Are the bucket seats still on the hill for Saturday?

Snickers Man

Junior arrived back from school yesterday with two tickets for the Nally Stand (which I understand to be Hill 16 or just beside it) for the Scotland game.

However, one is for the schoolboy enclosure and one for another section of the Nally Stand. Each has a seat number printed on it.

Are the bucket seats still in place, does anyone know? And does this mean that we won't be sitting together? Or is it all terracing and can free association between fathers and sons be arranged?

Crash

I thought the buckets were gone (or at least hoped)

xebec

Don't have the definitive answer, but apparently the tickets are numbered exactly the same as last time with section, row and seat numbers. The seats took away some of the atmosphere IMO, not that there was much there anyway...

Podge_irl

As far as I know they are still in place.

I don't understand why they didn't just close the hill for the soccer game and have the full capacity for the three 6 Nations games.

Crash

Hope it doesn't rain on saturday then - I don't mind standing in the rain, but sitting is a pain in the hole.

juvenal

Podge_irl wrote: »

As far as I know they are still in place.

I don't understand why they didn't just close the hill for the soccer game and have the full capacity for the three 6 Nations games.

Because it's not up to the IRFU, nor the GAA really for that matter.

The FAI are the event organisers, with the GAA facilitating the event in their stadium. FIFA rules dictate that there shall be no standing area for an international, ergo bucket seats or close the Hill.

From financial, atmospheric and ticket availibility points of view, it makes sense for the FAI to put people in Hill 16. This entails getting the bucket seats installed, and you can be sure the gate for the Hill alone easily covers the cost of the seats and adds to the profit.

The capacity with the seats is ~75,000. Personally I prefer when it's standing, and they should have taken out the seats; the next soccer match isn't until May?

Podge_irl

juvenal wrote: »

Because it's not up to the IRFU, nor the GAA really for that matter.

The FAI are the event organisers, with the GAA facilitating the event in their stadium. FIFA rules dictate that there shall be no standing area for an international, ergo bucket seats or close the Hill.

Of course it's up to the GAA. They could easily have told them to just not use the hill. Now, its quite possible that the increase in ticket prices due to it not being terraced means the IRFU don't really care, and so the GAA weren't bothered, but I think its a shame.

Junior

Snickers Man wrote: »

Junior arrived back from school yesterday with two tickets for the Nally Stand (which I understand to be Hill 16 or just beside it) for the Scotland game.

However, one is for the schoolboy enclosure and one for another section of the Nally Stand. Each has a seat number printed on it.

Are the bucket seats still in place, does anyone know? And does this mean that we won't be sitting together? Or is it all terracing and can free association between fathers and sons be arranged?

So your my dad ?

juvenal

Podge_irl wrote: »

Of course it's up to the GAA. They could easily have told them to just not use the hill. Now, its quite possible that the increase in ticket prices due to it not being terraced means the IRFU don't really care, and so the GAA weren't bothered, but I think its a shame.

No it's not up to the GAA. The GAA own the stadium, but the only reason they're involved in the event is because they have the expertise to run a show with ~75,000 people as they do it every Sunday during the summer.

Officially the IRFU are the hosts, and as such IRFU call the shots with organisation, protocol etc.; the GAA just facilitate them for a (substantial) fee.

So if the IRFU decide not to open the upper tier of the stadium then that's their perogative (of course they wouldn't); but it's their decision to leave the bucket seats in. If they really wanted it terraced they could have had it so (as long as there wasn't a soccer game on Wednesday), but the reality probably is that the three parties involved just decided to leave the seats there as it won't be necessary to open the Hill as a terrace before the Serbian game.

The game would be a sellout no matter what way the Hill is, so at the end of the day €€ talks, even though we don't agree with it being seated.

Snickers Man

Junior wrote: »

So your my dad ?

I dunno. Am I? Show us a picture of yer ma and I'll tell ya.

Goodluck2me

Junior wrote: »

So your my dad ?

QOTM