Crackdown on clubs’ ticket sales to agents

IRFU chiefs are set to clamp down on clubs selling international tickets to agents by proposing that they must publicly declare where there ticket allocation goes.

Financially-struggling clubs have for years seen international tickets as a vital revenue stream, with ticket agencies and corporate visitors always keen to guarantee places at Lansdowne Road during the highly lucrative Test match windows.

IRFU chief executive Phillip Browne said: “At the moment, the situation is that the tickets are to be used for the club membership.

“We have no difficulty with genuine sponsorships entered into by the clubs, but we have enormous difficulty with wholesale selling to ticket agents,” Browne said.

“In those circumstances, if evidence is brought to the union, we’ll take the firmest action possible, which ultimately is loss of tickets by the clubs

involved. The clubs have to take

responsibility for this,” he said.

“The new regulations we’re bringing in make it very clear what is and isn’t going to be allowed. Those regulations are out with the provincial branches at the moment for their comments.

“What we’re trying to do is introduce a degree of transparency and

rationality into the ticketing system. What it boils down to in this particular season is that you have 25,000 coming over for the English game, and there aren’t enough tickets to go around. It opens up opportunities for touts and agents to come in and do their dirty business.

“The reality is that some tickets have to be used to supplement sponsorships ... wholesale selling of tickets to ticket agents is quite wrong, and if there’s any evidence brought to us in relation to that we’ll take the firmest action possible.”

The IRFU face difficulty in off-loading tickets for November internationals against Fiji and Argentina, while the November 9 clash with Australia should see a healthy attendance.