If you want to fork out for a ticket to next month's NRL match in Bathurst, you'll be paying a lot more than you did in previous years.
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Penrith Panthers will bring its round nine match against the Wests Tigers to Carrington Park on Saturday, April 29.
Tickets have been on sale since last month, with over 5000 sold and the grandstand allocated seating and corporate hospitality completely sold out.
But a general admission adult ticket will set you back $40, compared to only $25 as recently as 2017 (a 60 per cent increase) and $30 in 2018 and 2019 (33 per cent increase).
However, council said it isn't concerned about the cost of a ticket, due to the demand.
"The increase in ticket price is reflective of the increases in costs that have been incurred to deliver this event in Bathurst," a council representative said.
"Tickets have been selling fast so there is no indication that people are concerned about prices. The grandstand and corporate box have completely sold out."
Since 2017, the cost of a general admission adult ticket has been gradually increasing, to $30 in 2018 and 2019, to $35 in 2021, before hitting $40 last year.
There had always been an early bird deal from 2017-2021, where the cost of an general admission adult was generally $5 cheaper, however, there was no early bird offer in 2022 and 2023.
And purchasing a ticket in Carrington Park is more expensive when comparing the prices at games at Panthers' home ground at Penrith.
For Panthers' next home game against Manly Sea Eagles on Easter Saturday, a general admission adult ticket in the family hill and south hill will set you back $32.
When asked about why a ticket is cheaper at Penrith compared to Bathurst, council said the difference covers the cost of setting up infrastructure.
"There is established infrastructure at the Panthers' stadium," a council representative said.
"The difference covers the cost of bringing in and setting up the infrastructure that sets Carrington Park up to host a major sporting event."
Tickets at Mudgee's Glen Willow Stadium for the Manly Sea Eagles-Newcastle Knights clash on April 1 are considerably cheaper.
A general admission adult ticket will set you back only $28, which is $2 cheaper than a similar ticket at Manly's Brookvale Oval.
Last year's NRL match in Bathurst between Penrith and Newcastle attracted a record crowd of 11,253, surpassing the previous record of 10,973 that was set back in 2019 when Penrith played Melbourne.
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