Fc’red’update Reply Received To Correspondence To Ercfc

Below is text of an email issued on Monday evening (24 April) to Mr. John Corcoran of the E.R.C.. Also is reply received on 3rd May. John, Just a suggestion for you to consider and also subject to Ticketmaster being able to accommodate. I understand that the pre-selling of tickets is to avoid a repeat of the Perpignan v Toulouse final and also can accept that it is good marketing throughout the year for the competition. This has resulted in many supporters of clubs not in the final having bought tickets – similar to myself for the Wasps Toulouse final. But of the four tickets that I purchased for that final, I ended up using only three so one seat was empty. I knew of many other supporters who were in similar situation and so although the match may have been a sell-out it was not full. I appreciate that many people who may have bought tickets already who may not intend travelling to a Biarritz Munster final may sell on Ebay and so the seat will still be occupied. Selling on Ebay generally is at inflated prices and the regular supporter may not be able to afford the cost that some tickets may exchange for. We understand that the allocation to Munster will be less than Munster’s allocation for home pool games. As you probably appreciate following the demand for the semi-final and quarter-final at Lansdowne Road, there will be a lot of Munster supporters without tickets for the final. From experience of meeting fellow rugby supporters of other clubs, there generally is a bond of supporter helping supporter rather than ticket going to a tout So, apologies for length of time to explain, but to my suggestion: I assume Ticketmaster have the email addresses of all people who purchased tickets already for the final. I understand that these tickets have not been posted as yet and are due to be posted by 6 May. If Ticketmaster could email those who have purchased and offer say 5,000 or some such number or even more people the option to cancel their order on the understanding that the ticket would be made available to the Supporters Clubs of Biarritz and Munster and so it would be supporters looking after themselves. And if Ticketmaster could set up a shop item whereby those people who purchased can log in and ask for a refund/cancellation, then the Munster Supporters Club would be delighted to purchase the tickets for our members and will suffer the reasonable cost of the additional administration by Ticketmaster. From setting up our own internet shop recently, we are confident that technically that this is possible. There may be many reasons why this suggestion is not immediately implementable – some or even all of these obstacles may be overcome. If this is possible, it should help maximise partisan and loud support for each team which should also increase the atmosphere on the day. It would also be very much appreciated by the Supporters. I have not spoken to the Biarritz Supporters Club about this and I know that at least 5,000 could be sold through our club alone but believe that if there are such tickets returned, they should be offered to both supporters. Hopefully you will see the merit of the suggestion and hopefully, it will be possible. Regards Thank you for your letter and your suggestion re tickets for the Heineken Cup final. It is great to see the level of interest in the final from Munster fans who continue to add so much to the colour of the tournament. I think we all look forward to what will be a fantastic occasion in Cardiff on the Heineken Cup final weekend. As you know ERC actively promotes the Heineken Cup final as a showpiece sporting occasion for rugby fans across Europe. We are challenged with ensuring there is the maximum crowd at the final, with a view to generating the best atmosphere for fans in the stadium and watching on television as well for generating revenue for the professional game. The final has become an annual European festival with fans from many clubs enjoying and adding to the unique atmosphere. Tickets have been on sale since May 2005 and we also organised a "Support Your Club" cash back initiative to reward and encourage fans from all six participating countries to attend the final. Tickets are already on sale for 2007 final and once more we will be encouraging fans to buy early and come to Twickenham to enjoy the Heineken Cup final. I believe the Munster Branch and the Munster Supporters Club have launched a Spare Ticket initiative for the final which I hope works wells for you. I understand that of the 50,000 tickets sold prior to the semi-finals an estimated 18 – 20,000 went to Irish based fans, so Munster look set to, once again, have fantastic support at the final. Best regards and best wishes for the big game. John Corcoran ERC Communications Manager