British and Irish Lions ticket prices teeter on verge of greed
I love the British and Irish Lions but quite frankly the touring side is teetering on becoming a black hole of greed, pulling fans’ precious pennies and pounds into a vortex of commercial excess.
Take Friday’s exhibition match against Argentina at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. There were a number of single tickets still available just yesterday and – on Wednesday – a row of 10.
It probably has something to do with the minimum £126 price tag to be there, rising to £160. For an exhibition. Against a team without many of their overseas stars. Madness.
The British and Irish Lions have an aura much of the rest of the game fails to replicate; it is a group of players who are at the top of their game and a concept unlike anything in sport.
And though no player on this tour has ever won a Lions tour or World Cup before, it still remains the peak of the game.
British and Irish Lions love…
I was never selected for the Lions but I remember asking some of the lads I’ve played with whether they’d prefer a World Cup win or a Lions Tour victory, and it was about 50/50.
So with such a valued product it is a shame to see it price out fans in Dublin who’d never be able to afford to go down to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
And it does pose the question as to whether the British and Irish Lions need a shake-up to ensure fans who cannot afford to spaff £150 on a ticket can remain involved.
Whether that be having fans picking some players in the team – yes, really – or interactive elements to the Tests, the emergence of the R360 project does make you wonder whether the traditional product needs a rethink.
Rethink
The whole ethos of the Lions is touring but if they’ve found an excuse for one home Test match they can find one to have two, three or four of them – preferably against France in Barcelona.
The British and Irish Lions have toured Argentina before – winning a one-Test series in 1910, a four-Test series in 1927 and a one-Test series in 1936 – and hosted them in a 25-25 draw at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in 2005.
Before their stalemate two decades ago Argentina hadn’t scored more than three points in a Test. Then they scored 25. On Friday, I think they’ll get a win – their first ever over the British and Irish Lions.
Argentina could be a brilliant commercial market for the Lions, with a fandom that would really get behind the home team, and I hope rugby chiefs are actively thinking about taking the tours elsewhere.
I am not paid to come up with solutions to problems the Lions have, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that charging British and Irish fans who so rarely get the chance to watch the Lions – let alone tour with them – an extortionate figure is ludicrous. It is no surprise I can still buy a ticket. The sport should be better.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11