The match is played at Gamla Ullevi. Gai’s average has had around 2,000 spectators during the season. When the last spectator restrictions are removed just in time for the classic derby, the club management expects four to five times as many spectators.
– Derby is always special and it will be extra cool now that we finally get to receive so many people, says Sköldmark.
On Tuesday afternoon, 6,000 tickets were sold.
Critics like Tomas Wahlberg, infection control doctor in Västra Götaland, believes that the government should have waited to release all restrictions as the spread of infection is still ongoing. Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren reminded at a press conference that the unvaccinated should avoid crowds.
Sköldmark says that the club is humble because the restrictions have just been lifted and the club urges all spectators to be careful.
– You have to keep your distance and if you feel the least bit awkward, you should not go to the match, he says.
The derby will be a 50-50 event where the clubs, just like in the first meeting of the year, share the ticket revenue. As with most elite clubs, the pandemic has hit the economy hard.
– We have fought to keep our noses above the water surface and thanks to an enormously hard commitment from supporters and members together with the state support, we have managed it. Our work now is very much about teaching the audience that football should be watched live. Here we will have a journey to make, says Sköldmark.
Do you think that the pandemic may have had consequences for the influx of spectators in the arenas, that the fans find it more comfortable to sit on the TV couch?
– Without knowing, I think it can be so, but as I said, we must make them realize that football is best experienced on site together with all other supporters, says Sköldmark.
It will be a derby with great sporting significance. Örgryte has seven straight without a loss and is ninth with 28 points. Gais is eleven, four points behind Öis and only one from qualifying.
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