ERC Final Tickets

[silliwilli]

I see they are reporting that there are only around 5,000 public release tickets left for the final. I assume if we reach the final, UR will have their own allocation and season ticket holders will again get priority?

[cables]

I see they are reporting that there are only around 5,000 public release tickets left for the final. I assume if we reach the final, UR will have their own allocation and season ticket holders will again get priority?

Yes, UR will have their own allocation. Your choice of the word 'own' may work out to be quite insightful.

On ST priority for an ERC Final - it may become somewhat of a cause celebre.

Cast your mind back to the benefits for those who became 2011-2012 ST holders.

• You will have priority booking for Ulster Rugby away matches

• You will have priority booking for Heineken Cup quarter finals upon qualification

A HC semi was not directly mentioned but we are all currently aware that ST holders can have 8 tickets for the 2012 semi.

The UR allocation for the HC Final, if we qualify, will be considerably less than the allocation for 28 April.

I believe both Finalists last year got a 7,500 ticket allocation. I am also informed that each took a different approach to the allocation of some of these tickets to their ST holders - probably because of a considerable difference in the numbers of ST holders each had on their books.

The UR allocation available to ST holders will take a hit. UR Sponsors and Partners, politicos, blazers, players, staff, referees and clubs will come off the headline figure leaving a significantly reduced number of tickets for allocation, by some method, for fans to purchase.

Will allocations to the 2 clubs be higher this year? - I don't know the answer.

Will there be enough left to offer 2 tickets to each ST holder? - I don't know.

[big mervyn]

Twickers holds about 10k more than the Millenium. You would like to think these would be split between the finalists without altering the allocation to the "great and the good".

[cables]

Twickers holds about 10k more than the Millenium. You would like to think these would be split between the finalists without altering the allocation to the "great and the good".

I really do hate to dampen down your spirit BUT the last Heiny Final in Twickers (2007) had an attendance of 81,076 (after the capacity increase) AND the allocation to both Tiggers and Pests was 7,500 initially but increased to 9,500 eventually.

It seems that ERC may have a rule that clubs get 7,500 each (irrespective of stadia) but other outcomes may result in clubs being asked to shift more.

There have been a few times when greater allocations were gifted to one or both clubs. I would not claim to have found every single year, but Munster got an extra 3000 in 2006 following a - final reconciliation of stakeholders and 600 extra seats added to the Millennium Stadium. Reconciliation probably means complaints from Munster and an inability to move/sell to some stakeholders. BOBP got 7650 that year.

I also seem to recall large (prime) blocks of empty seats at one or more finals.

I feel the subtraction of stadium capacities is too simplistic without looking at the difference in corporate hospitality facilities and also how that would interact with available capacity for other punters.

I will now follow the new trend and switch the transmission facility off until around 12:00 hours when I look forward to watching the general sale for the LRQF.