Low attendance in NSK: What is keeping fans away from stadium?

The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is underway in full swing. The matches are full of breathtaking action, thrill and excitement.

However, the number of spectators to witness the action-packed games in the stadium has been much lower than the expectations throughout the tournament so far.

The National Stadium Karachi has a capacity to seat 32,000 spectators but in view of the new wave of Covid-19 in the port city, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) had limited the number of spectators in the stadium to 25%, which accumulates to 8,000 fans.

Looking at a city with a population of about 15 million, it was anticipated that the stands would be filled to the allowed capacity for all the matches within the stipulated time but the wind is quite the opposite.

It is not the case with PSL only, people in Karachi who were also deprived of international cricket for more than 10 years, turned out in low numbers to watch Pakistan vs. West Indies T20Is in December 2021.

Bol News tried to dig out the reasons behind the low attendance in the stadium in Karachi.

Process of purchasing tickets

First comes the stage of buying tickets. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sells the tickets online and at outlets of private courier companies.

There is no ticket booth outside or near the stadium. Many people have been seen running from pillar to post outside the stadium to buy tickets, but they end up disappointed.

Buying tickets online is easy and convenient to many, however, the board must remember that a large chunk of the city’s population is not well-versed in using these technologies.

Moreover, there are people who decide to go for a game suddenly and they hope to find tickets somewhere near the stadium as there is little knowledge provided by the board regarding how and where to buy tickets.

Zahid Iqbal, a Lahore Qalandars fan, told Bol news that he had bought tickets from the franchise but at the eleventh hour his cousin decided to join him too. “We came on public transport, hoping to find a ticket near the stadium, but unfortunately, I had to send him back as we couldn’t buy a pass,” he narrated.

He suggested that if there is some way to entertain the walk-in spectators, it will largely increase the number of people in the stands.

“Many people do not watch TV or read newspapers, they do not know how to get tickets, such people will benefit from selling tickets near the stadium,” he added.

Adeel Azhar, a TCS official who has previously worked with the PCB for selling tickets, said that in the past, fans could not reach the stadium directly due to the closure of roads because of security concerns, which is not the case anymore.

“Booth sale is the traditional way of selling tickets which even happened in the domestic T20 and 50-over tournaments,” he said. “PCB can work on this option even in the PSL and other international games.”

Lack of hype

In the past editions of the league, different parts of the city were decorated with PSL teams’ colours and players’ standees. However, the city administration has failed to create any buzz in the metropolis this time around.

Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon chaired meetings before the commencement of the event and even circulated press releases regarding the decoration in the city, but still, there is hardly any happenings in Karachi.

Therefore, many people are not even aware that their city is hosting one of the biggest cricketing events in the world unless they pass by the stadium.

Vehicle parking and shuttles

Another deal-breaker for the visitors is the vehicle parking areas, which are almost 5 to 10 minutes away from the stadium. The spectators take too much time and they have to pass several security checks to finally enter the stadium.

“A shuttle service is operated by the authorities from parking to the stadium gate but it’s time-consuming. It takes a minimum of 30 to 40 minutes to enter the enclosure from the parking,” said Asghar Ahmed, a university student.

It was the first time in three years that Ahmed had gone to witness the live action of the glitter league. Previously, he watched the PSL 4 final between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United. It was worse in terms of security checks at that time as people had to undergo numerous security checks before entering the venue, but the citizens were cooperative, knowing the gravity of the situation.

“Now things are getting better and authorities need to reduce security checkpoints,” he suggested. “They do not only consume time but also annoy the audience.”

Under 12 not allowed

This time, arguably the biggest hurdle for spectators is that they cannot bring their children, young siblings and cousins of below 12 years, following the NCOC’s guidelines.

Many people came to the stadium and found out that children are not allowed to enter the stadium, eventually, they returned after protesting at the gate.

One such person was Abdul Samad, the father of two boys, who was angry at the decision made by the authorities concerned.

“I just came to the stadium to have a good time with my family. My children were very excited about the match as my nine-year-old son is a big fan of Shaheen Shah Afridi but it’s really heartbreaking for him that we are going back without watching the action.”

‘’People come to the stadium for entertainment, if authorities will not allow children to enter the stadium, how can other members of the family can come to watch matches?” he questioned.

Mrs Saba echoed Samad’s voice and shared that she had promised her nieces and nephews to take them to a PSL game but due to the ban, only half of them were allowed and others couldn’t go inside.

“There are huge political sit-ins and rallies taking place in Karachi but when it comes to people’s interest, there are hindrances. It raises a huge question mark on the implementations of policies in the country,’’ she maintained.

‘Takes time to build momentum’

Talking about the low turnout in the stadium, PCB Operations General Manage Usman Wallah said it’s a long tournament and it takes some time to get full momentum, adding that a similar pattern was observed in the previous editions as well.

“There is no specific reason for the low turnout in the recent events in Karachi,” he said. “We have tried to improve the fan’s experience in the stadium for which we had made some strategies but due to the re-emergence of coronavirus, we are not able to execute them.”

However, Usman acknowledged that the ban on children’s entry can be a reason for the low turnout.

“We are taking all the guidelines from the NCOC as they have managed the pandemic well in the country as compared to other regions of the world,” he maintained. “Their decisions are based on facts. We talk about options, but people safety always comes first.”

Vendors’ plight

Low turnout in the stadium has also caused problems for the food vendors inside the stadium.

Shafiq Ambala, a food vendor, stated that they paid hundreds and thousands of rupees to set up a stall in the stadium, but they have not been able to even meet the cost.

“Events such as PSL are for people’s entertainment, they come to watch matches taking time out of their busy schedule, so the authorities should design policies accordingly,” he said.

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