Tickets went on sale to the general public yesterday and Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said by about noon yesterday the union had already sold more tickets to the final than it had for four of its five home games.
There was a crowd of 6400 to the semifinal against Bay of Plenty last Friday night, a number Kinley was pleased about.
''To have over 6000 there on a Friday before a long weekend was pretty good. This weekend we want to get a big crowd there and really pack the place out,'' he said.
''We want a really big crowd to get in behind the guys. I know how much the guys talk about how a big crowd really lifts them.''
Both the North and South stands will be open, although there is the possibility spectators could go into the stand at the western end if those stands fill up.
Kinley said he did not want to discuss what sort of crowd he wanted but 10,000 would be the minimum the union expected.
The union does not gain anything financially from making the final as there is no prize money on offer. It does have to pay some expenses for the visiting union, in this case North Harbour.
Kinley said the union had a long talk about ticket prices but decided to keep them the same. That is $25 for an adult, $7.50 for a child, $12.50 for a tertiary student and $50 for a family.
''We want to keep things the same to reward our fans.''
The match is the first final to be played in Otago since 1998. Otago beat Waikato in the days when there were three clear divisions.
The winner of the game will be promoted to the Premiership next year.
