Misguided SRU ticket plan may price fans out of game
EVERY penny is a prisoner for Scottish Rugby at the moment. We all recognise that and, to a degree, sympathise with the predicament that the men and women charged with running the game in this country find themselves in. We know that tough decisions will have to be made, but the handling of the 2021 Six Nations ticket allocation has stretched the patience of many rank-and-file rugby supporters to snapping point.
Fans were told back in September that if they wanted to attend Murrayfield for any international match during the 2020-21 season then they would have to stump up £34 to join the ‘Nevis’ membership scheme, which would allow them to enter a ballot for the chance to buy a ticket.
Basically, they were being offered the chance to but a lottery ticket, with the winners getting the chance to spend more money. And there was, of course, no guarantee that crowds would be allowed at any match, which would render the ballot superfluous.
A fair number of potential ticket buyers decided to opt out at that point, but many others – 10,000 we are told – decided that they were willing to spin the wheel.
It was confirmed last week that – surprise, surprise – there would be no crowds for the Autumn Nations Cup campaign, but onwards rolled the ‘Nevis’ marketing drive, with the chance to attend the Six Nations (when Wales, Ireland then Italy are in town) still a possibility.
Then the Six Nations ballot opened on Monday, and we found out just how much punters are going to have to pay for a ticket (on top of their £34 ‘Nevis’ membership) if they are lucky enough to have their name pulled out of the hat.
The cheaper ‘Category 2’ tickets (around one-third of the stadium) will cost £55 for the Italy match, and £70 for the Ireland and Wales matches. The more expensive ‘Category 1’ tickets (two-thirds of the stadium) will cost £90 for the Italy game, and £105 for Ireland and Wales. No concession tickets are available for under-18s.
That means that a single adult looking to take two children to either of the Ireland or Wales games will be looking at a minimum outlay of £245 before travel costs and so on.
As a point of reference, the pre-Covid pricing strategy for this season had the cheapest option at £237 for a pass to all the scheduled matches at Murrayfield, working out at £39.50 per game, while the Under-18s package cost £142, which equates to just under £24 per match. So, that same family of three would be paying £87.50 per match.
If we were talking about a private enterprise run on purely capitalist principles, this would barely merit the raising of an eyebrow. It would be that business’ prerogative to milk as much out of its customers as it can get away with, and if it pushes too hard and people end up shopping elsewhere then the market has spoken, and we all move on.
But Scottish Rugby isn’t a private enterprise, it is a sporting governing body, and pricing younger and poorer supporters out of the market will have devastating consequences longer term.
THE sport already has an image problem in terms of accessibility, which means it is fighting a constant uphill battle for the hearts and minds of youngsters in a country dominated by football. This sends out entirely the wrong message to working families at a time when they face significant financial strain.
If 10,000 ‘Nevis’ tickets have been sold at £34 per pop, then that is £340,000 in revenue – not to be sniffed at but a drop in the ocean compared to the minimum £18m budget shortfall the SRU is look at as a consequence of Covid. This move may provide Scottish Rugby with short-term financial gain – but what of the long-term pain?
The sport already has an image problem