CORPORATE deals for tickets at inflated prices have led to widespread criticism of Irish rugby clubs, prior to Saturday's international against England in Lansdowne Road. Angry clubs members, who have been denied their normal supply, claim the situation is a direct consequence of the change to professionalism.
Certain clubs are cashing in on the corporate hunger for tickets. Faced with an expensive first team tour to South Africa this summer, Terenure College informed its members that the club had been offered an opportunity to raise a significant amount of money by the disposal of a number of tickets and the executive had agreed to this disposal.
A club official, Mr Colm Jenkinson, last night described the transaction as "a corporate arrangement for a handful of ground tickets at a relatively small benefit to the club."
Meanwhile, their south Dublin neighbours, St Mary's College, have set aside 150 £30 stand tickets for a special corporate day on Saturday, at a cost of £300 per head. Apart from the precious match ticket, clients will be entertained to a champagne reception, lunch and dinner.
"With the approval of our members we decided to do this as a one off, so as to raise funds for certain projects within the club, preparatory to our centenary celebrations in 2000," said St Mary's honorary secretary, Mr John Pyne last night. "None of the money will be spent on players."
Mr Pyne went on: "I am in possession of a letter from an English agency, offering our club a profit of £175 on a stand ticket for Saturday's match and a profit of £40 on a ground ticket."
Though the IRFU will not divulge precise details of ticket allocation, it explained that the main istutution was to the visiting union and to the four home provincial branches. The average allocation to senior clubs in Leinster is 200 stand tickets per match.
A fimiliar situation would apply in the other provinces but there was an angry phone call to this office yesterday from a disenchanted club member in Limerick. Explaining that he had been receiving international tickets on a regular basis for the last 15 years, the caller complained: "This time, all I got was a letter to the effect that the club had to cope with a reduced allocation and an increase n the membership list."
The official view from IRFU headquarters is that "tickets are issued on condition that no resale is effected for more than its face value"