Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
BARBOURFIELDS Stadium was packed to the rafters on Sunday as 15 794 fans turned up for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash between Highlanders and Dynamos, the biggest crowd of the season so far.
Of those, 15 556 paid their way in while 238 entered on complimentary passes and official invitations. The match lived up to its billing as the country’s biggest rivalry, ending in a 1-1 stalemate after an evenly balanced contest.
Ticket prices ranged from US$5 for the cheapest stands to US$20 for the premium seats, generating strong gate takings and proving once again that the two giants remain the heartbeat of the domestic league. Officials believe losing either club from the top flight would deal a serious blow to PSL attendance figures.
The huge turnout caused a short delay at the gates, which PSL acting chief executive Rodwell Thabe said lasted only five minutes and was linked to “redeployment of tickets” to ensure full accountability.
“I will acknowledge there was a delay at the gates for about five minutes,” said Thabe. “This was due to the redeployment of tickets, a process that requires co-ordination among all stakeholders, not just the PSL. No fan entered the stadium without being issued a valid ticket. The delay was to ensure the integrity of the system and accountability throughout the entire process. Our systems are very tight.”
Thabe used the occasion to push for digital upgrades at Barbourfields, urging Bulawayo City Council to make the venue compatible with e-ticketing platforms already in use at other grounds.
“We urge the City of Bulawayo to upgrade the Barbourfields Stadium facility to ensure it is e-ticketing compliant. This would reduce delays, improve accountability, and streamline ticket redistribution and reconciliation processes,” he said.
He pointed to Ngoni Stadium in Norton as an example.
“Fans there are impressed with the convenience and benefits of e-ticketing. We hope Bulawayo City Council will consider this upgrade seriously.”
Addressing social media claims of irregularities at the gates, Thabe dismissed them outright.
“Nothing of the sort circulating on social media could have possibly happened. Every PSL match entry point is co-monitored and manned by multiple stakeholders, including the club’s marshal, enumerators, ticket checkers, the PSL cashier, private security, and the Zimbabwe Republic Police. These individuals report independently, and their figures must align,” he said.
Once again, the Bosso-DeMbare showdown proved its unmatched drawing power, and underlined the need for better infrastructure to keep pace with the growing professionalism of Zimbabwean football.
I may have been blind I guess. I watched the game from the comfort of my house but what I noticed were several gaps within the stands. According to records, the average sitting capacity of Barbourfields stadium is 25 000 with a maximum capacity of 40 000 (squeezed up sitting). Now if it was parked to the rafters as reported, we are looking at around 40 000 fans at least yet only over 15 000 tickets were sold or accounted for. What happened to about 25 000 tickets or fans that would make at least 40 000? 15 000 is less than half the max capacity of the stadium yet estimates put the stadium as “packed to the rafters”? Who is lying here?