FA cuts ticket prices to fill Wembley in downturn

LONDON (AP) -- The Football Association has cut ticket prices for England's home matches by as much as 25 percent in an effort to make sure that Wembley stays as full as possible during Britain's economic downturn.

England has three matches left in London this season with Slovakia, Ukraine and Andorra visiting for 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

"We want to make watching the national team as affordable as possible, particularly for families, during this difficult economic period," FA chief operating officer Alex Horne said.

The FA was compelled to act because of the fear of falling ticket revenue at the $1.2 billion stadium, which reopened in 2007.

Although 89,107 people turned up for October's 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan, just 69,738 showed for August's friendly draw with the Czech Republic, suggesting that fans could stay away if the match is not alluring enough.

England is top of its qualifying group with 12 points from four games, so fans could also be put off attending if the result has no impact on the team's chances of making the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

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