The Welsh Rugby Union is urging supporters still looking for tickets to this year’s sold-out RBS 6 Nations matches at Principality Stadium, against England and Ireland, to always ‘buy official’.

‘Sold-out’ means that the WRU has no more match tickets available to sell and Wales’ home ground is at its 74,500 capacity, but there are still a number of official routes (with limited availability) into Principality Stadium via WRU clubs, WRU hospitality and the WRU’s partners Events International, Gullivers Sports Travel and Seatwave.

However, with high demand matches comes an increased chance for supporters to be sold fraudulent or void tickets if they buy from unofficial sources – running the risk of not being able to actually enter the Stadium and watch the match.

The WRU is unable to verify the authenticity of tickets provided by unlicensed, non-official companies, these outlets are not regulated by the WRU and the tickets they offer do not carry a guarantee of entry.

It is against WRU terms and conditions to re-sell tickets in this way – and the WRU cannot guarantee the validity of tickets if they are found being distributed via unofficial routes.

In the recent Under Armour Series internationals held at the Stadium in November a number of supporters were refused entry at the bar code scanners, which operate at each turnstile, after presenting invalid tickets.

“The potential for supporters to invest large sums of money in a dream day out at Principality Stadium and to be left disappointed is only increased by the size of the occasion and both the England and Ireland matches this year have been in particularly high demand,” said a WRU spokesperson.

“We are imploring supporters to make sure they ‘buy official’ as this is the only way the WRU can guarantee the validity of the ticket, that they have the very best spectator experience possible and, fundamentally, that they will be allowed into the stadium.

“We do everything we can on a match-day to help supporters who have been sold invalid tickets, but when a game is sold-out it is far more difficult for us to help.”

The WRU makes sure all proceeds it receives from international match tickets are re-invested in the game.
It is a not-for-profit organisation and seeking to regulate the secondary ticket and off-site hospitality market by appointing official partners is the only way it can ensure valid tickets are provided and investment stays in Welsh Rugby.

The Trading Standards team within Shared Regulatory Services, which covers Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend, is all too familiar with scams of the nature described.

Dave Holland, Head of Shared Regulatory Services, offers the following advice:

“We often receive complaints about match tickets failing to arrive or not working on the day of the event. Online ticket fraud is now big business, with rogue traders operating here in the UK and abroad.

“Consumers need to be aware that if they spend tens, hundreds or even thousands of pounds on tickets from an unsubstantiated source, then they risk missing a match, but more importantly, never seeing their money again.

“Whilst we can and will investigate fraudulent business practices, we have no jurisdiction over websites which are based outside the UK.

“If consumers decide to buy from an online source, we strongly urge you to use a credit card as a form of payment, as this provides additional protection to you if you spend £100 or more.

“From our perspective, this applies to all sporting events, as well as music festivals, concerts and the like.

“It is easy for scammers to set up a fake website that looks genuine. Some will use a name or website address that is very similar to a legitimate website.

“If you’re unsure or it sounds too good to be true, leave the website and don’t provide your payment details, as you may also be at risk of identity fraud.”

The only remaining routes to Principality Stadium for supporters wishing to follow head coach Rob Howley’s Wales for their 2017 Championship campaign are via official hospitality (direct from the WRU or via Events International), official travel packages (Gullivers Sports travel), WRU member clubs or the WRU’s regulated official resale marketplace website (Seatwave).

Travel packages are available for Wales matches starting at £199 per person (www.gulliverstravel.co.uk) and for official off-site hospitality (www.eventsinternational.co.uk/events/rugby) prices start at £395 with all tickets guaranteed by the WRU – with on-site Principality Stadium packages also available directly from www.wru.wales/hospitality or by calling the WRU Hospitality team on 02920 822 413.

Access to a WRU endorsed and regulated resale marketplace has been in place since 2015, (www.seatwave.com/wales-rugby-tickets/season) where member clubs can put a small percentage of their allocations on sale – prices vary and can go down as well as up as demand fluctuates but currently start at £135 for a ticket to watch Wales play Ireland.

The WRU guarantees each ticket which is made available, so that fans do not risk purchasing counterfeit or duplicate tickets, which would inevitably lead to them being refused entry.

The WRU is able to ensure that money generated from ticket sales in this way is not lost to the game, allowing all clubs in Wales to offer a percentage of their ticket allocations via the Seatwave site.

The website also offers pricing advice, so supporters can see what the average and previous prices have been for a ticket and if tickets are available at lower cost or face value elsewhere.

Every penny of profit generated by ticket or hospitality sales from official sources is guaranteed to be fed back into the game in Wales and the supporter is also protecting their own purchase if they ‘buy official’.

Appointing Seatwave, Gullivers Sports Travel and Events International is part of the WRU’s drive to regulate the secondary ticket market in Wales, preventing supporters from being mis-sold tickets or hospitality packages by centrally guaranteeing the source of tickets, and to keep revenue in the game.

Supporters have been using unofficial secondary market sites to obtain tickets for years, rather than trying to stop this happening, the WRU has attempted to make the process safer and more secure for supporters.

The WRU’s over-riding message to all supporters is ‘buy official’, whether that be from clubs, from the WRU or from an official partner, in order to avoid disappointment.

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