The FRONT ROW UNION has heard today that approximately 1000 tickets for the Heineken Cup Quarter Final against Northampton are to be returned to the English club for distribution amongst their supporters.
Disappointing news, if true, but hardly unexpected as anyone who travels regularly with Ulster, under their own steam, would know. Unfortunately, outside of a few foreign jollies once or twice a season, Ulster’s travelling support has been poor over the last ten years, normally consisting of a handful of travelling supporters boosted by a similar amount of exiles.
Ulster Rugby completely misread the demand through their own lack of experience and no doubt got a bit over excited by the euphoria of the qualification but their failure to act once they saw that the demand was not there is mystifying.
Their options of one ticket per season ticket holder and the purchase period for match tickets for season ticket renewals were their biggest mistakes coming across as authoritarian and a little arrogant, to tell the truth, putting off many potential travellers.
A Sunday afternoon fixture was always going to limit demand but instead of encouraging supporters Ulster Rugby put more obstacles in the way convincing many they wouldn’t get a ticket. Organising time off work, flights and hotels were all possible but many didn’t bother as match tickets were no way assured.
Then again you could look at it another way, there are a lot of supporters who just couldn’t bother their arse!
Let us know your reason below.
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