A Mirror reporter has revealed a simple hack to secure Centre Court tickets at Wimbledon, after he and two friends scored front-row seats to watch Novak Djokovic by asking departing spectators for their unused tickets.
The Mission: How to Get Centre Court Tickets
Sam Elliott-Gibbs, along with friends Josh Somers and Louis Dyson, initially joined The Queue on Monday hoping to catch action on the outside courts. After entering the grounds at 4pm, they enjoyed strawberries and cream but realized they would likely only see one match. As 7pm approached, Elliott-Gibbs decided to try his luck at Centre Court.
“What many people don’t realise is that some people, especially those who haven’t paid to go, are happy with a long afternoon of tennis. They’re ready to head for home long before the gates shut. Those people are your prime targets!” he wrote.
The Strategy: Asking Departing Spectators
Stationing himself at the end of a stairwell, he approached spectators leaving after just one set. After several rejections and some encouragement from former Manchester United defender Denis Irwin, a woman who had enjoyed free drinks handed over her VIP lanyards. An American man with a flight to catch also gave up his ticket.
“After making me promise I wasn’t going to resell them, she handed over her VIP lanyards and told me to make use of them,” Elliott-Gibbs said.
The Result: Front-Row Seats for Djokovic
His friends sat next to Big Brother host AJ Odudu, while Elliott-Gibbs himself secured a front-row seat. They watched Novak Djokovic face Chinese prospect Wu Yibing, who pushed the seven-time champion hard, forcing the roof to close as he took the second set.
“There was even time to nip out for some food. On the way back I took a risk and came clean to the steward who had probably watched my begging attempts as I waited to be allowed back on,” he added. The steward told him: “People do it all the time, it’s not discouraged. When people leave it’s better for Wimbledon to have people in seats than them being left empty.”
Reaction from Other Spectators
Two sisters who had paid nearly £500 for their tickets were less impressed. “We paid nearly £500!” one told him, before accepting it was fair reward after eight hours in the queue.
Wimbledon’s Official Policy
A Wimbledon spokesperson told the Mirror: “As guests leave the site, we encourage them to ‘return’ their ticket so that people holding Grounds Passes have the opportunity to re-purchase them at Ticket Resale. Centre Court tickets are £15 and No.1/No.2 Courts are £10. Last year we raised £195,000 for the Wimbledon Foundation via Ticket Resale, supported by Barclays. The money supports a variety of causes including small charities helping to meet social needs and local homelessness charities.”
