Following the release of the Group Stage package tickets to One Hotspur members yesterday morning, we have seen unprecedented demand for tickets for these matches from our membership.

We are aware that a number of supporters experienced extremely lengthy wait times when attempting to access the online ticketing system throughout yesterday and we would like to thank supporters for the patience shown during this exceptionally busy period and apologise for any frustration and inconvenience that was encountered.

To date we have sold a total of over 41,000 Group Stage packages to Season Ticket Holders and members, and at peak times yesterday in excess of 30,000 attempts to access the ticketing site were taking place simultaneously. During this time the rates on the site were being carefully managed to ensure that the system was able to continue to process transactions, which unfortunately resulted in a slower sales flow than we would have liked.

Some supporters have questioned why the process appears to be slower than for a major music event where demand is also incredibly high. In most cases for a large music event the majority of tickets are sold as either standing tickets or free, unassigned seating rather than against specific seats in specific areas which makes the transaction much quicker. Additionally, multiple tickets are able to be purchased by a single user in the majority of instances for these events. When we are on sale to a closed membership group at a one ticket per member ratio there are additional checks that take place to verify that every applicant qualifies for a ticket. All of these checks and processes take place in a split second, but all add to the load on servers and queue length.

A number of seats remain available to members who have yet to purchase, with additional capacity being released periodically, in consultation with our colleagues at Wembley Stadium.

Further seats will remain off sale at this stage and will be released for purchase on a match-by-match basis, initially to Season Ticket Holders and then to members (subject to availability) following the draw for the Group Stages on August 25.

All tickets will be sent out to the lead purchaser following the draw and confirmation of the game dates and times.

We would again like to thank our supporters for their enthusiasm in purchasing these Group Stage packages and look forward to some exciting nights in next season’s UEFA Champions League.