I-League 2017: Kolkata Derby offline ticket sales to start on Thursday
What’s The Story?
The high-voltage derby between the arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is all set to kick off in at 2 pm on Sunday. The tickets will hit the offline counters on Thursday 11 am. Tickets can be purchased from offline counters until Saturday 6 pm, the day before the match.
The context
Mohun Bagan, who are the home side for this game, will be the ones that will hold the rights for the tickets, which are expected to be in high demand. Interestingly, the club has offered a number of free tickets to the fans who have a membership at East Bengal. This move is set to further reduce the number of tickets up for sale.
The Heart of the Matter:
The tickets can be bought from a number of venues across Kolkata. Since Mohun Bagan are the home side, the tickets can be bought from the club tent in Kolkata. The tickets for the East Bengal stands can be purchased from the East Bengal Ground as well.
Apart from these, the tickets can also be purchased from Pradip Sports in Howrah, Navratna gems & Jewls in Gouri Bari Lane, Katha o Kahini stall in Bankim Chatterjee Street and Mandirtala Bus stand in Shibpur.
The I-League and ISL are running simultaneously and all the glamour quotient are present in the latter tournament. The Kolkata Derby is one of the few matches in the I-League which draws a large number of spectators. Hence, the tickets for this game could very well be sold out pretty soon.
What’s Next?
Both the clubs were against playing at 2 pm, but they had no other option, as two ISL games are also scheduled to take place on the same day, at 5.30 pm and 8 pm respectively.
Author’s Take:
Such a large demand for tickets is a heartening thing to watch, for Indian football. However, this high-voltage fixture has always drawn large numbers of fans to the stadium, and the other clubs must also now look to build their fan base, in order to popularise the sport in the country.