RWC 07 tickets worry

[gjohn85]

I watched Scrum V the other night & they mentioned that this years World Cup tickets are going to be too expensive for most people. When Wales played Australia in the Millenium Stadium last november (autumn Internationals), the best seats where going for £45. The exact same ticket to watch Wales play Austrilia (in the same stadium) at this year World Cup will be £164. That £119 more than when Wales played them in November.

Its the same with Wales v Japan game at the World Cup. Tickets are going to be £101. When Wales played Fiji (again last years autumn internaltions), tickets for that game where £10.

If you look at last year Football (Soccer) World cup, a pool stage ticket (for a top seat) cost only £70. Also, if you got a ticket for last years Wimbledon's Tennis mens final, was only £87.

Ok, you could argue that it both set fixtures have different circumstances, but the step up in price will put off alot of working class supporters.

BBC has got a more in-depth look at the ticket prices. Go here to read this artcle.

 

[Prestwick]

And we've only just realised this now?!

 

[eoino]

Well, Rugby has seen a rise in popularity. And, there are millions of fans who want to go to these matches... they will pay that price, its just the way life is. Then again, the money generated from it, usualy gets put back into the Rugby world, so its not too bad i suppose!

 

[Prestwick]

Still though, £150 just for a basic seat to see England vs USA? I'm a dedicated fan but I won't pay that much!

This is exactly the same argument I have with Premiership fagball fans who whinge about high ticket prices to see their Corporate logo play at the Emirates or at Old Tradford and yet pay regardless. If you all don't pay and don't bother turning up then the Corporations will cut their prices to try and lure you back! If you whinge and yet still go then you deserve to be ripped off!

Also, the RWC is giving a far bigger percentage of seats to corporate concerns rather than actual individual fans. You'll just see a load of corporate execs out for the day viewing this rather strange game with an oval ball for the first time and not having a clue what its about.

You know that "lack of atmosphere" and "fickle fans" at Twickenham you Irish, Scots and Welsh keep whinging about, its because allot of the seats are given over to Corporate hospitality, etc just like at this RWC and exactly what I've just described above happens there.

So what exactly is the difference? You can't knock England for doing exactly the same thing that you support the iRB for doing!

EDIT: I might go to France this September, but only to soak up the atmosphere and watch the game on the big screen in town. Far cheaper and probably a better atmosphere!

 

[DonBilly]

Still though, £150 just for a basic seat to see England vs USA? I'm a dedicated fan but I won't pay that much!

This is exactly the same argument I have with Premiership fagball fans who whinge about high ticket prices to see their Corporate logo play at the Emirates or at Old Tradford and yet pay regardless. If you all don't pay and don't bother turning up then the Corporations will cut their prices to try and lure you back! If you whinge and yet still go then you deserve to be ripped off!

Also, the RWC is giving a far bigger percentage of seats to corporate concerns rather than actual individual fans. You'll just see a load of corporate execs out for the day viewing this rather strange game with an oval ball for the first time and not having a clue what its about.

You know that "lack of atmosphere" and "fickle fans" at Twickenham you Irish, Scots and Welsh keep whinging about, its because allot of the seats are given over to Corporate hospitality, etc just like at this RWC and exactly what I've just described above happens there.

So what exactly is the difference? You can't knock England for doing exactly the same thing that you support the iRB for doing!

EDIT: I might go to France this September, but only to soak up the atmosphere and watch the game on the big screen in town. Far cheaper and probably a better atmosphere!
[/b]

I wonder wether there's a difference on the ticket policy between UK and France. On the continent the ticket sells are very successful. They think that eventualy 95% of the tickets will be sold. Uk people being in average richer than the French people I guess that the cost of the tickets are different.

 

[Prestwick]

The tickets are sold through Ticketmaster, the official partner of Rugby World Cup 2007!

 

[gjohn85]

If you look on the article what Derek Wyatt (MP, Parliamentary Rugby Group chairman) says "I'd like to start a website with people where we can get hundreds of thousands of rugby fans to sign to say these tickets are too expensive".

We could start our own partition by a poll to see how people think of the pricing.

 

[VicBitter]

Have to agree that the tickets are expensive, but it’s a simple case of economics supply & demand. Most major games have been sold out for some months now and regardless if that extra 10% seats went to the fans and not corporate the price would not change. Matches like Australia v Wales will have massive support from those like myself whom are coming over from Australia for the RWC, but also the large ex-pat communities of Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans throughout the UK all of whom will pay that premium to be at the matches (not just ticket prices but airfares, accommodation etc).

If they want to get real about anything it is people scalping tickets for 5-10 times their face value on ebay, gumtree or ticket re-selling websites. I missed out on the first ballot for the Final tickets only to see them on these sites from people who had no intention of attending the match but just to make money. One self described "rugby fan" said he had a spare ticket, so I emailed offering to purchase it for face value and his postage plus I’d buy his drinks at the game as we would be sitting next to each other. He wrote back chasing the money wanting over 300 Euro for the green ticket!!! True rugby fan??? I think not...

 

[ecks tartan army]

I have bought tickets for Scotland v Romania (a mere £18), but even then for a midweek game between a side who are going to struggle to reach the last 8 and a side who had to qualify isnt exactly going to be high in demand!

However (and i know this is beyond the IRB's control) the thing that anoys me is the airline pumping up fares! the sunday times did an article a few weeks back where they priced flight with BA to nantes on the week before and the week of the england v south africa (?) game. the week before would cost around £70, the week of the game was nearer £350!!!

and re-selling tickets is another thing that really anoys me! i was lucky enough to get tickets for Scotland v France (football) at Hampden through the public sale last year, but i know people that didnt. I then looked online to find tickets being sold for nearly £500 a piece! (BTW, my ticket cost £10)

 

[ioangwil]

why didnt you get a city or team package? I paid £150ish for all the games that are going to be played in Cardiff last April.

So that means that i'll pay £37.50 each game for;

Wales vs Australia
Fiji vs Canada
Wales vs Japan

and the quarter final between possibly New Zealand against either the Argies, Ireland or France

So in that respect my tickets werent that expensive at all!

 

[Hazey]

Most major games have been sold out for some months now[/b]

I have to disagree with this: the tournament organisers being 'sold out' does in no way mean that the only tickets you'll find are on ebay - I was able to find tickets 2 tickets to England v. South Africa just yesterday on Ticket Master (it wasn't cheap, around £250 per seat I believe, but they are available), as Prestwick said.

On a different note, I agree that the tickets are too expensive for apparently just anyone to buy - but having read several newspaper articles about this, including the feature in The Times where a 'working class' family spent £1000 to go and see the FA Cup Final at Wembley, and having researched it on the internet, the seemingly massively expensive tickets actually just reflect society's spending habbits. More people spend less in 'high street shops' and on items such as clothes, and are willing to pay more for things like nights out, or sporting events. Another example of this would be the Twenty20 Final, which this year costs a minimum of £200 to attend.

The reason given was that the average family, with both adults contributing to the income, find that £500 for two tickets is not actually that expensive for a special event (though obviously you can't do it every day!).