Ireland Ticket Prices

[againstthehead]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 16635.html

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 18507.html

ah my favourite subject....

Well, the IRFU have pulled it out of the bag this time - not only 70 quid a ticket - but you have to buy all FOUR TICKETS!!!!! What an absolute joke!!! IF it was for 4 6 nations games, or 4 world cup matches then maybe just maybe but for basically 4 friendlies - 1 against argintina which will be a slug fest and 1 against Samoa which will be ireland A V a few guys on holiday. NZ and SA will be good game and maybe at a stretch could just about justify a price of 70 sterling but 340 yoyos for these 4 matches is pure bonkers!!!!

Yes, the rich folk will pay the money and no doubt the ground will be packed to the rafters for SA and NZ (the rich folk won't be arsed going to the others) but for the average rugby fan this is a kick in the balls. Who, on an average wage these days is going to take their familiy down to Dublin at these prices?

Ah well, the cash that I normally spend on heading down to Dublin, I'm going to use to go on an Ulster away trip or two! And I'm sure that I'll not be the only one...

[rich123]

Cudnt agree more. Have given up ever watching Ireland live again. Will be spend the small amount of spare cash i and many other ordinary supporters have on watching ulster.

4 matches and for the same money u can get a decent season ticket at ravers, know wat i wud do.

[pwrmoore]

They deserve to have a ground which is empty for the entire Autumn internationsla (save the 10-year debenture seats) as that would send out a message about the unreasonableness of this move. Unfortunatrly this will not happenand the IRFU will think that they have made a shrewd judgement call.

In my mind these "packages" of tickets are killing the internationals for the ordinary fan.

[keirhardy]

Irish rugby watching is now a Bourgeois exercise 100 euros for 6 nations internationals ,means it will be more economical to watch them overseas including the Flight.Credit to Willie John and Keith Wood for speaking out but as usual the Blazers wil not listen or care about the ordinary fan.
If only there could be a half empty stadium!

[Rooster]

They deserve to have a ground which is empty for the entire Autumn internationsla (save the 10-year debenture seats) as that would send out a message about the unreasonableness of this move. Unfortunatrly this will not happenand the IRFU will think that they have made a shrewd judgement call.

In my mind these "packages" of tickets are killing the internationals for the ordinary fan.

Not doing the clubs many favours either as they have to buy them as a package and then try and get shot of the likes of the Samoa match, most clubs sell them on to members on a per match basis to spread them around and the lesser matches can be a struggle at times.

[mikerob]

Are clubs obligated to buy a particular number of ticket packages? If they think they won't be able to shift as many tickets, can they just reduce the number they take?

[mikerob]

Thanks... I had a feeling that reducing the number of tickets requested would mean the club would lose out in the future, but if there is a reluctance to take AI packages at those prices, then potentially the same will happen with 6N tickets as you can also see them bundling Wales, Scotland and Italy in a package.

[Snipe Watson]

These prices and packaging strategies are unfair to the ordinary fans, but also probably a shrewd move, if it comes off.

I guess given the new stadium effect, the packages will sell out quite quickly, the ground will be full for the big three games and revenue will be maximised.

[backawaygoonahead]

I'm a little surprised at how little reaction there has been to this iniquitous piece of bullying of the fans by the IRFU.

Lets not forget that for the first time in decades tickets were made available to the general public for 6Ns games and there were many empty seats at the Italy & Wales games which I attended. I suspect that the IRFU may have forgotten.

I attended my first home Ireland game in 1969 and my last was the Wales game this year. I suspect I have been to my last home game. Not just because of the ticket prices but also for the fact that the IRFU appear to be ignoring the Irish supporters who do not live in Dublin. If I lived in Dublin, then yes I would try to make all 4 games but how practical is it for the average family man from Ulster, Limerick,Cork or Galway to spend the entire 4 weeks of the AI series trotting to & fro Dublin?

Thoughtless, greedy & arrogant would be the 3 words springing most readily to mind. I can see even the AB & Boks games being played in front of less than capacity crowds, an indictment of the IRFU for what will be the "real" opening of the Aviva Greenhouse.

For my money - or lack of - they can stick their package where the sun don't shine.

It all makes you realise what fantastic value our season tickets are to watch Ulster - lets hope its a rebirth this year.

[Cormac]

I'm a little surprised at how little reaction there has been to this iniquitous piece of bullying of the fans by the IRFU.

Lets not forget that for the first time in decades tickets were made available to the general public for 6Ns games and there were many empty seats at the Italy & Wales games which I attended. I suspect that the IRFU may have forgotten.

I attended my first home Ireland game in 1969 and my last was the Wales game this year. I suspect I have been to my last home game. Not just because of the ticket prices but also for the fact that the IRFU appear to be ignoring the Irish supporters who do not live in Dublin. If I lived in Dublin, then yes I would try to make all 4 games but how practical is it for the average family man from Ulster, Limerick,Cork or Galway to spend the entire 4 weeks of the AI series trotting to & fro Dublin?

Thoughtless, greedy & arrogant would be the 3 words springing most readily to mind. I can see even the AB & Boks games being played in front of less than capacity crowds, an indictment of the IRFU for what will be the "real" opening of the Aviva Greenhouse.

For my money - or lack of - they can stick their package where the sun don't shine.

It all makes you realise what fantastic value our season tickets are to watch Ulster - lets hope its a rebirth this year.

This has got a fair amount of airtime and in print too. Even the usually benign IRFU forum has 11 pages of Supporters Club members giving out about the prices and the bundling of tickets.

Even though I live in Dublin and can travel to the match on the DART I will still refuse to pay €100 for a match ticket. It's a 43% mark-up on the price for the Australia and South Africa games last season. I had a ticket for the premium level (half-way line) for the Bok game last year and it cost €10 less than the price for the worst seat in LR. Given the current state of the economy "down south" with price deflation, rising unemployment, pay cuts and increased tax levies, the price for match tickets is a serious own-goal by the IRFU. It pains me to say it, but I hope they struggle to fill the stadium for the NZ and Bok games.

The only positive I can hope for from this situation is that some of the "international-only" crowd will be put off by the cost and will look to the provinces or the clubs for their rugby fix.

[Bullneck]

I feel that the Blazers may be at a point were they can sit back, relax and afford to hand out the cash as if it was confetti, however, there is no way on gods earth that Mrs Bullneck would allow me to part with £280 + spending for the entire month of Novemeber unless she could accompany me on at least 2 of these beanfeasts, thus necessitating an additional set of tickets - from my income naturaly - as well as ensuring that i have enough necessary £age left for the following month so that Santa can be his usual generous self for the little ones

To paraphrase Bumface on their ingenious pricing policy - the '57 old farts' need to be dragged into the 21st Centuary nevermind the 20th

[Dublin4]

The Union was always going for the kill once they saw how they could fill Croker.
If 30,000 are p ed off well then there's still 50,000 going and can't you watch it on telly anyway?
Consolations: the money is well spent and will keep the best players here. Rugby fans can also go to a couple of cheaper games in the aviva involving les bleus.
Above all, let's face it, the Heiny games away are much more fun and way better than internationals as trips.

It is hard to stomach though at a time of deflation and depression down here.

Mark my words: they will pay off the stadium debt in no time and will be on course for building on the north end or will improve other grounds etc. The IRFU would win the World Cup everytime if it came down to who had the best run finances.

[Shan]

Scandalous is all one can say. First off there is no requirement for 4 games and really if they wanted to have a fourth game it should have had to be sold on its own merit. If they had offered the Argentina game at say 50E and the Samoa game at 30E some people who couldn't get or afford tickets for the 2 main games might have been encouraged to go. Still why care about attracting people to rugby when you can just keep getting cash off those who are still loaded, even in these times, or those too dumb to know they are being ripped off.

They know they'll sell it out because of the interest in seeing NZ in particular and SA. They don't give a shíte about the other two games as they'll already be counting the cash in their own corporate area while the games are played out in a stadium with lots of empty seats.

It is not too long since they were up in arms about the FTA issue and how it will affect rugby. Now they are showing just the contempt they hold for the vast majority of rugby lovers in Ireland. Do they even realise there is an economic crisis going on?

I'll be watching on my FTA television, free being 160E per year of course.

[backawaygoonahead]

Did you know that only two things on earth have the collective noun "Parcel" - one is for a plural of female genetalia & the other is the IRFU.

Ah no wait, (as Father Dougal might say) sure they are the same thing Ted.

[brianc]

plural of female genetalia

Didn't know that, many thanks for the information. Still struggling to work out how useful this will be in general conversation though