NZ Warriors expect to quickly sell out their home NRL playoff game against Newcastle Knights, when tickets go on public sale at noon Tuesday.
Despite falling to defending champions Penrith Panthers at Sydney over the weekend, the Auckland-based club has a second postseason life - courtesy of its top-four finish on the competition table - and is braced for a rush on tickets for the Mt Smart fixture at 6pm Saturday.
Members have had first call on tickets through a Monday pre-sale, with the general public getting their chance today. Tickets are available here.
"They'll go very, very quickly," Warriors chief executive Cam George told AM. "We've seen a big surge in interest around membership and the like.
"Today is a big day, so make sure you're online and ready to go, because I think they'll be snapped up in an hour or two."
Go Media Stadium Mt Smart seats 25,000 and has survived an NRL bid to move the game to Eden Park, with its greater capacity.
"I think the NRL understood our position and thankfully opted for our spiritual home," said George. "The reality is they played in a stadium three days ago with 13,000 people, so it's not like our stadium doesn't hold enough people.
"It is our home and we've earnt that right - that's what happens when you finish in the top four. Regardless of the numbers, we wanted to play at home and we're entitled to."
George says the club and sponsors are considering fanzones around the country for those who miss out on tickets.
"The reality is all our focus and energy is at the stadium this week," he told AM. "The experience will be amazing.
"There are options that we're currently looking at - we're just exploring what they look like and what we can do there."
George admits the team's onfield exploits this season have helped the club recover from three years based across the Tasman during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After enduring their worst season ever in 2022, the Warriors have rebounded to finishing with 16 wins-eight losses for fourth on the table, reeling off seven straight wins late in their campaign.
"It's been a lean few years obviously, but we've never seen numbers like this in the history of our club," he said. "Merchandise sales, ticket sales, membership sales... the whole commercial side of the business is doing great, but it's been a strategic play of our footy club to really engage.
"I'm really proud of where we're at, but we've got a long way to go. We want respect and we want to be community driven.
"New Zealand own our footy club and we're proud of that. We want to be part of this great sporting landscape and make some history this year for our fans."
Join Newshub at 6pm Saturday for live updates of the Warriors v Knights NRL playoff clash
