CSA responds to fan frustration over Newlands Test ticket furore
· Citizen
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has spoken out to acknowledge the frustration of local cricket fans who failed to get their hands on tickets for the New Year’s Test match between the Proteas and England.
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In a statement on Thursday, CSA said: “Demand for this year’s New Year’s Test tickets has been unprecedented, highlighting the significance of the fixture within the South African sporting calendar, with the first release of tickets selling out in record time for a Test match in South Africa.”
Fans were left stunned after tickets were sold out within minutes of going on sale on Monday.
‘Further release of tickets’
It has subsequently emerged that CSA sold large batches of match tickets as part of its travel tour packaging, while others went to hospitality and sponsors.
CSA added: “CSA recognises that its communication around ticket availability did not provide the clarity supporters expected and we apologise for the confusion this created.”
It added that there would be “a further release of general access tickets”.
This would include the remaining public allocation and any unused tickets from reserved categories.
However, it remains to be seen how many tickets will be available for the general public as earlier reports indicated that just 13% of all tickets had been made available to the public.
CSA said: “The general access hospitality experience (a first-of-its-kind) will be sold at the Newlands Cricket Ground as soon as packages are released. These packages have been specially designed to afford fans general access to the match coupled with a hospitality experience.”
Only 13% of Newlands tickets allocated to public
It also defended its South African Cricket Travel programme which accounted for 39% of all tickets, saying the majority of package allocations were designed for domestic and local travellers.
‘Value support of Proteas’
A total of 12% of tickets were allocated to international travellers and 27% to domestic travellers.
CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said: “We remain committed to ensuring that ticket access is managed fairly, transparently and in a way that balances supporter demand with the operational requirements of hosting a major international sporting event.
“We equally value the loyal support fans have shown to the Proteas Men as the World Test Champions since their historic victory in June 2025, which all lies at the heart of the game.”
CSA said information on the availability of the next batch of general access tickets, priced between R420 and R500 per ticket, will be shared timeously.
This story first appeared on sacricketmag.com. It is republished here with permission.