Jerry Eze Apologises After Thousands Were Turned Away at Old Trafford Prayer Conference

# What happened Pastor Jerry Eze's NSPPD UK Prayer Conference took place at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. The venue has a listed capacity of 74,000. The meeting was free to attend but required early registration because space was limited. Demand reportedly exceeded the number of places available, and many worshippers who travelled long distances were unable to enter and were turned away.

# The apology

# Organisers' response and next steps Eze said the situation was beyond the control of Streams of Joy International and the event organisers, but acknowledged attendees' frustration. He promised lessons would be learned and that organisers would take steps so the same problem does not recur at next year's gathering. He said that if they had known the turnout would be so large they would have done everything possible to prevent people being turned away.

# What took place at the conference

# Immediate impacts Social media shared accounts of long journeys and disappointment when entry was denied. The apology was posted publicly and shared online, including on Eze's social account where the apology video and message were circulated. Organisers acknowledged the pain and pledged improvements but did not publish detailed operational changes at the time of the apology.

# Takeaway for attendees and organisers

• Attendees: If an event requires registration, register as early as possible and check event organisers' guidance on entry and capacity.
• Organisers: Large-scale free events at major stadiums need clear ticketing, verified capacity controls and contingency plans for overflow and international attendees.

# What remains unclear Organisers have not released a detailed public account of how registrations were managed, how many people were turned away, or specific measures that will be put in place for future events.

# Closing summary A widely attended prayer conference at Old Trafford left many worshippers unable to enter because demand exceeded space. Jerry Eze issued a repeated apology, named international visitors among those affected, and said organisers will learn lessons before next year's gathering.