Leinster clubs to be reimbursed

THE LEINSTER branch of the IRFU has told clubs they will be recompensed for losses incurred as a result of the ticketing fiasco surrounding the Autumn Internationals series. Clubs will be given the choice of a refund or credit towards tickets for the Six Nations Championship.

Leinster are following the footsteps of Ulster who have begun the process of compensating clubs left out of pocket as a result of ticket sales for the opening two internationals. Compensation for the second pair of internationals grouped together by the IRFU will be handed out shortly.

“I can confirm that Ulster Branch will be ensuring that clubs aren’t out of pocket following the autumn internationals,” said spokesperson Lyndsey Irwin yesterday. “We have already refunded clubs for unsold tickets for South Africa and Samoa and will be doing the same for the New Zealand and Argentina games.”

The Leinster and Ulster executives have come to their decisions even though the IRFU have yet to make any public statement in this regard, as they await the report of the Hussey Committee established to investigate the debacle surrounding the pricing and ticketing strategy.

Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson revealed his branch’s stance in an email to clubs. In it, Dawson welcomed the union’s decision to adjust their pricing structure for the home games against France and England, describing it as “a tangible acknowledgement of the mistakes made in the pricing of the Autumn Series”.

It is the decision to reimburse clubs, some of whom might have faced financial ruin had they been forced to carry the can for losses incurred due to the drop in expected attendances for the Autumn internationals, that is the most significant aspect of the missive.

The Connacht Branch are awaiting a decision from the IRFU committee, but they have only paid the union for tickets sold as they did not take advance payment from their clubs. “We only charged the clubs for tickets sold,” said Connacht Branch chief executive Gerry Kelly. “On the Tuesday after each November internationals we send on a cheque for what we have received to the IRFU.”

The Munster clubs were only charged for tickets they sold, via direct debit. Unsold tickets were returned to the Munster branch by 1pm the day before each of the internationals.