Geoff Hurst kicks off tours of new Wembley Stadium

7 January 2005

England's 1966 hat-trick hero, Sir Geoff Hurst today unveiled the itinerary for the planned Tours of the new Wembley Stadium, and tested out the first of the 90,000 seats that will be installed in the Venue of Legends before its opening in May 2006.

Sir Geoff also announced a major promotion by the Stadium's first Official Supplier, npower, to offer new customers free tickets to the Wembley Stadium Tour to use when it opens next year.

Tours of the famous venue will include a visit to those hallowed places fans can usually only ever imagine - the players' changing rooms, a walk through the players' tunnel and a chance to take the presenter's hot seat in the television studio. It will also include an opportunity to see amongst other memorabilia, the crossbar Sir Geoff so famously struck during the 1966 World Cup Final. Visitors will even get the chance to sit in the Royal Box and celebrate like their
footballing heroes by lifting a trophy aloft to the accompaniment of the legendary Wembley roar.

Sir Geoff took the opportunity to tour the Wembley Stadium building site with the first football fans to see the venue from the inside. The fans also tested out the first block of seats to be installed - which will be wider and more comfortable than in the old Stadium and offer more legroom than the old Royal Box. With no running track, the seats will start closer to the pitch and will provide unbeatable views of the action.

Among the first fans to tour the Venue of Legends when it opens will be customers of Wembley's Official Energy Supplier, npower, following the launch today of a unique promotion. When customers sign up to npower they will get free tickets to the Tour. Customers signing up to one fuel - gas or electricity - will get two free tickets while those taking both fuels will double up with four free tickets to enjoy the Tour with their family or friends.

npower's Head of Sales and Marketing, Guiseppe di Vita, said: "At present, becoming an npower customer is the only way to obtain tickets to the tour as they are not yet on sale to the general public. We are delighted to be able to make this fantastic offer available to our new customers, so they can be among the first to see the hallowed turf and to see behind-the-scenes of this world-famous venue when it opens its gates for business in 2006.

He continued, "npower is very proud to be the Official Energy Supplier to Wembley Stadium. It means we'll be supplying energy - generated from renewable sources - for the world's largest all-seater stadium, that'll help it become more environmentally friendly too."

Sir Geoff said: "I knew the old Wembley like the back of my hand and obviously have many abiding memories of it. The new Stadium will be a very special place for both players and fans to visit and I'm certainly looking forward to getting to know it inside out. I'm sure any sports fan will want to acquaint themselves with this magnificent venue too, which will be revered throughout the world of football."

Michael Cunnah, Chief Executive of Wembley National Stadium Limited, commented: "When the Stadium opens it will be a real show-stopper and we imagine demand for Tours to see inside the state-of-the-art venue - and get a feel for Wembley's unique history - will be huge. The Stadium is already looking fantastic and construction hasn't even been completed - I think the public will be bowled over when they see the new Stadium - which is on a totally different level in terms of size and quality to what we had before. The public deserve a world-class national stadium and in Wembley they won't be disappointed."

The full itinerary of the Wembley Stadium Tour will include*:

• An opportunity to view a unique collection of memorabilia - including the 1948 Olympic Torch, the 1966 Crossbar and pieces of Wembley's Twin Towers
• View players' changing rooms and get a guided walk through the players' tunnel out into the stadium bowl
• View the pitch and learn about how a perfect playing surface is maintained
• Sit in the Royal box and receive a trophy to the Wembley roar
• Take the presenter's chair in the TV Studio
• See the impressive 'Event Control Suite'
• Watch a movie at the 'Wembley Cinema' about the history of the Stadium
• See the Wembley Medical Suite
• Stand beneath the magnificent Arch in all its glory
• See the superb view from the Stadium's Olympic Terrace Bar

Click here to see video footage from the day and hear what England hero Sir Geoff Hurst had to say.

Tours of Wembley Stadium will begin when the stadium opens for The FA Cup Final in May 2006. To sign up to npower and to claim free Wembley Stadium Tour tickets, call 0800 316 0605 or click on the npower link below for more information

*Tour itinerary subject to change and will be confirmed on Stadium Opening