SMSA clears concerns over new ticketing system at the Soweto Derby

Kaizer Chiefs Director of Marketing Jessica Motaung says the digital ticketing system introduced by SMSA will help solve many problems they have been having.

She says that for this new system to work effectively, they need fans to arrive early for this sold-out derby, which kicks off at 15:30....

"I'm excited at how the world is changing and moving into a digital direction, and us as stadium and a club are moving with the trends. We want to make sure that people arrive with their phones, but most importantly that the fans are in the queues on time so that they can scan their ticket."

SMSA has tested the new My Ticket System over the last few weeks, which uses double scanning to clamp down on fake tickets.

Motaung says, despite the teething problems, the new system is the way to go.

Late arrivals of fans at the match venues has always been highlighted as one of the big challenges in big games. After seeing over 110,000 people enter through the turnstiles during a Soweto Derby last season, SMSA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar says they had no choice but to introduce the new ticket system...

"I don't want to see an event ever again where we have 110,000 people inside the venue and we have 10,000 or even two people outside of the stadium with legitimate tickets. It's not a process that is going to change overnight, and there are a lot of questions why we did not wait until the next season to implement the changes, but we could not approach a derby again with that risk."

READ: FIFA TDS targets SA academies to fast-track talent development inspired by the GDL

The Soweto Derby tickets were sold out within a few hours two weeks ago when they went on sale. On match day, many syndicates also operate around the stadium precinct to force their way in.

Grobbelaar says law enforcement agencies will be on hand to deal with them decisively...

"There is crowd management and then there is crowd control. Crowd management lies within the ambit of the venue and safety and security. Crowd control comes run when you find people without tickets trying to force entry. I'ver got no doubt that at the first validation point, we will have people break through that system.

"We had an extensive meeting with SAPS and POPS to redeploy their members to manage the crowd even before it becomes a necessity to control the crowd. We must also realise that those syndicates thrive on chaos, they want to create a scene to have the gates open.We need to find the balance in protecting the fan experience whilst dealing with the criminal element."

SMSA has in the past promoted the park-and-ride system, which worked perfectly during their concerts at FNB Stadium, and Grobbelaar says it will once again be operational this weekend to help avoid traffic congestion.