TEMPORARY STANDS are to be put in place at the Sportsground in Galway over a number of weeks next season to cater for the 7,500-strong capacity crowds which are expected to attend Connacht’s three home pool games in the Heineken Cup.
Leinster’s victory over Northampton Saints has opened the door for Connacht to take part in club rugby’s biggest tournament for the first time.
Tickets went on sale on Monday and staff reported brisk demand for packages which will allow fans take in the three home Heineken Cup games as well as 11 Magners League fixtures in 2011-2012.
Connacht Rugby officials have ruled out moving the high-profile games to another venue. Instead they plan to install the kind of temporary seating which allowed them to cater for 7,500 fans during last year’s Amlin cup semi-final against French club Toulon.
“We would normally be selling our season tickets earlier, but we took a gamble by holding off in order to see how the final would go,” said Connacht Rugby chief executive Gerry Kelly.
“Mind you, at half-time . . . it didn’t look as though we would be playing in the Heineken Cup next season. It will be a challenge on and off the field for us. We would have had three Amlin Cup games at home anyway, but now we can expect these three Heineken Cup games and the three interprovincial games to sell out next season,” he said.
“It makes the season tickets great value, bearing in mind that the cost of them is slightly down on last year.”
Less than two years ago, Connacht secured planning permission for a new €1.5 million stand to cater for close to 2,000 people opposite the existing stand. Those plans were put on hold due to the economic downturn.
Eric Elwood’s first season in charge of the province has led to a new mood of optimism, despite the departures of key players Seán Cronin (Leinster), Fionn Carr (Leinster), Jamie Hagan (Leinster), and Ian Keatley (Munster).
For information about ticket packages see connachtrugby.ie