Almost 1,000 German football fans set for Lurgan this summer as tickets for Glenavon friendly sell out in less than two hours
Nearly 1,000 German football fans will descend on Lurgan in July after FC Erzgebirge Aue confirmed they sold out their ticket allocation for a pre-season friendly against Glenavon in less than two hours.
The Lurgan Blues visited the Erzgebirgsstadion last summer – 64 years after a European Cup meeting between Glenavon and FC Erzgebirge Aue was cancelled.
Paddy McLaughlin’s side will now welcome their German opponents to Mourneview Park on July 5 as they prepare for the upcoming Irish League campaign and the fixture is set to be played in front of a healthy crowd.
FC Erzgebirge Aue currently sit 13th in Germany’s third-tier – which is known as the 3.Liga – and the 800 tickets they’d originally been allocated for a summer trip to Northern Ireland sold out rapidly.
It should perhaps come as no surprise considering their final home game of the season on Saturday attracted 8,000 spectators while certain matches throughout the campaign have exceeded the 10,000 mark.
They’ve now requested more tickets from Glenavon ahead of the special fixture, posting on their website: “Sold out - You're awesome!
"The first contingent of almost 800 tickets for our pre-season match in Glenavon was sold today in less than two hours.
"We are already in contact with Glenavon FC and have ordered more tickets. We ask for your patience and will contact you as soon as the tickets arrive!”
Glenavon and Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt – now known as FC Erzgebirge Aue – were due to meet in the preliminary stage of the 1960/61 European Cup with reports stating that both teams were reciprocally refused visas for the two legs.
UEFA suggested moving the fixture to a neutral venue, but Glenavon withdrew due to the higher costs and lower revenue, meaning the German outfit progressed to face Rapid Wien.
The pair finally met last July when Erzgebirge Aue ran out 5-0 winners and the “second leg” will now be hosted at Mourneview Park.
Ahead of the opening fixture in 2024, Glenavon chairman Glenn Emerson said: “We’re really excited to be here and want to thank FC Erzgebirge for their excellent hospitality so far.
"They’ve gone above and beyond to make us feel so welcome and it’s great to be part of such an historic occasion for both clubs.
"We look forward to welcoming them back to Mourneview next year and hope that this will be part of a longstanding friendship that lasts for another 64 years and beyond!”