Stadium Management SA (SMSA) CEO Bertie Grobbelaar has confirmed that multiple plans have been put in place to beef up security, address overcapacity at stadiums, and tackle counterfeit tickets, stating that the only thing left is implementation.
Grobbelaar held a media briefing this past week with a small group of journalists at the FNB Stadium, ahead of this season’s first game at the Calabash between Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows in the MTN8 quarterfinal this evening.
Last season, SMSA, which manages the FNB Stadium, Orlando Arena and Dobsonville Stadium, introduced its own digital ticketing platform called MyTicket to avoid access delays and counterfeit tickets.
However, the system experienced a lot of hiccups and challenges over time with traditional third-party ticketing models.
With the new season now officially underway, Grobbelaar addressed several issues and provided possible solutions to help curb the burning issue of overcrowding at stadiums, particularly at FNB and Arena.
“We often accuse fans of always arriving late. There are late arrivals, but a lot of those times, people get late to the games because of the congestion of cars outside stuck in traffic.
“So, for example, at the last Soweto derby, we distributed a manageable number of parking tickets. It worked brilliantly, up to about an hour before the game, when people without parking tickets blocked the offramp on N17 and a decision was made to open the route.
“But the same will be done again this season, where parking tickets will be sold, and there will be more boots on the ground to assist traffic management with the congestion.
“We also had a discussion with Rea Vaya and Gautrain as a combination that the derby tickets must be increased, and that includes your Gautrain or Rea Vaya ticket from Park Stadium, irrespective of where you are travelling from; there will be a single price.
“The FNB Stadium was designed to have a fully functional station, and if fans get their tickets scanned there, part of our biggest problem will be solved.”
- Stadium Management SA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar confirmed multiple plans are in place to enhance security, manage stadium overcapacity, and tackle counterfeit tickets, with only implementation left.
- SMSA manages FNB Stadium, Orlando Arena, and Dobsonville Stadium, and introduced a digital ticketing platform called MyTicket last season to avoid access delays and counterfeit tickets.
- Grobbelaar noted that traffic congestion outside stadiums, not just late arrivals, contributes to fans arriving late for games.
- Parking tickets will be sold again this season with increased traffic management support to address congestion, following success at the last Soweto derby.
- Discussions have been held with Rea Vaya and Gautrain to increase derby tickets and introduce a combined ticket pricing system including transport from Park Stadium to improve fan access and scanning.
