MoBay to host Jamaica-Venezuela friendly

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz are set to tackle South American opponents Venezuela in a friendly international at the end of this month, scheduled for the Montego Bay stadium in Catherine Hall, St James.

But while fans in general, those specifically in western Jamaica, will be happy to have senior international football on their turf, having just hosted the CONCACAF Under-17 Championships, there are indications that ticket patrons could face higher-than-usual ticket prices. The issue could spring from the fact that the Catherine Hall stadium has a seating capacity of only 7,000 for the March 25 game. With the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) saddled with traditional expenses that will come from hosting the Venezuelans, limited gate receipts could see increased prices to drive gate revenue for the fixture.

Affordable prices

However, president of the JFF, Captain Horace Burrell, insists that the prices will not be out of the reach of paying patrons and some of the cost will be absorbed by the federation.

"In Kingston for international games patrons pay $1,000 for the bleachers which seat around 10,000, at Catherine Hall it is around $3,500. Even when we sell the tickets at $1,000 you find that based on the seat to ticket ratio we are underselling, as it should not be less than $2,000," Burrell said.

"But although we will be losing money we are looking to invest in football, and carrying the game to the west is a good way of doing so."

Pleased with turnout

Burrell also admitted to being pleased with the turnout for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championships, which saw Jamaica book themselves a spot to the Under-17 World Cup this summer in Mexico.

"The attendance at the recently concluded championships and western Jamaica have shown a love for the game, and that they will support it once the nature of the game is competitive enough," Burrell said.

"For many years, we have not been able to have internationals in Montego Bay, and the people of western Jamaica and Montego Bay deserve to have international football in their region."

The Reggae Boyz, currently ranked 59th, will play the 63rd-ranked Venezuelans in an attempt to stay active as they look to increase their ranking.

- K.M.