World Cup Sells Out!

Ticketmaster- the online agent for Saturday's World Cup pool games - are reporting that all tickets have now sold out, 36 hours before the event. This must be the first time that any women's rugby internationals have sold out - anywhere. No doubt RFUW and the IRB will be saying how positive this is, but that is so much spin.

The fact is that by using a venue equipped to take a mere 2,500 spectators this cannot be entirely unexpected - indeed questions about that appeared on here and elsewhere a few months ago. It is clear that the venue could take more - probably another 500-1,000 easily. The stands that have been put up are pretty tiny, even on Pitch One, while the one of Pitch Two is a bit of a joke. However, at the time RFUW said that - if tickets did sell out - they would attempt to increase the capacity. Presumably it will now be too late, even supposing such plans ever existed.

It demonstrates a shocking lack of ambition and self-belief by those in charge. As days one and two also sold out within a few hours of the start, the net result of this is that the tournament has been and will now continue to turn away money - almost certainly thousands of pounds (an extra 500 spectators at £10 a head over three days...). In a sport that is so short of funding that is astonishing.

One of the arguments that is used by some in the IRB and various Unions to defend a male-dominated rugby world is that women's rugby and tournaments like the Women's World Cup always make a loss, and that they could never take place without the profits that come from the men's tournament. As a result the women's game has to put up with being a second class citizen in the rugby world, as many of the teams at Guildford can show. It is also the reason why three-quarters of the women's rugby world was not even allowed to compete for a place at this years tournament (it is clear that several African unions wanted to have a chance to qualify, but the IRB simply put South Africa forward, mainly - one suspects - to save money).

It will be fascinating to see the final accounts for this tournament, because a profitable WRWC 2010 could change those attitudes - forever. Indeed if does not now make a sizable profit then some serious questions will need to be asked.