Cape Town – The Blue Bulls Rugby Union are confident that there will be a capacity 25 000-strong crowd to roar on their favourite team at Loftus Versfeld for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final against the Sharks.
Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone said during a press conference on Wednesday that ticket sales have been growing every day, and that the union are on course to host the 50 percent maximum number of spectators allowed at sports stadiums in South Africa under Covid-19 restrictions.
The cheapest ticket is just R25, going all the way up to R250.
“Especially over the last two days, there has been a massive pick-up. We are getting close to 20 000 – with 25 000 being the capacity for this one,” Rathbone said on Wednesday.
“If the increase overnight sustains for the next few days, we will get close to, if not the full 25 000. It’s a thank you to Affies (High School) across the road – they’re hosting Menlo (on Saturday), but managed to move their fixture earlier, to about 12.20pm. So, the area around Loftus is going to have a lot of rugby on Saturday, so we are hoping for a big crowd.
“The tickets for this weekend still start at R25 – and there are enough seats in that category – and it goes up to R250 for the best seat in the house. What’s interesting is that almost all your most expensive tickets are sold first, around the halfway line, and then it fills up around that.”
Rathbone added that he was still awaiting news from SA Rugby about the possibility of Loftus Versfeld being at a full 50 000 capacity for the Springboks’ first Test against Wales at the Pretoria venue on July 2, but that the union was also mindful about the fact that fans may have to fork out money for several big games in the coming weeks if the Bulls progress in the URC and Currie Cup.
“It was always our vision that we must reward the supporters and make it affordable for everyone to come to the stadium. We all see what happens with the petrol price and how everything is becoming more expensive. We understand that it can be an expensive outing for a family,” he said.
“So, we want to make it as affordable as possible. We need to thank the players and coaches for the work they’ve put in to host a quarter-final in Pretoria. It is a privilege, and we are looking forward to it.
“We have closed our ticket sales for the Test as we await further news, and at the moment, there isn’t any. But I understand that SA Rugby are negotiating with government, and hopefully we will get news in the next week or so that the number will be lifted.
“It’s very easy to understand our fans’ struggles with the economy. We all live in South Africa and we all understand it. If we look at the next few weeks – with possible playoff games and the Test – our staff worked without supporters in the stadium for a year-and-a-half.
“That’s actually an empty feeling for people working in rugby – you don’t have people you are looking after, and to give people an experience. So, it’s a massive privilege to have that opportunity to give people the Loftus experience.”
@AshfakMohamed