IRFU- Supporters Club

PMC83 wrote: »

You sound like you have a lot of time on your hands, fair play to you. I don't.

I never complained about 'unjustly loosing out'. I understand its always a raffle to some degree, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't.

I just think its a shame that they have gone down the ballot route without a heads up to the people who part with their cash year in year out.

I don't have a lot of time on my hands either. I do however like to give something back to the sport and to my club. Paying €50 on the assumption that it's a ticket club is not what it's all about. That hashtag #fromthegroundup is there with a good reason.

The IRFU have a very misleading figure in their books regarding how many tickets at each match are corporate. The IRFU have their own corporate tickets which they allocate and then the clubs set up a different layer of corporate tickets underneath. If it was defensible then the Union would be transparent about it. There's ordinary fans then paying touts more than the corporate value on viagogo and seatwave. The whole thing is a mess.

The whole thing isn't a mess. Large corporate sponsors and respective away unions get a share on the days. Constituent clubs and bodies of the IRFU however get the vast majority of the tickets. After that excess tickets are sold to the general public. Clubs do not get added corporate tickets at all. They get their allocations and it's up to them to sell them as they wish.

I really don't think it's unfair that those involved within the game, the real ordinary supporters, get dibs over those who don't have an involvement in the game. Yes there are touts but that's demand related, it is not unique to the IRFU. There are plenty of empty seats at the Pro 14 games on a weekly basis that ordinary fans could go to as well.

PMC83 wrote: »

My issue is that I have essentially just done the same thing (unknowingly), and the money is going right into the IRFU'S back pocket. If id know this was the case before I renewed, I wouldn't have. But funnily this info wasn't relayed to me when I was emailed saying I would need to renew.

If you feel this strongly about it, my advice would be to contact the IRFU with regards a refund, stating these reasons. It seems pretty reasonable to me, so I'd imagine you'd get one.

JMNolan wrote: »

I'm involved in my local club, member of MRSC, and IRFU supporters club.

Always got Irish tickets via IRFU supporters club as I put in a tonne of effort (notes in diary, on ticketmaster early, waiting for sale, credit card up to date etc etc). I put in the work and got the tickets. Seeing as effort no longer helps and its random I don't see any point in keeping my membership. I already am in other lottos for tickets.

I think your definition of work and effort and mine might differ

pc7 wrote: »

There is no game on this green earth that I would give a tout money for a ticket, they are the lowest of the low. I'd rather miss a game than support them. If people didn't buy tickets from them it would soon stop.

Exactly, if i am unable to get a ticket for face value.. no matter how badly i would like to go to the game. I just watch it on telly at home.

Touts are the scum of the earth and the sooner ticket touting is stopped the better

Raisins wrote: »

Who are the real ordinary supporters? I played rugby for a long time at school and club but then moved to Dublin. I'm a member of the supporters club for years and spent thousands travelling to support the international team. If my kid was playing rugby and I went down on Sunday to make tea I'd be more worthy?

None of that addresses the point I was making anyway. I'm not saying they shouldn't have dibs. It's their ability to sell the dibs off to companies to make money that I have a problem with.

Before anyone jumps down my throat, this is not the solution but for example if they wanted to the IRFU could hold back another 10,000 tickets and make them corporate and then share that dividend among all the clubs in a transparent way. Instead everyone pretends the grassroots should be given a chance to attend games and the club allocation is kept at a certain level and is then (by some clubs) skimmed away to corporates. You should either take those tickets for members and volunteers to attend or give them back.

Nobody is saying these people have dibs. There will always be people who will sell off tickets regardless of system in place.
Holding back another 10000 tickets isnt needed by IRFU. They dont have to do it. Clubs should be allowed the percentage of tickets they get. Some(many/most) clubs use their tickets as fundraisers for the activities of their club and running their club but if they are open with their members that they do it then why should there be an issue?

Raisins wrote: »

That’s not true the capacity has created a problem that the IRFU have zero interest in addressing with fairness and transparency. There’s no pathway for a person with no connections to their club secretary to get tickets.

I’ve never bought a ticket from a tout but they prey on fans desperate to attend games. The corporate aspect is impacting on the number of regular tickets in the market. Corporate tickets are tax efficient for the companies buying them they’re a different bracket. All I’m saying is desperate fans are paying hundreds to touts which is actually bordering on the price of a corporate ticket with a meal and open bar. The same arguments were made in the GAA for ages that the club allocations couldn’t be touched but eventually they brought in the season ticket.

But it is far from clubs who get tickets. Its the ref associations, provincial/irfu committees and lots of other areas of game.

As do you, for different reasons. Which is fine.

I think that some, like OP, people who resubbed for the supporters club are miffed because the supporters club has been for all practical purposes, a €50 fee to get some potential access to specific tickets that you want. Which is what it's been for the last while. Anything else has been window dressing, no one does it for the scarf and the newsletters.

That's no longer the case, it's now a random potential allocation of one ticket to a game and you've no recourse. I realise that you don't have sympathy/give a **** because you/others contribute more to the grassroots game but you're not really who this thread is aimed at - of course you can still have your say. But it's more that people signed up again this year with the realistic expection that it would match what went on in previous years, but that's not the case. That's a legitimate grievance.

Yours is a whole other grievance which is that grassroots members that devote their time to clubs etc don't get what you feel is appropriate representation in ticket opportunities. Totally different argument, and completely legitimate, but aimed at the wrong crowd. Should be aimed at the IRFU. It appears now to be aimed at the supporters club members in some odd "I'm better than you so I deserve more" post. I don't get that. Or rather, I do, but I don't know why it's aimed at supporters club members and not the 'authorities'.

still trying too understand this whole new ticket thing

so there will be members who get **** all and only a few will be randomly choosen too purchase tickets ??

Are u guranteed tickets if u are selected ??

PTH2009 wrote: »

still trying too understand this whole new ticket thing

so there will be members who get **** all and only a few will be randomly choosen too purchase tickets ??

Are u guranteed tickets if u are selected ??

from my understanding, youll get a chance to buy 2 tickets which may not be together. 2 draws one for each game, if you are drawn in the first one you wont be in the second draw etc.

its tomorrow we find out?

2 tickets for Ireland v england - yaba daba doo!

renewed the membership in October but thought it was a bit of a no hoper getting tickets with this lottery system but nicely surprised

Did anyone have any joy?. I didn't.

Very annoyed to say the least. I raised some questions a while back as to the number of members in the supporters club and the number of tickets they were releasing to the members but never even got a proper reply, just some management speak bs to be honest. Its the least I would expect, especially from an organisation that is partially state funded through grants.

I fully get the comments some people are making around getting involved in a local club but in my case, the club is 40 minute drive away and I'm already involved in the local GAA with kids and there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. What really bugs me is the amount of tickets on the corporate market place. My employer had so many for the all Blacks match they were struggling to get rid of them because clients were getting offered trips from multilple customers. All of those tickets were sourced through 3rd parties who got them from clubs

724 tickets available on Viagogo at the minute with the cheapest for the English match being €730 a ticket. Why aren't the IRFU shutting those down?

Reality is the IRFU don't give a damm about the average fan and when rugby goes into a slump like the FAI have (and it will happen, everything is sport is cyclical) then it will be interesting to see how many "genuine" fans are out there then

Next to no tickets as seen on the other thread. Maybe 1 in 10 getting tickets from the looks of it. They've gutted the club without warning and after taking payment. Extremely bad form.

eclipsechaser wrote: »

I fear this is what you do if you have next to no tickets but don't want to make it extremely obvious. If we all logged in at 10am to find no tickets, it would be clear. This way, you get a "sorry, you were unsuccessful" email and you're none the wiser that they've gutted the number of tickets available. Just think of the tiny number of Leinster Season Ticket holders who are successful in their ballot.

Complete crap from the IRFU - I'm tempted to ask for a refund.