Welsh Rugby Agrees Ticketmaster Deal

16 Dec 2015 | tshego

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The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Ticketmaster have launched an initiative to create a secondary market of international ticket sales by member clubs and the public to supporters.

It means for the first time, the WRU will allow tickets to be sold above face value through Seatwave, Ticketmaster’s resale ticket marketplace.

Under the terms of the arrangement the WRU will allow a limited number of tickets to be resold above face value by clubs, with clubs then allowed to retain any extra money raised through the sales.

As part of the agreement, the WRU, which allocated more than £22m back into Welsh rugby in the last financial year, has said that Ticketmaster will invest in the game in Wales.

The WRU has presented details of the new secondary market to member clubs through the district committees and the WRU Board has approved the initiative.

“Within the spirit of the new arrangement the WRU will actively promote the means of obtaining face value tickets so that they are always offered to customers if available,” said Craig Maxwell, WRU group head of sales and marketing.

“It remains the priority of the WRU to encourage supporters to obtain tickets directly from their local club at face value.

“However, we have chosen to review our position on the use of a secondary market for selling tickets following many years of trying to regulate secondary ticketing sites.

“The WRU has taken the decision to follow supporter demands and provide a service that is clearly being used already, but with the guaranteed safety and security for the ticket purchaser that only the WRU can offer.”

Commenting on the agreement, Adam Newsam, managing director of Ticketmaster Sport, added: “This is a unique partnership that will benefit Welsh rugby, clubs and fans alike, as well as the grass-roots game.

“It’s a credit to the WRU that they have actively engaged with resale recognising the growing demand among fans to buy and sell tickets with confidence.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the WRU on this innovative market-based response to the challenges and opportunities around ticket resale.

“This forward-looking approach to ticket resale will deliver real benefits for the game, and keeps the revenue within the sport and will eradicate the risk of fraud for verified ticket sales.”