Cape Town: Despite the Spar Proteas crashing out of the semi-finals of the Netball World Cup, the local organising committee believes it has pulled off a spectacular event.
Bruce Davidson, Netball World Cup 2023 media manager, said the tournament, which started on July 28 and ends on Sunday, had been a great success so far, however, the issue of ticket availability almost jeopardised the tournament.
"We had a ticketing challenge that took us a while to sort out, but it was sorted out before the play. The online system was slow, and tickets issued by the ticket provider were delayed, but all tickets were distributed, and a ticket office was set up on the site so that walk-in spectators could purchase them at the door," said Davidson.
He said every event of this size had challenges, but the overwhelming feeling from the teams, local and international spectators was that it was one of the best World Cup tournaments.
"The unique African theme added to that enjoyment. For instance, the team's traditional and candle lighting ceremony, which is normally very straight laced, conservative, and sombre, was a jive with African music and dance, breaking all traditions, which went down well with the team."
Asked about the crowd and whether it met the expectations of more than 50 000 people, he said: "For the first South African games, we had a capacity crowd, but for other games there were wet sessions that had disappointing attendance, due to a working week and ticket prices. The weekend sessions were very impressive."
The City of Cape Town said roughly 40 716 people had gone through the Fan Park since it opened its gates on July 28.
"This includes those passing through for a drink or a bite before heading inside the CTICC and those who visited the Fan Park specifically to watch games on big screens and enjoy an outdoor family outing," said safety and security Mayco member JP Smith.
He said spectators at the Fan Park also enjoyed an array of live performances by local artists, netball exhibition games, a kids’ corner, a food court, daily give-aways and a beer garden.
"Cape Town’s Netball World Cup Fan Park has been the place to be for netball and sports lovers over the last couple of days. It’s the perfect space for pre-game entertainment for those with tickets for courtside seats and has been a base for fans without tickets who are looking to enjoy a great watching experience with other netball lovers.
“The free Fan Park remains open until the last match of the tournament, and we’d like to encourage more people to come through to the Fan Park and enjoy a day filled with fun and lots of entertainment," Smith said.