Fijian Drua CEO Brian Thorburn is expecting another sell-out crowd at Lautoka’s Churchill Park for the side’s Super Rugby Pacific fixture against the Chiefs, calling on fans to purchase their tickets early when it goes on sale from Monday, 9 May after one of the avid businesshouse supporters of the side booked 400 tickets for staff members and their families.
With temporary structures to be put up, Lautoka’s Churchill Park can cater to a minimum of 11,000 people on the day of the match scheduled for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday 28 May.
“Given the popularity of the Chiefs in Fiji, as well as the Drua, I have no doubt that we’ll get another sell-out, and we will do everything we can to safely increase capacity at the Venue,” Thorburn said.
Tickets for the match at Churchill Park are priced as follows:
- $20 for adults and $10 for kids under 12 for the grass embankment on the Tappoo City (Northern) end of the field.
- $30 for adults and $15 for kids under 12 for the grass embankment opposite the main stadium (Eastern).
- $95 for the Timber Grandstand (Pavilion B)
- $95 for a temporary grandstand to be constructed adjacent to the Concrete Grandstand (Pavilion A)
- $145 for the Concrete Grandstand (Pavilion A)
Tickets can be bought from the Lautoka City Council office and eight selected Jacks of Fiji outlets.
“We’ve also learned from the Suva Highlanders match and we have earmarked an area at the northern end of the field for $20 tickets. Due to the limited size of this area and the number of available tickets, these will only be available from Lautoka Council offices,” Thorburn said.
“The Chiefs are one of the leading sides in the competition and currently sit fourth on the ladder. With a squad featuring 12 full All Blacks and names like Pita Gus Sowakula, Brad Webber, Anton Leinert-Brown, Brodie Retallick and All Black Captain Sam Cane, they will by vying for a win to secure a home quarter-final. But the Drua will be out to spoil their party with the support of our vocal locals.
“Last Saturday we ran out of tickets and had to turn away fans trying to purchase tickets at the gate. With a much lower capacity venue at Churchill Park of around 11,000, we continue to recommend that fans get their tickets early and plan their day in Lautoka. It’s a 3pm kick off in what we are sure will be beautiful weather. We expect large numbers of fans to be travelling on the day from Suva, and in the West from Sigatoka to Ra.
“A large number of players are from Western Viti Levu so it will be an opportunity for Westerners to see their sons and favourite Drua players in action.”
Lautoka City Council CEO Mohammed Anees Khan said: “This will be a historic event for the City of Lautoka, as the Sugar City will play host to its first ever fixture of the Super Rugby franchise. What makes this more special is that our own boys will be playing in front of a home crowd of the Western Division of Fiji.
“An influx of guests, visitors and tourists are expected to grace the game venue at Churchill Park. This gives the business community of Lautoka to showcase what the Sugar City has to offer. Considerable economic activity is expected to be generated by this fixture.
“Lautoka looks forward to market itself to the wider international television audience as a choice of destination for international sports events. Lautoka City Council thanks the Chief Executive Officer of the Fijian Drua and its management team for having confidence in Churchill Park to host a fixture of this magnitude, and we look forward to work together to bring more international quality rugby games to Lautoka. We urge all stakeholders to join hands to make this historic event a success.”
A curtain-raiser match is also planned for the day, details of which will be announced later.
Photo: Fijian Drua
