FAW to consider venues and ticket prices

Last updated : 28 November 2007 By Wales Reporter
Another topic thought to be under review is ticket prices.

When Wales played Ireland earlier this month there were 50,000 empty seats in the Millennium Stadium. The 24,000 crowd was down just a few thousand on the 27,000 that turned up to see Germany.

"The board will have a good look at every scenario possible when they meet in due course," said David Collins.

"The first decision will be to play matches at the Millennium Stadium. Then we could look at things on a game-by-game basis.

"The problem about taking matches away from the Millennium is that we wouldn't be able to meet the demands of the fans.

"For example, the smallest crowd we had for the last Euro campaign was 24,000. None of the other stadia in Wales hold that sort of seating capacity.

"If we moved away, particularly for the big matches, what do we do about those fans who want to come, but who can't get tickets?

"And, if we start winning, we could realistically expect to begin getting gates up around the 50,000 mark, so those fans have to be accommodated too.

"However, there are arguments about the atmosphere that could be created at the smaller club grounds. The various pros and cons need to be discussed in full by the board and we will move forward and make a decision from there."

On ticket prices Collins thinks that Welsh fans get good value for money.

"I have heard people say tickets were expensive for the Euro campaign just gone, but you could still purchase them for £10 and £5 in the lower tier," he continued.

"In my eyes, that represented terrific value for money. And remember, the lower tier holds 23,000 seats, which is almost a third of the ground.

"Tickets for other parts of the ground ranged from £35 to £25. But, with respect, people pay four times that to watch Premiership matches.

"And, from what I'm told, you can actually watch Wales at international level for less money than you can see Cardiff or Swansea at Ninian Park or the Liberty.

"Again, the board of directors will look at everything and we will come to a decision.

"But hopefully everyone can look forward to a good World Cup campaign. With the way the team performed in the last two matches against Germany and Ireland, we have every reason to be optimistic."

The full article can be found here.

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