Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
ATTENDANCE figures at Castle Lager Premiership matches have shot up by 14 percent with 330,423 fans paying their way to watch league matches so far this season.
Given that attendance figures last year were the highest, in more than a decade, the fact that there has been an increase, in the first half of the season this year, is quite impressive.
What makes the numbers even more remarkable is that the price of the cheapest ticket was adjusted from US$3 to US$5 at the beginning of this season.
Despite fans paying 60 percent more for the cheapest ticket, 46,714 more fans have paid to watch PSL games, so far this year, when compared to the same period last year.
A total of 377,137 fans have paid to watch league matches this season while, in the same period last year, a total of 330,423 fans had paid to watch the top-flight league games.
The biggest attendance was at the Harare Derby where more than 25,000 fans paid to watch the match at Rufaro.
H-Metro added to the colourful atmosphere by publishing a special edition of the Harare Derby, which was well received by the fans.
It will be interesting to see the number of fans who will pay to watch the Battle of Zimbabwe showdown between Highlanders and Dynamos at Barbourfields on Sunday.
Early estimates predict that there will be a full house, probably the biggest crowd which has been seen at Barbourfields in recent years.
The Glamour Boys arrive at Barbourfields with the best strikeforce in the league, so far this season, which is a stunning turnaround for a club which struggled for goals last year.
They had scored just seven goals, at the halfway mark of the season, but right now they have 26 goals to their credit.
There was a good crowd at Rufaro on Sunday when Scottland hosted Hardrock in a top-of-the-table showdown and some DeMbare and Bosso fans have been appealing to their colleagues to fill up Barbourfields and show that their match is the real deal.
The arrival of clubs like Scottland, MWOS and Hardrock have boosted interest in the top-flight league and it’s not a coincidence that when the Scotts and MWOS came into the PSL last season, the attendance figures were the best in a long time.
One game, in particular, puts that into context.
When Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum Stars clashed in the season-opening Castle Challenge Cup at Ngoni last year, 6,180 fans paid to watch the match.
This year, with Scottland now part of picture, the Castle Challenge Cup match between Mabviravira and the Glamour Boys attracted 16,669 fans at Rufaro in March.
This means there were 10,589 more fans at Rufaro, for this year’s Castle Challenge Cup, than the number of fans who watched the same game at Ngoni last year.
Both matches featured the pulling power of Dynamos.
In terms of percentages, it was a stunning 170 percent turnaround for the same match.
Revenue generated from gate receipts has gone up by 58 percent this year, when compared to the same period last year.
What is even more impressive is that there has been an increase in the number of middle-tier tickets being sold at various stadiums throughout the country.
These are tickets for the grand stands, which are sold for higher prices compared to the rest of ground tickets.
The PSL disciplinary committee have only attended to one case so far this season – the abandoned league game between Hardrock and Dynamos at Chahwanda.
Both clubs are now expected to submit their final documents by the end of the week while judgment is expected to be released next week.
The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League has also delivered strong digital reach, and fan activations, which have driven engagement and match attendance growth.
There have been 2,2 million impressions on social media with Facebook being the main engagement driver.
The PSL have also have had to deal with illegal Facebook streaming of their matches and the league have engaged known streamers through warnings.
However, with such warnings failing to stop those who are illegally streaming the matches, the PSL leaders are now preparing for stricter enforcement to protect the interests of their broadcast partners.
