Sports and Games

Sulom justifies gate fees hike

Sulom justifies gate fees hike

Football fans will dig deeper into their pockets following Super League of Malawi (Sulom)’s decision to hike gate entry fees for 2025 TNM Super League matches.

The flagship league governing body Wednesday announced new gate entry charges ahead of the kickoff this Saturday.

“This increase, effective immediately, comes as a result of the rising cost of living, which has significantly impacted operational costs across the league,” the statement reads.

A standard ticket for a high-profile match, which is rated category A, will be going at K5,000, up from K4,000 last season.

The high-profile matches include the official opening match between reigning TNM Super League champions Silver Strikers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets scheduled for Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe this coming Saturday.

In addition, a standard ticket for matches in category B matches will be selling at K4,000, up from K3,000, whereas category C match gate entry fees have been increased to K3,000 from K2,000.

Wanderers Chief Executive Officer Paganini Ndovi while welcoming the gate entry fees increase, said there was a need to improve on gate management.

“It is important for Sulom to ensure that the increased fees translate into improved stadium experiences, proper financial management and transparency in revenue distribution,” he said.

Albert Chigoga

His Bullets counterpart, Albert Chigoga, also welcomed the increase.

“It is a fact that prices of goods and services have gone up. It is justified that Sulom has taken the decision to increase the prices,” he said.

Locally, most of the Super League clubs rely heavily on gate revenue to sustain day-to-day activities, including player salaries, travel expenses and other logistical costs.

Lilongwe-based fan James Issah said Sulom was justified to increase gate charges.

“We need to accept that running football is no longer cheap,” he said.

Sulom also raised gate charges by 50 percent last season.