Wimbledon urged to move final amid warnings that World Cup will leave stadium 'empty'

Wimbledon is under pressure to reschedule its men’s final amid fears of 15,000 empty seats if England reach the World Cup Final, which is being held at the same time.

Legions of tennis fans are disappointed by the clash and hope Wimbledon authorities make a last-minute schedule change, according to the head of the UK’s largest tennis fan group.

Mary Pope, chairman of the British Association of Tennis Supporters (BATS), said the clash was a “dilemma” for her and scores of other Wimbledon attendees.

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But she says the All England Lawn Tennis Club is “too steeped in tradition” to consider a reschedule.

It comes after Saturday’s World Cup fixture against Sweden left Wimbledon’s Centre Court some two-thirds empty, with rows of vacant seats and an empty Royal Box.

Centre Court has a maximum capacity of 14,979, and it is expected that stands would be even emptier if England were to reach the World Cup final.

Wimbledon spectators, meanwhile, queued in their hundreds for exit wristbands so they could watch the football in nearby pubs.

Wimbledon officials have so far refused to budge on the clash, confirming yesterday that they have “no plans” to alter the timing of the men’s final, even in the event of England reaching the World Cup Final.

They also said they will not show the football anywhere in Wimbledon’s grounds.

Mick Desmond, Wimbledon’s commercial and media director, said earlier this week: “Our [final] always starts at two o’clock and we’ll start at two o’clock.”

The World Cup Final kicks off at 4pm on Sunday, just two hours after the Wimbledon match begins, meaning the two will almost certainly overlap.

Mrs Pope, chairman of BATS, also said that ‘Henman Hill’, where hundreds of tennis fans assemble to watch the men’s final each year, could be much quieter than usual.

She said that Wimbledon officials will have to wrestle with huge practical challenges if they reschedule the match.

“People are travelling a long way and many will have already booked their train tickets in advance to get a cheap fare,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“All that sort of thing has to be taken into account. You pay a hell of a lot of money for that ticket and you wouldn’t want to be finding out you’re going to be there an hour late.”

If the clash goes ahead it is expected that Wimbledon will have some of its lowest ever television viewing figures, with the tennis final being moved from BBC1 to BBC2 for the first time.

England’s World Cup fixture against Colombia last Tuesday scooped 24.2 million viewers at its peak, or 81% of everybody watching television at the time.

That figure would rise hugely if England were to reach the final, it is predicted.

A number of sports commentators have taken to social media, meanwhile, calling on Wimbledon officials to change their mind.

Zach Goldman, founder of football group Where is Football?, suggested that Wimbledon's Centre Court could look embarrassingly empty if the scheduling clash goes ahead, adding: “Great time to be a tennis fan … you’ll have about 15,000 spare tickets to choose from.”

Darren Rovell, a sports commentator for the US network ESPN, said Wimbledon was at risk of “losing relevance”, whilst British football star Ian Wright joked on Twitter: “Is Wimbledon on?”

Many Wimbledon attendees have resorted this year to watching the football on their phones and tablets, which could technically breach Wimbledon’s strict "no football" policy.

In previous years, stewards have been advised to eject any fans caught watching the football on their mobiles, which they say can distract players.