Johannesburg — Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA) says the non-operational system at ticket outlet Computicket has contributed to the poor crowd attendance at stadiums.
After starting last season behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, normalcy was supposed to return this campaign, with fans expected to fill up stadiums.
After all, the lockdown restrictions were relaxed with all venues - outdoor and indoor - granted permission to fill up to full capacity.
This was supposedly welcomed by football fans tired of watching on TV.
But that hasn’t been the case since the start of the new Premiership season last Friday, with most of the games enduring poor crowd attendance.
The only games that had decent crowds involved the big three clubs - Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs on Friday and Saturday.
Host clubs are responsible for ticket sales and gate takings for league matches, as they bag 100% of the revenue that’s been generated.
But since Chiefs, Pirates and Swallows FC are using the FNB, Orlando and Dobsonville Stadiums as home grounds, they are under the supervision of SMSA.
SMSA, furthermore, has a partnership with Computicket for ticket sales. A ticket outlet that has been plagued by an offline system recently.
“My issue is the one that people have had with Computicket, with their systems being offline,” SMSA managing director Bertie Grobbelaar said.
“That basically had an impact on the poor attendance. But we sold tickets at the transport hub at FNB (for the match between Chiefs and Maritzburg United).”
After losing 1-0 to Royal AM in their league opener, Amakhosi played their first game at home on Tuesday, as they beat Maritzburg 3-0.
The crowd attendance was nothing compared to the masses that filled up Chatsworth Stadium when Royal AM beat Chiefs on Saturday.
But Grobbelaar says it’s impressive outings like Chiefs' win on Tuesday that will motivate supporters to fill up stadiums and rally behind their teams.
“I think they (the numbers) are picking up. We had our first game at the FNB on Tuesday. And we had just under 10 000 people,” Grobbelaar said.
“And that was a good turnout for a public holiday and 7:30pm game. I think the numbers will pick up. But they also depend on the team’s performance.”
Unlike Dobsonville and Orlando Stadiums, FNB also allows supporters to buy match-day tickets through Ticketmaster.
Grobbelaar says they are working on ways to make Ticketmaster accessible over the counter, while Swallows are keen on using the system as well.
“If it wasn’t for Ticketmaster, there might have been less attendance because we sold 2 000 tickets at the gate on Tuesday,” Grobblaar said.
“But I spoke with the chairman of Swallows (David Mogashoa) this morning and we are looking at a joint solution, because we need to address that.
“I spoke with some of the fans yesterday. And some said they went to three different outlets, but they still couldn’t find a ticket. So, we need a solution.”
IOL Sport