Flamengo's Director of New Business, Marcelo Frazão, comments on the debut operation at Ilha do Urubu
For the executive, the overall balance of the first match at the stadium was extremely positive in terms of tickets, fan behavior and services.
By Isabela Abirached - in
Last Wednesday (14), Flamengo had a big challenge ahead at Ilha do Urubu, not just on the pitch: that would be the team's first game at the stadium, which was renovated by the club this year. At the end of the day, both on and off the pitch, the overall balance was positive, according to the Mais Querido's New Business Director, Marcelo Frazão.
Fan club members are proud to play alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to the training center. Plus, they get discounts and priority on ticket purchases, as well as perks at official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.
"The first operation was obviously complicated, but the results are extremely positive. Fans were able to arrive at a reasonable time, and we had around 10 spectators entering 20 minutes before kickoff. The partnership we established with CET-Rio, blocking off streets and communicating about all of this, proved extremely effective," said Frazão, who hopes to learn from this and optimize the work for future games.
"We expect to improve access, communication, and ticket sales game by game. Ticket office access worked very well. We did have some lines, but without any major issues. Fans had a positive experience, including the food options and the proximity of the stands to the field. We received generally very positive feedback, and we're also counting on getting back to winning ways. That's our goal: to be a tough team to beat here," he added.
Frazão did not fail to address the negative aspects of the first operation on Ilha do Urubu, but praised the security work, which had a positive outcome at the end of the event.
"The restrooms are a sensitive issue; we want to increase their number and cleanliness. Regarding security, we had two thefts reported to the JECRIM (National Health Surveillance Agency) and 11 visits to the medical stations, which are good numbers. We took a gamble on public behavior by not installing fencing, and the fans understood that it would be a different experience. We didn't have any break-ins or objects thrown onto the field. We took all possible security measures, proportionally employing a much larger staff than at Maracanã, and warnings to spectators... We have to commend the behavior of the fans, who knew how to understand the space," said the director, who believes that the lines at the entrance are mainly a result of the fan culture that frequents stadiums in Brazil.
"There's a cultural issue with fans arriving at the last minute and partying outside the stadium before the game. What we did to encourage fans to arrive early was to offer good food and drink options, including a promotion of two beers for R$10 up to half an hour before the game. Inside the stadium, fans now know they'll find comfort, safety, and plenty of options. And in the case of Ilha, besides the cultural issue, we also have the real traffic issue, which was even worse today because it was the day before a holiday," he explained.
Frazão also clarified the issue of ticket pricing, as the full-price ticket price is far higher than the average ticket price, that is, the price actually paid by the vast majority of fans at the stadium.
"I think we can evaluate a combination of several factors. There's the team's current situation, the fans' interest in attending, the eve of a holiday, curiosity about the Island, and on the other hand, possible fear of the stadium atmosphere... When we have the price of R$160 for a full ticket in the North section, then we look at the ticket window and discover that most of the public paid R$40 (the price of a half-price ticket with a 50% discount for Flamengo members). The average half-price ticket is disproportionate... There's a huge difference between the advertised full price and the price most paid to be in the stadium. In fact, for non-members, the price was higher than our normal practice, but about 90% of the public today (Wednesday) were members," said the director, before adding.
"We sold more than seven thousand packages for the first three games (Ponte Preta, Chapecoense and São Paulo), which shows the fans' interest. We will evaluate game by game, we still have Flamengo vs. São Paulo, the first weekend game here, and after these three games we will have a better idea about prices and packages. It's a new experience, few tickets for sale, and a very large contingent of fan members," he concluded.
Fan club members are proud to play alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to the training center. Plus, they get discounts and priority on ticket purchases, as well as perks at official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.
"The first operation was obviously complicated, but the results are extremely positive. Fans were able to arrive at a reasonable time, and we had around 10 spectators entering 20 minutes before kickoff. The partnership we established with CET-Rio, blocking off streets and communicating about all of this, proved extremely effective," said Frazão, who hopes to learn from this and optimize the work for future games.
"We expect to improve access, communication, and ticket sales game by game. Ticket office access worked very well. We did have some lines, but without any major issues. Fans had a positive experience, including the food options and the proximity of the stands to the field. We received generally very positive feedback, and we're also counting on getting back to winning ways. That's our goal: to be a tough team to beat here," he added.
Frazão did not fail to address the negative aspects of the first operation on Ilha do Urubu, but praised the security work, which had a positive outcome at the end of the event.
"The restrooms are a sensitive issue; we want to increase their number and cleanliness. Regarding security, we had two thefts reported to the JECRIM (National Health Surveillance Agency) and 11 visits to the medical stations, which are good numbers. We took a gamble on public behavior by not installing fencing, and the fans understood that it would be a different experience. We didn't have any break-ins or objects thrown onto the field. We took all possible security measures, proportionally employing a much larger staff than at Maracanã, and warnings to spectators... We have to commend the behavior of the fans, who knew how to understand the space," said the director, who believes that the lines at the entrance are mainly a result of the fan culture that frequents stadiums in Brazil.
"There's a cultural issue with fans arriving at the last minute and partying outside the stadium before the game. What we did to encourage fans to arrive early was to offer good food and drink options, including a promotion of two beers for R$10 up to half an hour before the game. Inside the stadium, fans now know they'll find comfort, safety, and plenty of options. And in the case of Ilha, besides the cultural issue, we also have the real traffic issue, which was even worse today because it was the day before a holiday," he explained.
Frazão also clarified the issue of ticket pricing, as the full-price ticket price is far higher than the average ticket price, that is, the price actually paid by the vast majority of fans at the stadium.
"I think we can evaluate a combination of several factors. There's the team's current situation, the fans' interest in attending, the eve of a holiday, curiosity about the Island, and on the other hand, possible fear of the stadium atmosphere... When we have the price of R$160 for a full ticket in the North section, then we look at the ticket window and discover that most of the public paid R$40 (the price of a half-price ticket with a 50% discount for Flamengo members). The average half-price ticket is disproportionate... There's a huge difference between the advertised full price and the price most paid to be in the stadium. In fact, for non-members, the price was higher than our normal practice, but about 90% of the public today (Wednesday) were members," said the director, before adding.
"We sold more than seven thousand packages for the first three games (Ponte Preta, Chapecoense and São Paulo), which shows the fans' interest. We will evaluate game by game, we still have Flamengo vs. São Paulo, the first weekend game here, and after these three games we will have a better idea about prices and packages. It's a new experience, few tickets for sale, and a very large contingent of fan members," he concluded.