It was a ‘madhouse’ at SC Cambuur on Thursday. The last tickets for the semi-final against NEC next Tuesday were sold very quickly.
Lines of supporters on Cambuurplein in Leeuwarden and crowds on the Cambuur website. The last tickets for the cup cracker against NEC went on sale on Thursday morning and were gone within a few minutes. “It was a madhouse here in a good way,” says Ruben Sijtsma, spokesperson for the club. “We could have sold out the stadium two or three times, and I’m not exaggerating.”
The club’s approximately 7,000 season ticket holders had until 10 a.m. on Thursday morning to buy back their seats for the match against NEC. Then the approximately thousand tickets that were left went on sale to the other supporters.
‘Fantastic’
Several hundred tickets were sold at the stadium on Thursday morning. “We do that for people who are less handy with computers,” says Sijtsma. “We also want to help them, but here too it was: first come, first served.” Cambuur is pleased with the fact that technical problems were avoided and all 10,000 tickets were sold. “Fortunately it all went well,” says Sijtsma. “In any case, it is fantastic to notice how this competition is happening.”
The spokesperson has heard that fans who did not get a ticket are disappointed. “We understand that, but the demand was much greater than the supply. Partly because of this, we are of course also going to the new stadium.” Is there still hope for the fans who still want a ticket? “I wish I could say ‘yes’ to this, but there really is no way anymore. Every seat was taken on Tuesday evening.”
However, there are supporters who try to get to the match via other means. Tickets are requested and offered on platforms such as Marktplaats, often for high prices. “It is prohibited,” Sijtsma warns. “That is also stated in the KNVB rules. Nowadays all seats are personal. The KNVB wants to know who sits in which seat.”
Selling a ticket is illegal
Cambuur also monitors the trade itself, the spokesperson said. “If you place your ticket with the seat number on Marktplaats, we will immediately block that seat. If your seat number is not listed, we will inform you that it is illegal and that it must be removed as soon as possible. It’s just not allowed.”
Apart from those vicissitudes, everyone at Cambuur is eagerly looking forward to Tuesday evening. The Leeuwarders hope to advance to the final of the cup tournament for the first time in history. “It’s wonderful that this stadium will host perhaps the biggest match ever in its final year. It makes sense that everyone wants to be there.”
