#008 - Those Ticket Prices Again... - why are Fijian Drua vs Highlanders match tickets so expensive? S01E08

TEIVOVO Rugby - The Fiji Rugby Podcast

In this Podcast, Culden Kamea asks why ticket prices to the Super Rugby Pacific game between the Fijian Drua and the Highlanders are so high?

I know that I have spoken about this in an earlier podcast, but after flicking TV channels between the HSBC Singapore 7s and another channel featuring the Fijian Drua interim CEO Brian Thorburn last night, I’ve got even more questions to ask about the very high ticket prices.

Look don’t get me wrong, I’m a certified rugby nut for sure, and watching live rugby games featuring top Fiji teams in 7s or XVs is my passion and something I have been reporting, commentating on and podcasting now for decades – maybe I’m just another old fart?

Anyway, what got up my nose was, how powerful, arrogant or cheeky is this interim CEO that he can repeat his threat reported in the Fiji Sun last week that if we locals don’t start buying tickets to the Fijian Drua versus Highlanders game on 30th April then he will delay the TV broadcasting of the game by two hours – can he really do that?

What about the local TV company that holds the free-to-air live broadcast rights – MaiTV? What about the local TV company that holds the live pay-per-view rights – Digicel? What about all us SKY subscribers who have paid to watch this game and others live? What about the rest of our country – will they all suffer a two hour delayed broadcast just because the interim CEO of the Fijian Drua says so?

While the interim-CEO was making this threat in a Fiji flag-blue Fijian Drua Bula shirt with a big Bula smile- (like a true blue Aussie tourist I thought), he emphasized that we locals need to change our ways and don’t leave things to the last minute, but buy our tickets to the game early because we cannot have only 5000 or 10,000 people there, we needed to show the world a full house!

The interim-Fijian Drua CEO further said that these ticket prices - $30 for Adults on the grass embankment, $75 for the cement embankment and between $150 and $185 for the grandstand were lower than the ticket prices for Super Rugby Pacific games in 2019 and 2020.

H E L L O er we have had a minor hiccup with a pandemic sweep through our country since then, killing over a thousand people, causing tens of thousands to lose their jobs and smashing our economy for six!

What he is so conveniently goose-stepping better than David Campese is that ticket prices for all the other Super Rugby Pacific games in Australia and New Zealand are no more than $30 for grandstand seats – so why $75 to $185 here in Fiji.

Finally, the interim Fijian Drua CEO Brian Thorburn also admitted (what is so clear to see on TV) that in all their “home games” in Australia so far this season, they had only sold 1200 tickets!

That’s right, only 1200 tickets sold so far in 3 home games in Australia at F$40 say and he wants us locals here in Fiji, to rush out and buy 10,000 tickets @ F$75 - $185 or he’ll block the TV broadcast?

No thanks, as we always do in Suva – check the weather on the day and then maybe if it’s not going to rain, just maybe we’ll buy a ticket to that game last minute- we’re not stupid.

Ok so there I am switching back to the HSBC Singapore 7s and you know what the honest to goodness truth really is interim CEO, when you take all the emotions out of us supporting the Fijian Drua with our heart and soul – they really aren’t that good and what’s more they’re not getting any better!

Our Fiji 7s team in Singapore – now that’s how you get excited about supporting a team and buying tickets!

For the TeivovoRugby.com Podcast – I’m Culden Kamea.

Malo, vina’a and thank you!