More than 80,000 spectators are set to converge on Moore Park next weekend for a Sydney derby double header at Allianz Stadium and the SCG, the largest combined crowd ever seen at the sporting precinct.
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NSW Police have spent the week discussing strategies and security measures to control the huge number of spectators attending the Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers A-League clash and the Big Bash derby between Sydney's Sixers and Thunder.
Both games are close to selling out. As of Saturday afternoon, there were barely 6000 tickets left for the A-League derby at the 45,000-seat Allianz Stadium, while Sixers officials say only single and sight-restricted seats are left for the second incarnation of the Sydney Smash this season at the SCG.
A small allocation of tickets close to the sightscreens will be made available later in the week once it is determined what cricket pitch from the centre wicket will be used for the clash.
Sydney FC and the Sixers are both confident the hefty crowds won't cause extra problems outside their respective venues, hopeful the staggered starting times of each fixture will ensure minimal crossover.
The Sixers v Thunder game begins at 6.10pm and is preceded by a women's Big Bash clash between the same two sides. That match should be finished by about 9.20pm, allowing most fans to vacate the SCG by 10pm.
Next door the Sky Blues and Wanderers kick off at 7.50pm with the mass of supporters expected to remain in the ground until about 10pm.
"They've got the women's beforehand and they start about 6pm ... we finish about 10 o'clock so we see no issues," Sydney FC chief executive Tony Pignata said.
"Part of our memberships is if you pre-buy your tickets it's free public transport so we encourage everyone to use that.
"It's a great opportunity, it's good to see Sydney turn it on. Melbourne's always gone for these crowds etc, but it's great that Sydney can match it.
"It'll be a good game, these derbies are. It's probably the biggest game in town out of all the football codes and it's something that people look at from day one when the fixtures are announced."
The Sixers are urging fans to arrive at the SCG early to watch the women's contest, where they hope to set a new domestic crowd record for the women's game.
This corresponding fixture last season set the record at 12,220, but that was broken on New Year's Day when the Melbourne derby between the Stars and Renegades was played in front of just under 13,000 fans.
The women's Sydney Smash starts at 1.45pm next Saturday, and the Sixers were hopeful around 20,000 spectators would be seated by the conclusion of that match to reduce crowd congestion outside the venue.
Should both venues sell out, the A-League clash will probably attract a slightly larger crowd, given the amount of SCG members who tend to shun the BBL and the slightly limited capacity of the ground when hosting a cricket match.
But the Sydney Smash should continue another ratings bonanza for Channel 10, which has enjoyed another spike in BBL interest this year.
The Brisbane Heat v Perth Scorchers game earlier this week attracted 1.7 million viewers, all who were glued to their televisions as superstar Chris Lynn blasted 11 sixes in one of the finest T20 innings ever seen.
In contrast, the A-League Sydney derby in round one this season was watched by 142,000 on pay television network Foxsports.
Michael Lumb, who is set to return for the Sixers against the Melbourne Renegades on Monday night after replacing Englishman Jason Roy, said the BBL's growth has been phenomenal since he made his debut in the BBL when it began.
"It's up there with the IPL [Indian Premier League]; it's catching it year on year," he said. "The numbers are increasing, TV numbers, attendance at the grounds, it's just getting bigger and bigger.
"The main thing is the crowds and just the kids, and the families that you can get through the gates, it's attracting a new audience, which is good for cricket, especially in Australia and across the world.
"Who knows where it's going to be in the next few years."
