Ticketing and safety

THE Namibian ticketing system for premiership football matches is non-existent or if there is any, it leaves a lot to be desired, while safety for players and referees paints a grim picture.

The entry points of most stadiums where premiership matches are held are such that it is difficult to control people entering the venue and it is extremely frustrating as there are just too many people selling tickets at the gates.Some teams claim to have a ticketing system in place, but it has proven ineffective as some people who are assigned to sell them to the public instead pocket the money at the entrance. It happens every time and I have seen people being robbed on many occasions as they are never given any proof.At the gates, there is so much disorder that each person wants to get into the stadium and with the culture of arriving five to six minutes before matches rife in Namibia, the situation becomes uncontrollable.My problem is that there are just too many people hanging around the gates, especially the VIP gate, who collect money and fail to issue tickets as proof of sale to the spectators.For the ones who don’t know, premiership teams in Namibia have the responsibility of collecting gate takings during their home matches and can either do that through selling tickets to the public in advance (at various outlets before match day) or at the venue.The sale of tickets in advance mostly takes place when the national team is in action, but officials or premiership teams prefer to assign their own people to sell tickets and collect money at the venues, a situation which has proven disastrous in many respects.There is a serious need to review the ticketing system overall and I urge the Namibia Premier League (NPL) and possibly the sponsors, MTC, to investigate all possible ways to find a logical solution to this problem.Teams are losing thousands of dollars through unscrupulous deals at the venue and last weekend, I was surprised to see one of the fans in possession of a dozen of VIP tickets. This person was selling them for a mere N$30, instead of the usual N$100.I don’t know how they got hold of the tickets, but it is a serious concern as some elements who are not entitled to the VIP stands would make their way there and this could pose a threat to the safety of some of the officials in that section.Also, another concern, especially at the Independence Stadium, is the frequent movement of spectators in the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms of the players and the referees.Players and referees are not guaranteed of any safety and last weekend saw a huge influx of people streaming in from the main VIP gate directly through the tunnel as they made their way to the stands.It is the duty of the security personnel employed at these venues to ensure that there is order, but it seems that there is not enough manpower.The teams and the NPL should look at ways at increasing the number of security personnel at the various venues because the attendance figures are on the increase by the day as the league is gaining momentum.Teams also have a responsibility to educate supporters to behave orderly when entering at the gates.Sometimes, children and the elderly who come to enjoy the games are caught between these misbehaving, drunken fans who at times engage in fights as they are simply pushing their way to get into the venue. Those are worrying factors.The high level of disorganisation at the gates just shows the ineffective measures that are in place to prevent this.The NPL must realise that their image at that level is at stake and efforts must be made to encourage teams to educate their supporters to behave orderly before it’s too late.