The Seattle Seahawks have refused to sell tickets to fans based in California for their NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The tickets, which go on sale today, will only be available to supporters with a billing address in certain areas in an attempt to limit the amount bought by touts.
Fans with billing addresses in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta will be able to buy tickets, but those in other areas will not.
Any people who wish to attend the match who don't have a billing address in those areas will be forced to go through secondary markets such as the NFL Ticket Exchange, where the price can often be much higher than the original value.
The move is also intended to help reserve seats for the Seahawks' famous home support, known as the '12th man', as they look to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2005.
The Seahawks beat the New Orleans Saints 23-15 in the divisional playoff round on Saturday to set up this weekend's match with last season's Super Bowl runners-up the 49ers.
Barney Corkhill
