Zurich heads for sell-outs

It seems that every single match in Round 13 of the Zurich Premiership will be sold out, a great start to 2005 for the clubs.

The matches concerned are scheduled for 1 and 2 January 2005.

So far 22 Zurich Premiership matches have been sold out this year. The New Year weekend will ad 64 000 spectators to club rugby.

Worcester, Bath, Northampton, Gloucester and the Harlequins are already sold out.

Newcastle have sold over 7,500 tickets and are expecting to sell the remaining tickets within the next few days. Mick Hogan, the commercial director at Newcastle Falcons, said, "Zurich Premiership rugby offers fans the chance to watch world class players in action for a fraction of the price of international matches.

"All the signs are that we will be sold out. So people will need to be quick if they want to come and watch some of the best names in world ruby in action. For people coming to Kingston Park on 2 January they will be able to watch the likes of Jason Robinson and Matthew Burke play in a stadium which offers amongst the best facilities in the Zurich Premiership. And, for the first time in two years it's Charlie Hodgson versus Jonny Wilkinson - what more could you ask for!"

There are some concerns, as Howard Thomas, Chief Executive of Premier Rugby, explains, "Whilst it is a great indication of the health of professional club rugby, it is also alarming that the clubs are having to turn potential spectators away.

"Clubs desperately need to increase and improve their stadia as it is realistic to believe that we could expect more sold-out weekends in the future. We are almost at crisis point in terms of our stadia.

"When we live in a country which aims to encourage people to become involved in sport and become more active, it is very frustrating not to be able to accommodate people who are keen to get involved with rugby. We need to be able to convert new fans into regular supporters and further fuel their interest in the sport which itself invariably leads to increased participation.

"In order for this to happen, Premier Rugby is actively pursuing all avenues, including working with Sport England and the Government, which could enable us! to raise the necessary funding to increase and improve our stadia facilities."