Tickets to the British & Irish Lions Tour set to fly out the door when they go on sale tomorrow

Tickets to the highly anticipated British & Irish Lions Tour are set to go on sale tomorrow with both Lions’ matches in Brisbane expected to sell fast.

At 9:00am tomorrow tickets to the Qantas Wallabies v Lions Test and the Reds v Lions Tour match will go on sale to the General Public and fans are being encouraged to purchase quickly.

Last week Australian Rugby Union provided members of the Rugby Community with an exclusive opportunity to buy Lions tickets before they went on sale.

The Queensland Rugby Community responded keenly, snapping up tickets and exhausting the allocations in just a few hours.

ARU CEO, Bill Pulver, said the anticipation for a Tour “12 Years in the Making” was high and expected tickets to move quickly tomorrow morning.

“There is a fantastic air of excitement across Australia for the impending British & Irish Lions Tour,” Mr Pulver said.

“The Lions only visit our shores once every 12 years and the scarcity of a Lions Tour has not been lost on Australian Rugby fans.

“Last week we saw tickets to the Queensland Test and the Lions’ Tour match against the Reds snapped up quickly.

“When the General Public ticket sales commence, there is every indication the allocation provided for the first Test between the Qantas Wallabies and Lions and Reds and Lions at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane will be exhausted in a short period of time.

“I encourage All Australian sports fans to get in quick to avoid disappointment.”

The last time the Lions toured in 2001 Brisbane hosted the opening Test of the series at the Gabba in front of a huge crowd of 37,460.

While the Lions claimed victory in the Test it was the sea of Red in the crowd that most people recall, with the travelling Lions fans dominating the grandstands.

A number of Wallabies players have since commented that at times during the opening Test they felt like they were playing at Cardiff Arms Park, or Twickenham, such was the support for the visitors.

With a potential 30,000 British and Irish tourists set to venture down under again this year in support of the Lions fans are being encouraged to Be Bold, Wear Gold, to all three of the Qantas Wallabies Test.

Queensland Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, said it is a real coup for Brisbane to have secured two opportunities for fans to watch one of the most iconic sporting teams in the world.

“For Rugby fans, these tickets will be some of the most sought-after in more than a decade,” Ms Stuckey said.

“We are expecting thousands of international and interstate visitors to Queensland during both the Test and tour match, which is great news for the tourism industry.

“The Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, is thrilled to bring these events to Brisbane in partnership with ARU, Stadiums Queensland and AEG Ogden, to showcase Queensland as a premier sporting and event destination.”

Test ticket prices have been set at the same levels for all three showdowns between the Qantas Wallabies and the Lions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Adults’ prices start at $95 for a Bronze category ticket, moving to $175 for Silver, $235 for Gold and $295 for Platinum.

By comparison:
•    2011 Rugby World Cup quarter final tickets in New Zealand ranged from $150 to $380;
•    2013 AFL grand final tickets will be priced from $176.50 to $390;
•    2003 Rugby World Cup quarter final tickets in Australia were priced from $95 to $295; and
•    2005 Lions Tour Test tickets in New Zealand were priced from $80 for some matches and up to $300 for the three Tests between the All Blacks and the Lions.

Tickets to the Reds v Lions Tour match start from just $24 for a Junior ticket and $29 for an adult ticket.

Tickets to the Qantas Wallabies v Lions Test and the Reds v Lions Tour match will go on sale through Ticketek at 9:00am on Monday 18 February.

For information on the British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia visit the Official Lions Tour Website for videos, interviews, news, ticketing information and more.