UK opposition to launch plan to woo football fans

London, May 27 (IANS) UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is using FA Cup Final day on Saturday to launch a plan to woo football fans with a "flexible ticket" to help more people attend matches.

The proposal would mean that people are not left with unusable tickets after matches are moved or rescheduled, the BBC reported.

The Labour leader, who will be at Wembley later on Saturday to support Arsenal playing against Premier League champions Chelsea, is also pledging more money for grassroots football if the party wins in the June 8 general elections.

Corbyn has pledged to make football a "game for the many, not the few".

Labour's election manifesto also commits to ensuring the Premier League upholds a promise to put 5 per cent of its television rights income into grassroots football.

"Despite the game we all love receiving lucrative domestic and international TV deals, the grassroots game has been shamefully starved of funding over recent years," the BBC quoted Corbyn as saying.

"Too often, youth football teams cannot find pitches to play on and when they do they are expensive and the facilities are not fit for purpose."

"Under these circumstances, it is no surprise we are not nurturing the talent that we all know exists within the beautiful game," he added.

In response, the ruling Conservative Party said they were investing 30 million pounds ($38 million) a year in football and called Labour's proposals "complete nonsense".

"There is more money going into grassroots football than ever before," a party spokesman added.