A-League final sold out

Huge scenes ... Wanderers fans will create great hype on grand final day. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Sunday's A-League grand final is officially a sell out, with football fans on Wednesday morning snapping up the last tickets on offer to the public.

All general public tickets are now either sold or allocated for the 45,500-capacity Allianz Stadium decider between newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers and the Central Coast Mariners.

However Football Federation Australia said in a statement "a small number of the allocated tickets may become available for public sale over the next two days''. 

The Mariners' previous two visits to Allianz for grand finals have delivered big crowds. Against Sydney FC in 2006, the inaugural grand final, was witnessed by 41,689, while Newcastle's win in 2008 attracted 36,354. 

The ground record is 43,967 for the Socceroos against Argentina in the first leg of a World Cup qualifier in 1993, on a day when the gates were thrown open after the game was over-sold. 

Since then expansion works have taken the capacity to 45,500, though almost all of the 6700 stadium members would have to attend, and corporate hospitality be taken up in full.

In June last year, the Wallabies' Test against Wales attracted 42,889, and the last time it was a technical sell-out.

NRL fixtures have occasionally topped the 40,000-mark.  

"Any time you sell out a game in Sydney, the most competitive sporting market possibly in the world, is a huge statement about the health of your sport," FFA chief executive David Gallop said earlier this week. 

"Football has smashed through the barrier to become part of mainstream Australian sport in the eighth season of the A-League.

"Sell-outs are a message to the sport's commercial backers that they are riding the wave, and the youthful nature of the crowd will be a reminder to them of football's future growth potential."

The Wanderers' crowds have grown since attracting more than 10,000 in their debut game against the Central Coast Mariners in round one, and dipping to 8075 in round five against Melbourne Heart, to average 12,610 in the regular season including effective full houses for the two derbies at Parramatta Stadium.

It's likely this year's final would have been taken to ANZ Stadium, but a double-header heavy metal concert at the venue was booked for the whole of next weekend.

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