Wales and England join forces
Wales meet England at Twickenham in defence of their Grand Slam title on Saturday 4th February 2006, but administrators from both sides have committed to work together on an advanced ticketing policy which aims to force profiteers out of the game for good.
The RFU has an eight year Strategic Plan in place to reduce tickets sold on the black market and to ensure that money generated from ticket sales is redistributed to the member clubs in England. The WRU have recently introduced a similar policy and both parties have now committed to exchange information and help each other in pursuit of this collective aim.
“Whilst Mike Ruddock and his team are working hard to thwart the old enemy at every turn, as administrators of the game we are pleased to report that our two governing bodies will be working very closely to stamp out this ongoing and damaging problem,” said Steve Lewis, WRU chief executive.
“We are determined to leave no stone uncovered and if the WRU, the RFU and indeed all nations can work as one unit towards this aim, we have a greater chance of success.”
In September 2005 the WRU formally announced its policy to maintain a tough stance on organisations and individuals selling on tickets at inflated prices both on the streets and in particular via website auction sites.
“We intend to remain tough on ticket touts and any parties selling tickets, or supplying tickets to be sold, on the black market, whether that be in person, on the internet or through any other method,” said Millennium Stadium chief executive Paul Sergeant.
“Activity on auction sites is far, far less than it was for the autumn series so the message may be getting across but it’s likely to pick up after this weekend. This collaboration with the RFU can only strengthen our ability to ensure that all fans are treated fairly and that unscrupulous parties do not profit at the expense of the loyal spectator.”
RFU Commercial Director, Paul Vaughan said: “The RFU has worked very hard to minimise the black market for tickets at Twickenham matches over the last couple of years with a number of clubs and individuals losing their right to buy a ticket as a consequence of our actions. We are stepping up our campaign this season with a view to increasing the pressure on the ticket providers and the end users.”
