Rugby fury at RFU disabled charges
THERE is upset within the rugby fraternity about the RFU, the richest rugby union in the world, charging for disabled access to England matches at Twickenham for the first time this season.
The proceeds from today’s full house for the Six Nations title decider against France includes money from wheelchair users having to pay £41 for entry when the RFU policy had always been for free access and car parking for those using wheelchair facilities — and their carers, if needed. One RFU mandarin said: ‘It’s quite appalling such a charge should be brought in when the wheelchair-bound have been allowed in free at Twickenham from time immemorial. It’s not as if the RFU need the money and is just another example of their rampant commercialism to squeeze extra cash from everywhere, even the disabled. It’s a scandalous state of affairs that needs to be quickly revoked.’
The RFU, who have 2,318 wheelchair enclosure spaces and a terrace with lift access for 112, say their executive staff brought in the charges following an audit of disabled access by Level Playing Field with the new pricing package being deemed industry standard. LPF said in their report that charging the same price as for able-bodied spectators in the same seating category promotes equality.
A RFU spokesman said: ‘We are committed to investing all additional ticket revenue raised from the new charging policy to the upgrading of disabled facilities within Twickenham and we have had a lot of positive feedback. We do not charge for tickets issued to charities nor for tickets to those injured playing rugby.’ THE England cricket team’s apparent over-reliance on data during their hapless World Cup campaign led to huge criticism aimed at head coach Peter Moores (right). And England team analyst Nathan Leamon, a Cambridge maths graduate and former Eton schoolmaster, badly hurt his foot after kicking out in anger in his hotel room in Wellington after a late-night debate with some media pundits about the importance — or not — of cricket stats. The unnecessary comment that had Leamon steaming was from the obnoxious Paul Allott, Lancashire director and peripheral figure on Sky Sports, who asked the numbers expert: ‘Have you ever played the game?’ THE proposed 2016 Olympics men’s Team GB football side, mischievously relayed to the other home nations by former FA general secretary Alex Horne on his last day in office, has been kiboshed, not only by the FIFA ExCo in Zurich last Thursday, but at the FA board meeting on the same day. The three other countries were strongly opposed and the issue has also raised questions as to why England have had a monopoly on the GB football seat on the British Olympic Association. However there are still plans to send a GB women’s side to Rio. ADAM JOHNSON is set to receive a tough reception if, as expected, he returns for Sunderland at West Ham today following his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old. Upton Park chants aimed at the England winger will be brutal. The match is live on Sky and talk SPORT and both will have sound engineers on their outside broadcast teams to monitor the volume of crowd obscenities.