By Ben Black
The Ponte Vedra vs. Nease rivalry reached new levels this week when it was discovered that tickets meant for Ponte Vedra High School students, sold on the online ticketing platform GoFan, had been purchased by Nease High School students.
This game is a home game for the Sharks. “PV had 1,000 tickets allotted to them on the home side, and Nease had 400 tickets to use on the away side,” Mr. Michael Harrison, Ponte Vedra’s new athletic director, explained. The number of seats allotted to each side were set to keep both the home and away sides in compliance with 75 percent stadium capacity, a policy that every high school in the district has implemented due to continued Covid protocols.
The GoFan site was used last year for ticket purchases. Ponte Vedra football and band parents received a link to purchase tickets on the home side before it was sent out to any students. “All parents who wanted tickets got tickets,” said Mr. Harrison.
The link was then made available to PVHS seniors on Monday, August 23, and tickets sold out quickly. Nease was allotted 400 tickets to use on the away side. However, the PVHS link was shared with Nease students who purchased tickets allocated for the Sharks home section. According to Mr. Harrison, “I believe it is blown out of proportion in terms of the tickets that Nease students purchased.”
“I believe it is blown out of proportion in terms of the tickets that Nease students purchased.”
-Mr. Harrison
To help rectify the situation, Mr. Harrison is planning to make available 100 paper tickets to PVHS seniors, which will then max out the allocated seats on the home side of the stadium. “Some tweaks will be made in the future, but we’re still planning on selling tickets online for the rest of the season,” he said. “I wish we had had the preseason at home to work kinks like this out, but it is how it is.”
The event has led to an escalation of the rivalry online. Instagram accounts from both sides have popped up, poking fun at Nease never winning the game and Ponte Vedra for letting tickets get sold to the rival students.
