Tauranga's TECT Arena will be stretched beyond capacity for Saturday's transtasman netball clash between the resurgent Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and table-topping Adelaide Thunderbirds, with the host franchise yesterday scrambling to open up more seating to satisfy demand.
Capacity at the 3000-seat stadium was reached yesterday, with Magic chief executive Sheryl Dawson saying they were now relying on unused ticket allocations from sponsors and the possibility of shifting Sky Television cameras to free up more seating.
The ANZ championship finals are achievable for Magic after their brilliant 48-46 win over the Northern Mystics in Auckland on Sunday night, with the side's surge after a limp start to the season and Adelaide's form making Saturday's 4.20pm clash in Tauranga the hottest ticket in town.
Magic's win over their fellow New Zealand heavyweights made it seven wins in a row and they now sit fourth on the table, tied with the New South Wales Swifts, but ahead on goal percentage.
Both are two points behind the Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens and Mystics, all tied at the top on 16 points but in that order on goal percentage.
Dawson said any tickets being returned by sponsors unable to use them were being put up for sale immediately.
"We're doing our best to satisfy demand and there's still the odd ticket that's becoming available. There's still space in corporate hospitality which might be people's best way of getting to the game now," she said.
Before the weekend, 2800 tickets had been sold to Saturday's game. By the time Magic had finished with the Mystics on Sunday night, just 10 of the remaining tickets were left.
Dawson said Baypark staff were working with Sky this week to look at camera positioning around the court, which could potentially free up more seats.
"At the moment we lose about 50 seats because of the camera positions. We're looking at it closely with Baypark and Sky to see what can be done about better locating the cameras but we won't know what's feasible until later in the week."
Magic had little control over what tickets were dished out to sponsors.
"They're not our sponsors, they're [Transtasman Netball] sponsors, so we've gone to them and said 'If your people aren't going to be using them, we'll use them'. We're looking at every way possible of getting more people into TECT Arena. Last weekend [against Central Pulse] we put additional seats at the stage end of the court and we're focused on maximising every opportunity."
The Pulse game was technically a sellout but there were small pockets of empty seats which Dawson said had been pre-sold but unused, or were freebies not used by sponsors.
Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson described her side's form in the record 62-35 drubbing of the NSW Swifts as "mind-blowing" so it's easy to see why there's been such a run on tickets.
"The team [Magic] is playing so well right now," Dawson said.
"It takes a while for a whole new approach to bed in and what's good now is the new approach has been bedded in and we saw it at its best [against the Mystics].
"And what a way to have to finish the pool play round - Adelaide, followed by the Firebirds."