Lions tickets 'are too expensive'

Empty seats have been a familiar sight on the tour

South Africa rugby chiefs have admitted that lower than expected attendances on the British and Irish Lions tour are partly down to high ticket prices.

Organisers have been criticised for a ticketing policy which saw seats on sale for the Tests for about £84.

The Lions played their warm-up games to half-full stadiums, while there were even empty seats for the first Test.

"We would have re-examined the prices if we knew about the economy," said SA Rugby's acting chief Andy Marinos.

"There are many reasons (for the attendance figures), including the global economic downturn.

"When we consulted the hosting provinces and our ticket agency a year ago there was a consensus that these prices were appropriate.

"The Lions were aware of the prices and at no time suggested they were excessive.

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"No one has been spared the effects of the downturn. British and Irish Lions Limited requested an average of 11,000 tickets for each of the Tests and were unable to sell out their allocation."

South Africa's games in the Tri Nations are usually priced at about £10 to £35.

Marinos said he had been pleased with the overall crowd figures for the Lions games during the tour.

"The average match attendance for all 10 fixtures is predicted to be around 35,000 - higher than for either of the previous two Lions tours," he said.

"We will have had 99% attendance for the first two Tests and crowds of more than 34,000 for the three matches either side, which is a very positive return."

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