ISSA: We had to increase ticket prices.
Akino Ming/Staff Reporter
CHAIRPERSON OF the organising committee for the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championships Colleen Montague told The Gleaner yesterday that the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association was forced to increase the prices of some tickets to attend this year’s staging by as much as 50 per cent in some cases as the cost of staging the meet had gone up.
“The general operational cost has increased, and we had to increase the prices in order not to drop the standards,” Montague told The Gleaner.
Patrons will now have to fork out $7,500 for a ticket to the grandstand on the final day of the meet, $2,500 more than what they were asked to pay last year.
As was the case last year, the opening day, Tuesday, March 26, will be free, and on the Wednesday and Thursday, children will pay $100 while adults pay $500 to enter the grandstand.
On Friday’s fourth day, it will cost $500 to watch from the bleachers while those who want to sit in the grandstand will pay $3,500, the same as last year.
The regular season ticket has, however, jumped to $13,500, up from $9,000 in 2018, while the premium season ticket is now priced at $15,000, up from last year’s $10,000.
‘BEYOND OUR CONTROL’
“It has always been our concern that a parent who wants to watch his or her child compete might not be able to afford a ticket, but this particular increase is really beyond our control. If persons want to enjoy Champs with the same elements and standards, then we have no choice but to increase,” Montague said.
“We have a budget of just about $85 million, and in order to meet that [budget] we have to make some prudent decisions,” the Wolmer’s Girls School principal said.
She also said that new features like having electronic display boards to provide results from the field events also contributed to the price increase.
“We have additional expense this year because we are seeking to improve technologically. We have cut back on many areas to be able to fit this in because we realise that we need to do this in order to keep growing the meet. We are trying to make the results of the meet available to the stakeholders instantaneously. This will cut out the paper trail. We are also looking at having more display boards around the stadium in order for fans to see the results of the field events in real time,” she said.
But even as they seek to use technology to improve the Boys and Girls’ Champs experience, Montague said that patrons would still have to join long lines in order to purchase tickets as they are not yet ready to make an online option available.
“There are certain factors why we have decided not to go online yet. Champs is still a student-oriented event, and we do not believe that children will have the means to purchase tickets online. They do not have credit cards,” she said.
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on the first day of the event.