Website’s sky-high prices are just not the ticket

A RUGBY row erupted on social media in midweek.

Tickets for the 6 Nations appeared on the viagogo website for ridiculously high prices, often at several multiples of the face value.

Briefs for the lower east stand were advertised at around £300 each.

I looked into silver category tickets, priced at just over £170 each which carried a booking fee and VAT, making a total cost of £235.

The SRU website indicates there are different ways to buy tickets for games.

Firstly, directly through the SRU website and their online ticketing centre.

Secondly, through your rugby club, where sales generate 15% of income for the club itself.

And finally, through viagogo, the SRU’s official secondary ticketing partner.

I’m not sure what the exact face value is of ‘silver’ category tickets, but I’m certain that it is significantly less than £235.

This doesn’t seem right on a number of fronts.

Logic would suggest there is sufficient demand for tickets and the SRU have boasted about the size of the crowds that were attracted to the autumn internationals.

The team are playing attractive rugby and are beginning to put in performances that fans want to see, so there is good demand to watch international rugby.

In 6 Nations rugby, there is also significant demand from the fans of the visiting team, so tickets are always likely to be in short supply.

Yet the most significant issue is that the SRU appear to be endorsing touting by making viagogo their official secondary ticketing partners, where they can make huge profits on tickets.

While I freely admit I don’t understand the ticketing processes, I am left wondering why the SRU don’t allocate more tickets to their online channel or indeed, to their clubs, particularly if they are incentivising the clubs to sell tickets and earn some income. It just doesn’t make sense. The relationship with viagogo and the SRU is close, however.

The secondary ticketing agency were sponsors of the autumn internationals.

So at least they seem to be giving back to Scottish Rugby – albeit at the expense of those who want to come to Murrayfield to watch international matches there.

Perhaps in using viagogo, the SRU are trying to control touting, which is always likely to be an issue, whether for rugby or any other occasion where access is limited.

I’d like to see the policy change so that more tickets are released on the SRU website, which now has sold out signs for the Welsh and Irish matches.

That way, genuine fans can buy affordable access to support their national team.