TS Galaxy and Mbombela Stadium are working to get the community and soccer fanatics to fill the stadium during the DStv Premiership games.
These two stakeholders have been encouraging attendance by giving away free tickets to fans in order to accomplish this.
TS Galaxy has been fostering relationships with the local communities and visiting all the institutions and universities in the vicinity of Ehlanzeni in an effort to entice students to come out and support the only Mpumalanga team competing in the country’s top football league.
The activations are packed with fun meet-and-greets and are an energised build-up to the return of the second half of the season, where there are hopes of greater attendance, as it creates job opportunities and boosts local economy.
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The spokesperson for TS Galaxy, Minenhle Mkhize, said these roadshows and activations are to encourage communities to support the team.
“When we first joined the elite football league, it was the time of Covid-19. Fans were not permitted to attend sporting events. Now that the limitations have been relaxed for over six months now, we need the supporters to pack the stadium and cheer on the team.
“We have observed that the team performs exceptionally well and has a lot of confidence when the fans are around. We have been interacting with the locals, and we have started going to shopping malls and taxi ranks. The players have been doing a meet-and-greet with communities.”
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Mthuthu Zondo of Mbombela Stadium said they have offered 1 000 free tickets, and that the activations are a way of saving jobs.
“Sporting activities have been negatively impacted by Covid-19, but we are working to alter that by hosting activations in the area. We were able to see more than 2 500 spectators for SuperSport United’s match vs TS Galaxy.
We will keep hosting the activations as they raise awareness in the neighbourhood, and eventually the stands will be filled. The more people attending the matches, the more jobs are being created, as they support the people who are selling things at the stalls, which contributes to the boosting of the local economy,” said Zondo.