Tickets for the Playoff round of the 2021 International Swimming League season in Eindhoven, Netherlands have gone on sale.
Ticket prices range from 5 Euros to 25 Euros ($6 to $29), which is lower than the 10 Euros to 40 Euros price point for regular season tickets in Italy.
Tickets are being sold either for individual days, or two day tickets for an entire match (via the “match tickets” link at the top, in the top-left menu on mobile devices).
Up to 1,500 tickets will be available for each match. That’s triple the 500 tickets that were available for the regular season in Italy – a cap that was driven by local regulations.
With no true “home team” in the Netherlands, the league is pushing individual Dutch stars who participate in the league, like Ranomi Kromowidjojo of Iron, to sell tickets. In the regular-season matches in Italy, tickets for the home team Aqua Centurions, and their transcendent domestic superstar Federica Pellegrini, were the best sellers. Most other matches were populated by family and friends of the athletes, according to SwimSwam’s Giusy Cisale.
- See the full Playoff schedule here. Match times for most of the Playoffs haven’t yet been set.
Iron is one of eight teams that will participate in the 2021 Playoffs:
- Energy Standard
- Cali Condors
- London Roar
- Toronto Titans
- DC Trident
- Iron
- LA Current
- Aqua Centurions
The top four teams after the conclusion of six Playoff matches will advance to the final, which will be held on January 7 and 8 in a yet-to-be-announced location.
The National Aquatic Stadium in Eindhoven seats 3000 spectators on the full length of its 50-meter pool and separate 25-meter diving well. There are spectator grandstands on both sides of the competition pool.
The Netherlands currently have no restrictions on group sizes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all indoor and outdoor public spaces are open, excelt that restaurants, bars, and night clubs must be closed for dining in between midnight and 6:00 AM.
Professional sports matches do require a “Coronavirus entry pass” for all spectators aged 13 and over. Amateur sports matches do not require the pass, and participants are not required to have the pass.
These rules apply to indoor restaurants and bars, casinos, events such as festivals and concerts, trade shows, theatres, and concert halls.
The pass can be obtained by being fully vaccinated, having had a recent coronavirus infection between 11 and 180 days ago, or having tested negative for coronavirus 24 hours before an activity begins. That means unvaccinated, uninfected spectators would have to be tested before each day of a two-day meet.
The Netherlands has administered enough doses of COVID-19 vaccine to cover 69.0% of its population, which is slightly lower than Italy.
The Netherlands is currently averaging about 2,800 new cases of COVID-19 per day, which is about 16 cases per 100,000 residents. That number has begun to rise over the last 10 days, though deaths remain low at about 4-per-day.
The league’s COVID-19 safety protocols in Italy included frequent testing and isolation after positive tests, though they have not yet set the protocols in the Netherlands. Three positive tests from the league’s 5 weeks in Italy were made known to the public, including most notably Madi Wilson of the LA Current, who was hospitalized after a positive test.
