THE crowd at this year's Marymass derby is to be "limited", organisers have announced.

Tickets will need to be bought in advance for the crunch game between Irvine Victoria and Irvine Meadow later this month.

The hotly contested match takes place annually as part of  the Marymass festival celebrations.

It is typically the only time the sides meet all season, with the Vics competing in the WoSFL Third Division, and Medda in the Premier Division.

The game this year is to be played at Victoria Park on Friday, August 25 - with Dougie MacDuff's underdogs hoping to get one over Kevin Deeney's Medda.

Last year's match saw a huge crowd descend on Meadow Park for what turned out to be a thrilling encounter - though a dramatic finish led to a pitch invasion which, at least in part, lies behind the decision to make the 2023 fixture a ticket-only affair. 

Jamie Martin handed Medda an 85th minute lead, only for Shane Jackson to fire the visitors level - with Vics supporters invading the pitch in their celebrations.

But once order was eventually restored, Medda snatched a last gasp victory when Conor O'Donnell's free kick found the net via the post - leading to a further pitch invasion.

Irvine Victoria posted on social media this week to confirm that tickets are selling fast for the match, with 25 per cent of tickets already sold.

They added: "Due to restrictions and issues at the previous match the crowd is limited."

Further information is still to come, though for now, the only way to guarantee seeing this years derby is to purchase tickets online.

These are available from here.