante. £230 return by easyjet. (2 nights stay).
From John Lennon Airport to Barcelona. £197 return by easyjet. (2 nights stay).
From London Gatwick to Valencia. £295 return by easyjet. (2 nights stay).
From John Lennon Airport to Reus. £260 return by Rayanair. (2 nights stay).
Coventry to Valencia. £230 return by Thomsonfly. (1 night stay)

Trains

From the airports by train. RENEFE (TRAIN TIMETABLES)

* Alicante to Villareal is approx 155 miles away. 4 hours on a train. You can stay in sunny Benidorm. Lots of hotels.
* Barcelona to Villareal is approx A 3 and a half hours by train or car.
* Valencia to Villareal is approx 70km. An hour by car. Regular train service from Valencia city, which in turn takes 10 minutes from the airport.

What The Fans Have Booked

* If you dont mind travelling, you can get some good deals. We have booked flights with www.flymonarch.com, flying out on monday 22nd Aug to Madrid and returning on 25 Aug for a total of £120 each (incl taxes). We have booked first night in twin room in Madrid for 52 euros (about £18 each) then we get a train the next day to castello de la plana for 42 euros (29 quid), this is about 25k from villareal so will just be a taxi job!! We have then booked 2 nights in hotel there through www.expedia.co.uk for £68.84 for the two of us. 29 quid for a trip back to madrid makes a total price including 3 nights in a hotel from mon - wed night at about £200 each :)
Only downside is journey on the train takes about 4 1/2 hours. Dave. (20/80/05)

* I have booked a 2 night break for me and my hubby. flying from manchester on Monarch to Alicante. Boarding the Euro train booked through renfe leaves at 14.20 and arrives at castellons at 16.45. We are staying at the estacion hotel there and its only about 20 min from the ground cost total about £300 each. Linda xx (20/08/05)

* Due to the joke of an allocation from EFC and the over pricing terms of the Total package. I urge all Everton fans to go direct via Villarreal and purchase tickets. We have today secured 6 tickets for some of the lads.

Everton's travel package is a joke and about £ 100 over the odds, go to www.expedia.com you can get better deals if you make connection in Madrid with two nights accommodation.

Good Luck boys and see you all in the Finnegan's Bar in Valencia, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday !!!! Alan. (13/08/05)

* Just a line to say that we took a flyer and booked a package to Salou with Direct Holidays, flying from Liverpool on 21st and returning on 28th. This cost less than £400 half board in a 4 star hotel. Salou is about 110 miles from Castellon de la Plana and can be reached on Euromed in just over an hour. We've booked in at the SH Estacion in Castellon de la Plana which is about 6 miles from Villarreal. We've hedged our bets and booked for 23rd and 24th as rooms can be cancelled up to 24 hours before at no cost. Hotel is good standard and cost 47 Euros for 2 including breakfast. You can get the details at http://www.bookings.org/es/hotels/shestacioncastellon?aid=301590. They have other hotels too. Hope to see you there. Ann Adlington. (02/08/05)

* I have booked a 2 night break for me and my hubby. flying from manchester on Monarch to Alicante. Boarding the Euro train booked through renfe leaves at 14.20 and arrives at castellons at 16.45. We are staying at the estacion hotel there and its only about 20 min from the ground cost total about £300 each. Linda xx (02/08/05)

* Me and four of the lads have booked flights via Madrid. We paid Friday night at £ 329 each that includes 3 nights in Valencia in 4 star hotel, Hotel Hesperia Parque Central, this hotel has 192 rooms so come on blues get your plastic friends out and party. We have chosen to go 22-25th due to the uncertainty of the Day.

I'm told Everton are going to make it difficult for people who don't go with the club ? I hope this is not true because Everton have taken forever to make any offers to the public. Regards Alan. (02/08/05)

* Lots of cheaper ways to get there if prepared to travel a bit - Barcelona airport is 3 hours drive, easy jet etc.
Girona is 4 hours drive (flight from blackpool on ryanair currently 130 return). Reus airport is near barcelona and used by one of the budgets. Murcia is to the south as is Alicante (monarch etc). Problem will be match tickets I guess. Paul. (02/08/05)

The Place

Some useful links:

Local Tourist Information  

virtual tour of Villareal

Hotels in Valencia

The Pub

Irish pub FINNEGANS in Plaza de la Reina, in heart of Valencia. Is usually the meeting place for English fans. Ex-pat Brits meet here.

The Team

The play in yellow shirts with blue trimmings. They came 3rd in La Liga last season. They only got promoted into the Spanish top division for the first time in 1998. They were relegated but returned in 2000 and have been a force ever since.

Mikel Arteta says: "I have played in Spain against Reina, and know him. Now he is in Liverpool and I am going to speak to him about the game to see if he can offer any advice. I will also try to use my knowledge from playing in Spain to help the team, so we can do the best we can and identify their weaknesses. But we just need to have confidence in ourselves and we cannot do anything else or worry about the matches. This is a tough one, it is going to be very difficult. We haven't been very lucky to be honest. Last year they had a great season and they have so many great players but there is a chance now of making it through. We have to be prepared to play the best we can and then it is a case of seeing what happens. We need to make sure we play our game to the best of our ability. They like to play attractive football and they played the nicest type of football in Spain last year along with Barcelona. They like to pass the ball and have good players in every position and international players." (01/08/05)

Our Tater in His La Liga Days

Lee Carsley says: "Hopefully the international experience of the lads at Everton, including me, can help us in this difficult tie. This sort of tie is more likely to be like international matches, a bit slower and with more build-up. We have a lot of players in the team with international experience even if there are few here with European experience. We haven't played in the competition before as a squad and it is going to be difficult. We are under no illusions about that." (01/08/05)

Alan Irvine on Villareal says: “There is no way we can go into it blind.We have plenty on them back at the training ground and we will find out even more about them. There will also be a chance to watch them play before we play the game against them, so we will be well informed before the first game at Goodison. You can watch videos and DVD’s as much as you want but you don’t get a proper feeling for it until you actually go and see the big picture. They play Albacete on the 4th and we will make sure we are heavily represented there and then we will be able to inform the players about the players they are playing against and the shape of their team. “We know it is tough draw. There is no doubt about that. They are a very good side, finished third in the Spanish league and a lot of people say they were the next best team to Barcelona. It is a very tough game but it is a very tough game for them as well. I am sure they will be thinking that they wished they hadn’t drawn us. They have played English opposition; they gave Middlesbrough a hard time last year in the UEFA Cup and we don’t know that much about them at this moment but we will find out about them and be prepared.” (30/07/05)

Villareal striker Diego Forlan says: "Everton are a good team, and I know it will be difficult, but we are a good team too. It will be interesting. I am looking forward to going back but I don't feel I have to prove myself to anyone. I've had a successful season with Villarreal, things could not have gone better for me, and I am confident I can score goals. (30/07/05)