The famous numbered seats at the Ariffin Stage Stadium

KUCHING, 30 September: The transformation of the Taha Ariffin Stadium not only involves physical amenities but also brings a change to the fans' experience when the numbered seating system was first introduced for international matches of Kuching City FC (KCFC).

KCFC Executive Chairman, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said the change would require a period of adjustment as previously most supporters were familiar with the concept of an independent seat.

"When we have seats numbered, we can hold 17,584 spectators. It's something new for our supporters because it used to be the custom of supporters to use the concept of free seating", he told a press conference at Taha Ariffin Stadium, here today.

According to Fazzrudin, tomorrow's friendly match against Sabah FC will be used as an attempt to familiarize fans with the new system before competitive action on the Asian and ASEAN stages.

"We're going to start with the block system and the sector first. At least supporters already know, if block C or sector B104, they know where the location is before finding their seat numbers", he said.

He added that the approach is important to ensure more orderly match day travel, especially as Taha Ariffin Stadium will host local supporters and delegations of foreign teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) competitions. - TVS