Springboks play at ’empty’ stadium – fans blame ‘greedy’ ticket prices

· The South African

Scenes of an “empty” Nelson Mandela Stadium in Gqeberha, where the Springboks played their first game of the year, have sparked a debate about ticket prices again.

The rugby team beat the Barbarians 80 -31 in a friendly match.

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South Africa’s test schedule officially kicks off in July, with its first game against England at Ellis Park Stadium.

SPRINGBOK FANS SHOCKED BY ‘EMPTY’ STADIUM

On Saturday, 20 June, the Springboks played the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

Despite the province being home to several Boks, including captain Siya Kolisi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, and even coaches Rassie Erasmus and Mzwandile Stick, the game saw a poor turnout.

In imagery posted on social media, the stadium appeared empty, with many areas being largely unoccupied.

The most occupied seats were the upper-tier and corner seats, priced from R250 and quickly sold out.

Many rugby fans blamed SA Rugby, or SARU, for unaffordable ticket prices, some of which fetched up to R4 595.

Glenda Perumal, the former chairperson of the Mandela Bay Development Agency, tweeted from her X account: “Dear South African Rugby Union.  The price of your Springboks tickets brought a disgrace to our beautiful empty stadium at yesterday’s game”.

Tagging Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie, she added, “I hope that the Minister @GaytonMcK  will ask for a detailed report”.

Others agreed:

Patricia Ann Watkins: “Half-empty stadium, prices far too high, with almost a 50% unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape, only for the few who can afford the tickets. We will never learn, reduced prices mean fuller stadiums, it’s a no-brainer 🙄”

Dee Connor: “It’s really unfair to the SA public that we can’t afford to be in the stadiums supporting the Springboks The love of money has overtaken the love of the game”.

Haydn van der Walt: “High prices. Low turnout. Reduce the prices. It would have been full to capacity. Would allow the less affluent to see the game and grow the game. But it’s for the few”

WHY ARE TICKETS SO EXPENSIVE?

Here are several reasons why tickets to watch the Springboks live in action are unaffordable for ordinary South Africans

  • Supply and demand: There is a high demand to watch the Boks, who are twice World Cup champions
  • SA Rugby received minimal government funding for development programmes and must generate its own revenue through sponsorships, broadcasting rights and ticket sales. Its income, in turn, funds the Springboks, Blitzboks, women’s rugby and provincial unions
  • While SA Rugby profits from match-day rugby, staging a test match comes with high costs.

In response to the public criticism, SA Rugby has pledged to “revise” its pricing model.

CEO Rian Oberholzer said: “We’ve taken notice of what people have been saying about ticket prices and we’ve changed the model to try and accommodate as many spectators as possible in the stadiums, while still fulfilling our need to fund our national teams and grow the game at all levels.”

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