Over 3,000 tickets already sold for Cardiff final

OVER 3000 tickets have already been sold for the Heineken Cup final on May 20, to be held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

An ERC Clubs Conference accepted a proposal from the Welsh Rugby Union and tourism bodies to host the event again, and Cardiff is targeting a multi-million bonanza for the fourth final to be held in the city.

The 11th Heineken Cup final will be 10 years on from the inaugural final at Cardiff Arms Park between Toulouse and Cardiff in January, 1996.

Speaking on the second day of the conference in Cardiff involving delegates from the 44 clubs competing in the Heineken Cup (24) and European Challenge Cup (20), the tournament organisers announced that Europe’s club rugby’s showpiece match will be back on a Saturday after being staged on a Sunday for the last two seasons.

Over 3,000 tickets have already been sold for the 2006 Heineken Cup final, although the kick off to the new tournament is still two months away.

The record Heineken Cup final attendance of 74,600 was set at the Millennium Stadium for the 2002 clash between Leicester Tigers and Munster, and ERC is targeting another bumper crowd for Cardiff but that could depend on the participants.

Although the 2005 final, won by Toulouse for a record third time in front of a Murrayfield crowd of 51,326, fell short of that record attendance, it still netted the Scottish economy £12 million (€17.6m).

A study, conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys, interviewed some 800 spectators and those surveyed gave a big thumbs-up to the atmosphere, overall enjoyment of the Heineken Cup final and experience of Edinburgh for the final weekend itself. Other conclusions of the study were:

* Most spectators booked their tickets three months in advance.

* 34% of spectators stayed overnight with the majority staying in Edinburgh.

* 16% attending the final took time to see Edinburgh’s tourist sites

* 24% took time to shop in Edinburgh spending on average €170 per person.

The results of the survey prompted ERC chief executive Derek McGrath to remark: “The strategy we applied was to market not only our event, but also Edinburgh and Scotland, and we are preparing to roll out our Cardiff ‘06 campaign in partnership with the WRU, Millennium Stadium, City of Cardiff Council, Wales Tourist Board and the Welsh Assembly Government.

“With a Saturday final, we are confident of turning our 11th final into a weekend-long event that will be a festival of rugby for all sports fans.”