World Cup ticket prices not set yet

Cash strapped Kiwi punters and unfinished stadiums mean organisers of the 2011 Rugby World Cup are still sweating on projected profits two years before the tournament kicks off.

Ticket prices for the 48 matches at rugby's showpiece event in New Zealand will be announced in November, but RNZ chief executive Martin Snedden admitted this week forecasting revenue remains a problematic area. Ticket sales will be the only revenue available to RNZ 2011 with about $280 million needed for the tournament to reach its projected $30 million loss.

Snedden believes the tournament's on track to reach that target, but with the economic recession hitting fans in the pocket and seven unfinished stadiums delaying precise ticket pricing models he's not about to pop the champagne corks yet.

"We are still working through prices," he said yesterday. "It's more getting the thing really accurate. One of the things about having stadia under development is you don't have certainty around seat numbers so there is a lot of work done using computers to work out exactly how many seats you have.

"Once we have the exact figures then we can get into the pricing because every ground will have A seats, B seats, C seats and some will have standing.

"Where it [the recession] is likely to have an impact on us is next year when we go to market, or go live on ticket sales. I'm just hoping that economic conditions gradually improve between now and then.

"It's not going to dramatically improve, but at least if in a confidence sense people feel like its getting better then that will help us."

IRB officials were greeted by Prime Minister John Key at a pristine Hamilton Stadium yesterday, but seven New Zealand stadiums are currently undergoing makeovers.

That includes the massive indoor Dunedin facility, which is no certainty to make the start line.

"Eden Park's obviously the focal point and that's in terrific shape now.," Snedden said. "It's two months ahead of schedule and due for finishing October next year and it's on budget.

Christchurch and Napier are on track to be completed at the end of this year, Whangarei in July next year and Nelson, which is to get under way shortly, to finish in the middle of next year.

"Probably in terms of stadia the one that's going to drive us to the wire is the Dunedin Stadium. We aren't worried about it because we've got Carisbrook as a back up," Snedden said.

"But we would dearly love to use the new stadium, but ... I'm not privy to the conditions of funding they are under, but they are highly motivated to have it ready.

"One of the nice things about this tournament is a whole lot of people's reputations are on the line and that's an example of it.

"I know they will pull out all stops to get the stadium finished on time. It may be that the concrete's still drying as the players run out, but I think they will get there."

When tickets finally are put up for public sale they will be sold in phases with "packs" set to go first in the first quarter of next year.

"What will happen is we will have an ability for people to buy packs of tickets, so if you were in Wellington and wanted to go to every match at the Stadium, then you could buy a pack of tickets.

"If you wanted to follow England you could buy a pack for all of their matches. We are trying to get that right and numbers are naturally important.

"There will be individual sales will be another phase. We will start with the packs and see how many people fall within that then move on to individual sales after that."

Snedden is aiming for the "challenging, but achievable" target of selling out the 25 matches outside the main centres before the tournament starts.

The unknown is how pre sales to the pricier tickets to the big matches will go.

There are 23 matches at Eden Park, Christchurch and Wellington and 25 at another 10 venues. "The New Zealand market... effectively we have a position where we have 14 or 15 matches that by New Zealand standards will be highly priced and that's from the quarter final stages onwards plus the All Blacks matches and two or three big pool matches. "But then you have a whole raft of matches, probably 32 or 33 that are priced quite differently, that are actually similar to Super 14 or All Blacks prices.

"Price won't be an issue for those games I don't think. Where the ticket pressure comes is in the big games... Then it's a matter of what happens during the tournament."

- © Fairfax NZ News