Saints supporters to benefit from major investment
By Editor
Northampton Saints has confirmed its commitment to remaining as the leading rugby club in terms of customer satisfaction following massive investment into the club's ticketing system and customer service this summer.
The club has teamed up with Milton Keynes-based Tickets.com, whose clients include the National Football League and Chelsea FC, to introduce a state of the art ticketing system to be introduced later this week.
The new system means that Saints will be moving away from the traditional season ticket book to an electronic card which will give each member a unique barcode – a system familiar from many top venues around the world – which will be scanned at the turnstile as they enter the stadium.
The new system has also allowed the club to introduce a third tier of membership. For just £5, Registered Saints Supporters will be given a supporters card which will give a number of benefits including discounted match tickets, a priority booking period for home and away matches and knockout cup tickets and will also give membership to the new Saints Savers Club to be launched this season.
Like season ticket holders, associate members and registered supporters will also be given access to their own unique members site which will allow them to manage their membership account online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including the instant purchase of extra game tickets (eg knockout cup matches at Franklin’s Gardens) where necessary. Supporters will be able to print out their tickets at home, thereby reducing the reliance on the postal service and increasing convenience.
In time the system will also allow casual supporters to print tickets at home, away tickets will be made available online as well as other additional events that may be held at the club. And over the next few seasons the club is intending to improve this system even further, especially if the proposed expansion of Franklin’s Gardens goes ahead.
With three pre-season friendly matches before the Guinness Premiership gets underway there are ample opportunities for supporters to get used to the new system and how it will work at Franklin’s Gardens.
“The feedback we get from supporters about the approachability and professionalism of our ticket office staff is very positive and was reflected in the results of the Premier Rugby Fans’ Survey,” said Saints chief executive Allan Robson. “However one area for improvement was online ticketing, which we are putting right with this investment. The new system is simple to operate, convenient and completely secure and will keep us at the forefront of customer service.
“As we look to expand Franklin’s Gardens in the next few years it is important that we are as efficient as we can be without compromising our customer service principles that are appreciated by supporters across the country. The system we are bringing in will allow us to do that and I am very excited about its possibilities.”
Showing posts with label rugby tickets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rugby tickets. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
International Rugby in Charleston July 4
Independence Day brings international rugby to Charleston, when the USA Men’s National Team takes on staunch rivals Canada in a Rugby World Cup Qualifier match on July 4 at Blackbaud Stadium (kickoff 4 p.m. EST). For the first time in USA Rugby’s partnership with the ESPN networks, this cross-border clash will be broadcast LIVE in HD on ESPN.
The match in Charleston is the first of a two-legged North American Qualification Playoff between the USA and Canada, with the second match to be played on July 11 at Ellerslie Rugby Park in Edmonton.
“It is imperative for us to reach the Rugby World Cup,” said USA Eagles Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan. “We have got to beat Canada on July 4 and 11 to go straight through, if not we will go into a repechage against Uruguay. That's the way they qualified last time around so that's the immediate short term goal, and if we qualify that will give us a two-year run-in to the next World Cup to become a more seasoned, experienced outfit.”
Both the USA and Canada enter the series following a grueling summer international schedule, with each squad facing off against Ireland and Wales before launching into the three-week Churchill Cup tournament.
Recently promoted to an 18th global ranking by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the USA Eagles head into the test rolling on the momentum of a commanding 31-13 victory over the Georgian National Team in the Churchill Cup Bowl (5th place) Finals on June 21. Canada hopes to recover from a disappointing 44-29 loss at the hands of Argentina Jaguars in the Churchill Cup Plate (3rd place) Final.
However, the ultimate victor of the USA-Canada series is anyone’s game. When the two teams last met in Chicago in June 2008, the USA dominated the first half of the match and sent the Canadians into the locker rooms held scoreless at the halftime. However, Canada turned the tables after the break and came thundering back to win it 26-10.
This time around, the USA hopes a healthy blend of youth and experience will do the trick. Its challenging schedule has led the Team USA to test out a new generation of players alongside its go-to veterans in order to find the best combinations building toward the RWC qualifiers.
“We are currently narrowing down our pool to the squad we want to compete in the qualifiers and we’ve allowed a lot of new players a chance to get some time on the field and show us what they can do,” said O’Sullivan.
“We have about two weeks before we play (Canada) in Charleston and with five games in three weeks it has taken its toll,” O’Sullivan added. “We need these next two weeks to recover and really turn all our focus to Canada.”
The winner of the North American Qualification series will claim the Americas 1 spot in Pool A of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and face the host nation, as well as France, Tonga and the top Asian qualifier.
The loser moves on to face Uruguay, the winner of the South American Qualification Playoff, in a two game series to determine the Americas 2 qualifying side, which will take its place in Pool C of the World Cup against the likes of Australia, Ireland, Italy and the Europe 2 qualifier.
A four-team Final Place Playoff will be held to decide the 20th qualifying team in the Rugby World Cup. This would include the third place Americas team versus the second place Asian team in a semifinal, with the winner playing the victor of the European 3 team against the African 2 team to claim the final spot in the RWC.
Buy tickets now to catch the USA vs. Canada live at Blackbaud Stadium via www.tickets.com.
For more information on the USA Men’s National Team and the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, please visit www.usarugby.org.
The match in Charleston is the first of a two-legged North American Qualification Playoff between the USA and Canada, with the second match to be played on July 11 at Ellerslie Rugby Park in Edmonton.
“It is imperative for us to reach the Rugby World Cup,” said USA Eagles Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan. “We have got to beat Canada on July 4 and 11 to go straight through, if not we will go into a repechage against Uruguay. That's the way they qualified last time around so that's the immediate short term goal, and if we qualify that will give us a two-year run-in to the next World Cup to become a more seasoned, experienced outfit.”
Both the USA and Canada enter the series following a grueling summer international schedule, with each squad facing off against Ireland and Wales before launching into the three-week Churchill Cup tournament.
Recently promoted to an 18th global ranking by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the USA Eagles head into the test rolling on the momentum of a commanding 31-13 victory over the Georgian National Team in the Churchill Cup Bowl (5th place) Finals on June 21. Canada hopes to recover from a disappointing 44-29 loss at the hands of Argentina Jaguars in the Churchill Cup Plate (3rd place) Final.
However, the ultimate victor of the USA-Canada series is anyone’s game. When the two teams last met in Chicago in June 2008, the USA dominated the first half of the match and sent the Canadians into the locker rooms held scoreless at the halftime. However, Canada turned the tables after the break and came thundering back to win it 26-10.
This time around, the USA hopes a healthy blend of youth and experience will do the trick. Its challenging schedule has led the Team USA to test out a new generation of players alongside its go-to veterans in order to find the best combinations building toward the RWC qualifiers.
“We are currently narrowing down our pool to the squad we want to compete in the qualifiers and we’ve allowed a lot of new players a chance to get some time on the field and show us what they can do,” said O’Sullivan.
“We have about two weeks before we play (Canada) in Charleston and with five games in three weeks it has taken its toll,” O’Sullivan added. “We need these next two weeks to recover and really turn all our focus to Canada.”
The winner of the North American Qualification series will claim the Americas 1 spot in Pool A of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and face the host nation, as well as France, Tonga and the top Asian qualifier.
The loser moves on to face Uruguay, the winner of the South American Qualification Playoff, in a two game series to determine the Americas 2 qualifying side, which will take its place in Pool C of the World Cup against the likes of Australia, Ireland, Italy and the Europe 2 qualifier.
A four-team Final Place Playoff will be held to decide the 20th qualifying team in the Rugby World Cup. This would include the third place Americas team versus the second place Asian team in a semifinal, with the winner playing the victor of the European 3 team against the African 2 team to claim the final spot in the RWC.
Buy tickets now to catch the USA vs. Canada live at Blackbaud Stadium via www.tickets.com.
For more information on the USA Men’s National Team and the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, please visit www.usarugby.org.
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