The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific matches in the 2022-2023 season were dominated by adult spectators.
In this category, the Drua found that more men than women attended their games whether it be at home or an away match.
This was according to Drua head of commercial and marketing Shane Hussein while giving a general breakdown of those who attended their matches in the past two seasons.
This year was the most memorable one by far for the franchise marked by special achievements which included reaching the quarter-finals in just the second season and defeating the current champions Crusaders in Lautoka.
Hussein revealed that male attendance dominated the figures in the 15 matches the Drua played this season.
“It’s still leading in the favour of men and we are trying to make sure that we get that balance right. We are a club for everyone; we want to be the first choice for men, women, and children of all ethnicities. We are the only sports organisation in Fiji that advertises in all three languages and we are very proud of this fact. When you look at the people that come for the Drua games, it’s a great, diverse mixture of people who call Fiji home.”
They’ve been able to slightly bridge that gap in numbers by meeting certain demands.
“The gap sort of closed from 2022 to 2023 and it was heartening to see a lot more women come out to enjoy the games. We actually made some changes based on feedback from earlier in the season; there were quite a few demands to have wine on sale at the games because some of our fans prefer wine,” Hussein stated.
The fact alone that more adults attended their games came as a surprise.
“We were a bit surprised because we thought there would be a lot more kids coming and I do wonder why that is. Adults in Fiji see a Drua game as a chance to relax and unwind. They can enjoy a drink or kava, food while watching their favourite team take on the best players in the world.
“Different people have different objectives, demands of their time and all we want to say is kids are welcome to come. There are kids pricing for different categories of ticketing.”
The Fijian Drua is expecting a lot more fans to turn up next season with seven home games and a kids’ round confirmed.
They will announce the venues for these home matches on November 15.
