Growing pains
JFF sticking with digital ticketing services despite early hiccups
Published:Tuesday | October 8, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
ALTHOUGH THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has experienced some issues with its digital ticketing system, the federation believes it offers greater efficiency and is convinced that this is the way to go.
JFF general secretary, Dennis Chung, said ticket fraud remains one of the biggest concerns with the system, while head of JFF security, Steve McGregor, encourages match goers to ensure they purchase tickets from official dealers.
According to Chung, the online ticket system has been going very well, as it has been a lot more efficient. However, he warns patrons to take care when buying tickets from unofficial sources.
“What we have to be careful of is that people will come here (JFF office), they will buy up to 40 grandstand tickets and then they print it off and sell it to persons driving up (to the game).
“It is a problem that we always have. But what the public needs to be careful of is that people will have bought tickets and find that they have been used or scanned already and once the tickets is scanned once, that is it,” he said.
McGregor agrees that digital tickets makes for greater efficiency but that it brings this particular kind of challenge with it.
“What will happen is that they (unofficial dealers) sell five people the same ticket, so only the first one will get through. So the thing about it, is not to buy from unauthorised sellers, because with the new e-tickets it is easy to do that,” he said.
However, he noted that there are some genuine cases, when people are sending tickets to other parties online.
“The people who get tickets to give to bigger groups, if they do not manage it, they will embarrass people who they give (tickets).
“At one of the matches with some students this happened with them. But we allowed them to come in. But it does not mean we will be able to do this all the time. So we ask people to purchase tickets from the official sellers and not from individuals, as you do this at your own risk.”
McGregor also explained a shortfall in bleachers tickets for the Cuba game on September 6, at the National Stadium, which led to a pile-up outside the venue and a great number of patrons not getting inside until very late.
He admitted that they underestimated the turnout for the game, and that the tickets were selling faster than they could imagine.
“We did not anticipate that we would have this great turnout for the last match. So the tickets they had selling at the stadium ran out. So the lady came back here (JFF). If she had called we could have given her a bike escort or sent a bike man there.
“But in her exuberance to get the tickets she came back and got stuck in the traffic to come back. But about 15 minutes after it was fixed because when she called we did that.
“You can call this an aberration. It is not something that would happen all the while,” he contends.
Nevertheless, for the Boyz next game against Honduras on October 14, McGregor said the JFF has gone the extra mile to make physical and digital tickets readily available.
“For the match at the stadium on the 14th, when we would have started selling tickets a day before at the stadium, we will do it two days before this time. So we are going to make a lot more effort to reach you and make it better for you,” he added.