Local football fans will be able to catch a version of the Causeway Derby at the National Stadium for as little as $4 next month.
Yesterday, ticket prices for Tampines Rovers’ AFC Cup Group E clash with Selangor on May 10 were announced as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed the match had been switched from Jalan Besar Stadium to the main arena at the Sports Hub.
Adult tickets are priced at $10 and $4 for concession holders; students aged 16 or below and senior citizens above 60.
A bundle – two adult and two concession tickets – cost $24. Tickets go on sale from noon today.
The price of each adult ticket for the match is significantly less than those for the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2014 (the most expensive adult ticket cost $48) and Singapore’s World Cup qualifiers last year ($38) at the 55,000-seater venue.
They are also cheaper than tickets for the now-disbanded LionsXII’s Malaysian Super League matches at the 7,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium ($13).
FIRST LOCAL CLUB
The match will be the first featuring a local club at the new National Stadium since it opened in mid-2014.
Tampines face a must-win clash (see below) and club chairman Krishna Ramachandra hoped the affordable prices would encourage Singaporeans to turn up in numbers.
“The guiding principle was always about having the crowds come in and enjoy the new Kallang Roar,” he said.
“So, pricing had to be all-embracing. Everybody should enjoy the experience of watching a high-level game at the National Stadium.
“Credit must go to the Sports Hub and FAS for making the economics work.
“This game has a greater significance to me as it represents an excellent example of how, when stakeholders – FAS, clubs, Sports Hub and Sport Singapore – work collaboratively, things can happen.
“This is what Singapore football needs at this juncture.”
Krishna added that, even though the match will be played on a Tuesday night, he is “an eternal optimist” and hopes for an attendance of about 25,000.
Local fans welcomed the news.
Said civil servant Faizal Kamal: “It’s a good price, when you compare it to the price of a ticket for a LionsXII game. I will go and watch.”
Anthony Ng, a 39-year-old software engineer: “Considering tickets to matches at the National Stadium are usually a lot more expensive, it’s a great way for Singaporeans who have never been there to experience what it’s like to watch a good football game at the new stadium.”
Tampines were also the last local club to play a competitive match at the old National Stadium, when they beat Thai side Chonburi 3-2 to lift the Singapore Cup in front of 18,000 fans in November 2006.
HOW TO BUY
Online at sportshubtix.sg
Call the hotline number: +65 3158 7888
At the Singapore Indoor Stadium box office
At all SingPost outlets
This article was first published on April 27, 2016.
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