The one million match tickets for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 go on sale on 1 October 2009, German FA (DFB) general secretary Wolfgang Niersbach announced at the inaugural Countdown get-together in Sinsheim on Thursday. "We’re working on the basis of filling the stadiums to 75 per cent of capacity," Niersbach explained. Organisers aim to generate revenues of €27 million from match ticket sales.

Supporters will be offered the chance to purchase venue packs for the event. Each venue pack includes tickets for the four matches at the specified stadium. The nine host cities for 2011 are Frankfurt, Augsburg, Monchengladbach, Leverkusen, Dresden, Wolfsburg, Bochum and Sinsheim.

At the Countdown evening in Sinsheim, Dietmar Hopp, patron of home club and Bundesliga leaders 1899 Hoffenheim, joined mayor Rolf Geinert to drum up enthusiasm for the 2011 tournament among fans in the region. Bernhard Peters, coach of the world cup-winning German field hockey team in 2006, also declared his support: "Women’s football is growing fast and flourishing. We can look forward to full stadiums in 2011."

Hopp revealed himself as a devotee of the women’s game. The 1899 Hoffenheim women’s team currently plays in the fourth tier, but with the men’s team flying high at present, the club hopes to cause as much of a sensation in the women’s Bundesliga as soon as possible. "We need to win promotion three more times, and we’ll be in the top flight," Hopp commented.

Steffi Jones described the start of ticket sales as the most significant milestone of the coming year. A comprehensive roadshow will tour the host cities in the summer and autumn, introducing and explaining the concept behind the ticketing programme. "We’re deliberately opening the ticket sales campaign with attractive events in and around the host cities," the Organising Committee President said, before adding "families will form one of our most important target groups."