Kolkata Derby fever heats up as tickets are set to hit the market on Monday
THE FIRST KOLKATA DERBY of I-League 2015-16 is now just about one week away, and the coveted tickets to the highly popular fixture are about to hit the market.
Being held at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, 23rd January, this Derby is a bit special; although officially a home game for Mohun Bagan, both the arch-rival clubs have teamed up to jointly organize the match. They will join hands again to organize the return leg on 2nd April as well.
In a meeting held today that representatives of both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan attended, the organizing committee has decided to issue 63,000 tickets. This means, counting the volunteers, staff, security batallions of police and media somewhere around 80,000 people will be present at the stadium during the match.
The tickets have been priced at Rs 100, 200 and 300 for the regular stands (General, VIP Left, VIP Right). But the best stand for viewing, VIP Middle, will be converted into a luxurious hospitality box where each ticket will be priced at Rs 1,000.
Last season, Mohun Bagan introduced the hospitality tickets in the I-League Kolkata Derby that they were hosting. The 1000 tickets sold out within hours. The number of such premium tickets is expected to go up this time.
On Monday, counters set up in both club tents will start selling tickets. Since Mohun Bagan are the hosts of this match, their members will receive a ticket to the match for free by producing valid membership cards.
The previous Kolkata Derby, held in September during the Calcutta Football League, saw a massive demand for tickets. Going by the buzz, the demand for a ticket to this game is expected to be even higher, since the clubs will field their best squads, and this being the I-League the stakes are higher; especially since Mohun Bagan are the defending champions here.
