Thousands of fans acquire Shane Warne memorial tickets
Thousands of tickets to a public memorial for Shane Warne have been released. With the MCG confirming “plenty of tickets” were still available.
Victoria
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More than 42,000 tickets had been snapped up by fans keen to attend Warnie’s MCG memorial.
Free tickets to Shane Warne’s state memorial were made available from 3pm Tuesday, with Premer Daniel Andrews on Wednesday morning confirming that 42,300 tickets had been snapped up.
Warne’s state service would be held from 7pm on Wednesday, March 30.
Mr Andrews said the tickets would be made available to the public online on Tuesday.
The memorial will also be live-streamed, he added.
The government is yet to confirm how many tickets will be released to the public, but it’s expected up to 50,000 public tickets will be available.
Attendees are expected to be seated in the Great Southern Stand, which will be renamed the Shane Warne Stand in the sporting legend’s honour.
Mr Andrews said organisers were expecting tens of thousands of attendees at the memorial.
“We have to wait and see how that unfolds. But we have been working very closely with the family to make sure that it is an appropriate celebration of his life,” he said.
When asked to confirm the number of tickets available, he said: “We are not entirely sure. It is a matter of how much space is required for staging and things of that nature.”
“But there will be no Covid limit or anything like that. There will be as many as we can get in there.”
An all-star production team, including Mushroom Records’ events arm and Eddie McGuire’s television production company have been working on the event.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin, on tour in Mexico, and Ed Sheeran, who is performing shows in London, are both expected to send video messages, which will be beamed on to big screens in the stadium.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed he will also attend.
Victorians can submit a tribute online, which can be made online until April 10.
In lieu of flowers and at the request of the Warne family, mourners are asked to make contributions to The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.
More information on how to secure a ticket is expected throughout the day.
It comes after the cricket legend was farewelled by friends and family in a private funeral at Moorabbin’s RSEA Park on Sunday.
Cricket stars and celebrities gathered at St Kilda’s home ground for the emotional service, which ended with a lap around the oval.
Warne’s children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer, paid a final touching tribute, walking behind his coffin during the lap of honour.
Eddie McGuire led proceedings and gave a toast in Warne’s honour after the hearse completed its journey.
The spin king died from a sudden heart attack at the age of 52 while staying in Koh Samui, Thailand, on March 4.
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