Pre-match ticket sales today broke the 16-year-old record for the biggest home crowd in the Vodafone Warriors' history as the countdown continued for the eagerly-anticipated 2011 NRL season-opening 'Battle of Eden' against Parramatta tomorrow night.
While delighted with the achievement, Vodafone Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah stressed there were still plenty of good seats available for the encounter.
"It's a great outcome to be able to set a new mark for the biggest home crowd in our history," he said.
"But there are still plenty of good seats available in most areas of the ground and there's lots of time for fans to pre-purchase their tickets or to turn up tomorrow to buy them at the gate.
"It's reasonable to think now that the crowd should reach 35,000 and possibly quite a bit more provided the weather remains favourable. We'd urge everyone interested to go to
www.ticketek.co.nz to check out the options and buy their tickets now or visit Mad Butcher outlets at Albany, Glen Innes, Manukau. Mangere East and Papkura.
"We have set a new mark for our biggest home crowd and now everyone who comes along tomorrow will know they're helping to lift the record to even greater heights."
Late this morning sales went past the 32,174 crowd figure achieved against the Illawarra Steelers in round six of the club's debut year in the Australian competition in 1995.
Until now the top five home attendances in the club's first 16 seasons were all set in 1995 but late by this afternoon sales for the historic clash at Eden Park were sitting at about 33,000.
With the season-opener still more than 24 hours away, the Eden Park attendance tomorrow is already more than double that for the Vodafone Warriors' first home game of the 2010 season against Cronulla at Mount Smart Stadium. That game drew a crowd of only 15,314.
The 'Battle of Eden' is a landmark occasion as the first NRL game ever played at Eden Park and also the first time the Vodafone Warriors have played a home game anywhere other than Mount Smart Stadium, or Ericsson Stadium as it used to be known.
Scurrah said supporters would be able to pre-purchase tickets and save tomorrow or buy at the gate where a range of game day options will be available. The Gate A box office in the ASB Stand in Walters Road will be open from 10.00am with box offices at all other gates selling tickets from 2.00pm.
Game day ticket prices start at $15 for children, $35 for adults and $100 family packages (two adults plus three children).
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