Rating: NNNNN
I guess I should consider myself one of the lucky ones.
I actually scored tickets to Sunday’s (August 5) Toronto FC-vs.-Los Angeles Galaxy game, where Brit soccer superstar David Beckham is supposed make his much-anticipated MLS debut.
But I wonder if I’m going to be the only person in a wheelchair in any of the sections of BMO Field set aside for the disabled.
Shockingly, the last time I attended a game, my friend and I were the only two with any kind of apparent physical challenge sitting in an area designated for wheelchair access.
Some 400 tix are supposed to be set aside for the disabled at every game. But I’ve tried for weeks to get tickets to several games, only to be told none were available.
Unable to believe this, I showed up one day outside the stadium an hour and a half before game time and was assured the stadium was completely sold out, all 400 wheelchair spots included.
Really? All 400 seats to people in wheelchairs?
One box office official I complained to explained that any unsold accessible tix are released to the general public one week before game time. I also discovered from conversations with staff at the BMO box office that many are purchased by people who are not disabled and resold at a markup.
I began my ticket search for Sunday’s game weeks ago but was told that nothing was available in the designated sections.
Frustrated, I left a message with Kevin Matchett, Toronto FC manager of sales and service. He forwarded my voice mail to John Driscoll, one of the club’s account executives, who returned my call promptly.
I told him about the trouble I’ve been having scoring tickets. But Driscoll denied that seats for disabled patrons are released to the public a week before games. “A misconception,” he stated.
He promised to hook me up with seats for Beckham’s appearance. I was grateful but said I found this odd since both BMO Field’s box office and Ticketmaster had told me the day before that no tickets were left.
Nothing’s amiss, he responded. The discrepancy was merely owing to the fact that box office staff “can’t see what I see” on their computer screens.
But on behalf of other disabled fans I have to ask, what’s the real deal?
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