ERC finals return to Cardiff

ERC wrote:

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The Heineken Cup will be returning to its spiritual home when the final of the world's most competitive club rugby tournament is staged in Cardiff next year.
ERC's 2014 finals are set to go ahead in the Welsh capital with the Amlin Challenge Cup final played at the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 23 May 2014 and the 19th Heineken Cup showpiece event staged the following day at the 74,500-capacity Millennium Stadium.

The Welsh Rugby Union, with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government and local partners, were awarded the ERC finals following a competitive bid process and that decision creates a major opportunity to build on the city's rich Heineken Cup heritage after the highly successful staging of the two finals in 2011 when ERC's unique weekend festival of rugby generated a direct financial dividend of £24 million for Cardiff.

The Welsh capital is steeped in European club rugby history as the first two Heineken Cup tournament finals were played at the Cardiff Arms Park in 1996 and 1997, with Cardiff reaching the inaugural decider only to lose to Toulouse who have since gone on to win the coveted trophy on four occasions.

Four Heineken Cup finals have been played to date at the world-class Millennium Stadium with the most recent decider two years ago producing a classic European contest when Leinster Rugby defeated Northampton Saints with a dramatic second-half comeback.

Next year, ERC's highly popular European Champions Village will once again provide a focal point in the heart of Cardiff for fans to savour the unique atmosphere of a major European club rugby occasion.

Speaking at the announcement in Cardiff, ERC Chief Executive, Derek McGrath, said: "With fans from all corners of Europe set to travel to Wales next May, we see Cardiff as a hugely appealing setting for the finals weekend which has developed into one of the great events in Europe's sporting calendar. We will be working with the WRU, the Welsh Assembly Government, Visit Wales and Cardiff City Council to ensure that all supporters will enjoy a thoroughly positive experience.

"Cardiff has been the setting for some of the great finals in the past and in many ways, European club rugby is returning home. I have no doubt that the 2014 weekend at the Cardiff Arms Park and the Millennium Stadium will be yet another celebration of all that is good about European club rugby."

WRU Group Chief Executive, Roger Lewis, said: "We are delighted to have been chosen to again host the next Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

"We know from experience that it will be a fantastic rugby occasion and a great opportunity for Cardiff and Wales to welcome tens of thousands of supporters.

"We will work closely with Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government to make this yet another great event which will deliver millions of pounds into the wider South Wales economy and this is great news at this challenging economic period in our history.

"There is something special about a Heineken Cup final and our events team at the stadium has a well-deserved reputation for ensuring that we deliver a spectacular atmosphere."

John Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Culture and Sport, said: "I'm delighted that the ERC have chosen Wales and the Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Arms Park to host next year's finals and we look forward to welcoming the supporters and teams to Wales once again.

"The very nature of this event, with travelling supporters staying in the area for one night or more, means that the Heineken Cup final is by some distance the most economically lucrative single-day major event Wales has ever hosted."

Tickets for the finals will go on sale in early September and following the huge demand for last season's innovative offering which included tickets for both matches and passes to local tourist attractions, ERC is working with its local partners in Cardiff to develop a similar two-final European club rugby festival package for 2014.

The Heineken Cup final is broadcast in over 150 countries worldwide and players from as many as 12 nations were involved in the 2013 showpiece game between Toulon and ASM Clermont Auvergne.

ERC's second tournament, the Amlin Challenge Cup, continues to grow in stature highlighted by the pedigree of clubs such as Leinster Rugby, Biarritz Olympique, Harlequins and Cardiff Blues who have won the title in recent seasons.

FINALS - CARDIFF 2014
Amlin Challenge Cup - Cardiff Arms Park; Friday, 23 May 2014 (20.00)
Heineken Cup - Millennium Stadium; Saturday, 24 May 2014 (17.00)
(kick-offs local time)

Notes

• Following the decision of the FFR to withdraw its application to host the 2014 finals due to the ongoing uncertainty over the availability of the Stade de France, the Board of ERC received bid proposals to host the finals from England, Scotland and Wales, with the Welsh bid proving successful after a competitive process.

• The first two Heineken Cup finals in 1996 and 1997 were played in the Welsh capital with both matches staged at Cardiff Arms Park.

• 2014 will be the fifth staging of the Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium. The four previous finals were: 2011 Leinster Rugby v Northampton Saints, 2008 Munster Rugby v Toulouse, 2006 Munster Rugby v Biarritz Olympique, 2002 Leicester Tigers v Munster Rugby.

• A European club final will be played on an artificial pitch for the first time when the 12,500-capacity Cardiff Arms Park, currently the home of the Cardiff Blues, hosts the 2014 Amlin Challenge Cup final.

• Opened in 1999, the Millennium Stadium has a capacity of 74,500.

• A total of 290,000 spectators have attended the four Heineken Cup finals to date at the Millennium Stadium.

• Eight Welsh players have Heineken Cup winners medals: Ieuan Evans (Bath Rugby 1998), Rob Howley (London Wasps 2004), Gethin Jenkins (Toulon 2013), Andy Newman (Northampton Saints 2000), Tony Rees (Brive 1997), Nathan Thomas (Bath Rugby 1998), Gareth Thomas (Toulouse 2005), Richard Webster (Bath Rugby 1998).

• Cardiff Blues won the Amlin Challenge Cup in 2010 defeating Toulon in the final in Marseille in front of a tournament record crowd of 48,990.

• The Millennium Stadium was the scene of rugby union's first penalty shoot-out when Leicester Tigers defeated Cardiff Blues after extra-time in the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final.

• 44 clubs from eight countries take part in ERC's tournaments annually.

• The 2011 Amlin Challenge Cup final, when Harlequins defeated Stade Francais Paris with a dramatic late converted try, was staged at Cardiff City Stadium.

• A total of 1.68 million spectators have attended the 18 Heineken Cup finals to date.

• Heineken Cup matches have been played in 10 countries including Spain, Belgium and Switzerland, and test players from as many as 21 nations were included in this season's club squads.

*Cardiff 2011 finals

• The economic impact on Cardiff from the 2011 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup finals amounted to £24 million.

• 84% of the 83,000 fans who attended both finals came from outside Wales.

• 61% of fans who attended both finals stayed overnight in Wales.

*Economic impact survey conducted by Repucom International


http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/news/21715.php#.UeZogI21G40?utm_source=mdm

Great news, I'll try and get to both finals.

Personally I'll be watching the Tigers on the box most likely that Saturday (most likely).

[ed] p.s. Let's hope that they had spoken to Network Rail before they made this decision.

Great news for the city of Cardiff.

Always good to have a neutral venue for the Heineken Cup Final too.

Cheeky Cyril ^_^ .

Can't wait!

Heh, only joshing

We may be nowhere near the top playing-wise but at least I can take comfort in knowing we're a cut above the rest when it comes to hosting!

So yeah, let's see any of you minnows even try to out-host us! You couldn't do it if you had tea good for 10 refills!

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Personally I'll be watching the Tigers on the box most likely that Saturday (most likely).

[ed] p.s. Let's hope that they had spoken to Network Rail before they made this decision.

I very much doubt it after all why spoil habit of a lifetime, then again Lewis and Co still won't give a flying feck cos the will be in hospitality somewhere and won't have to lower themselves to public transport.

+ve for me is it is close to home
-ve if its a 5 o'clock KO nightmare to get home

All day drinking, early evening rugby and a Saturday night out in Cardiff, what could be better!
I should imagine the issues around transport will not need resolution until the likely finalists emerge - addtional trains from London and/or the midlands or from Holyhead/Pembroke for the Irish lads. I'm assuming the French largely would fly in and the prospect of exrta travel from Scotland, Italy or any other Welsh towns would be not required

The Amlin at the Arms Park will be good, a nice showcase for their artificial pitch.

Last time I was at the Millenium for an HEC final (some time ago now Munster v biarritz) we were all queued up outside the station, thousands of us when the penultimate train arrived. The ticket colelctors wanted to preserve the safety of the train and only let a few on - at risk to their own health perhaps.

Last train came in and thankfully I was close enough to the front of the queue - reckon there must have been several thousand locked out.

Irish Londoner wrote:All day drinking, early evening rugby and a Saturday night out in Cardiff, what could be better!
I should imagine the issues around transport will not need resolution until the likely finalists emerge - addtional trains from London and/or the midlands or from Holyhead/Pembroke for the Irish lads. I'm assuming the French largely would fly in and the prospect of exrta travel from Scotland, Italy or any other Welsh towns would be not required

What a charmingly naÎve and folksy concept of Network Rail.

Bless!  

Portnoy, it's what happend when the Millenium hosted football games during the Wembley rebuilding - they didn't allocate extra trains until they knew where the teams were coming from!
Of course the conspriacy theorist in me would suggest that no trains out of Cardiff after the game = big income surge for Cardiff pubs and hotels.
But they wouldn't be that mercenary - would they

LondonTiger wrote:Last time I was at the Millenium for an HEC final (some time ago now Munster v biarritz) we were all queued up outside the station, thousands of us when the penultimate train arrived. The ticket colelctors wanted to preserve the safety of the train and only let a few on - at risk to their own health perhaps.

Last train came in and thankfully I was close enough to the front of the queue - reckon there must have been several thousand locked out.

Had the same experience at Saints v Leinster HEC final as you LT and got on a train luckily.

Lions v Argentina was a nightmare as missed last train (or it was full) ended up coaches back to Briss. Took hours

LondonTiger wrote:Last time I was at the Millenium for an HEC final (some time ago now Munster v biarritz) we were all queued up outside the station, thousands of us when the penultimate train arrived. The ticket colelctors wanted to preserve the safety of the train and only let a few on - at risk to their own health perhaps.

Last train came in and thankfully I was close enough to the front of the queue - reckon there must have been several thousand locked out.

It's like that after every 6 Nations game, ridiculous.

We all like to stick up for and protect our Country in various ways and issues BUT this is one area where please feel free to slate or slag us off.

Our network system into and out of Cardiff on match days is an absolute disgrace and shambles, there is never enough trains laid on or even extra carriages.

We have to suffer this everytime Wales are at home yet the money grabbing bar stewards at the WRU arrange Friday night games for us in the 6 Nations while they are still quaffing it in the corporate/hospitality boxes then having to slum it in some posh hotel for the night all expenses I bet.

We can all moan about the transport after a game but it has nothing on Wembley. I went there for a concert ona Friday evening the other week and it was horrendous getting out. We were all hearded in one direction and barrackaded in, it was scary. It took hours to leave. A lot climbed over barriers rather than wait. We did the same went for a curry then came back an dpeople were still trying to get to the trains.

Considering the train company is run by Germans, are we surprised that they show little if any interest in rugby...?

With the dates announced, i imagine there will be about 27320965203535156056129653109325 Arriva Trains Wales strikes mentioned as a way to extort even more pay for their hardup workers at the expense of us rugby fans

maestegmafia wrote:Considering the train company is run by Germans, are we surprised that they show little if any interest in rugby...?

Perhaps, but surely if we're going down the stereotype route then efficiency levels should be good.

Of course it's just dawned on me - when I've gone to Cardiff for football there were always extra trains laid on before/after football because they didn't want large munbers of football supporters hanging arounf Cardiff city centre after the games.
On the other hand as rugby supporters are much less likely to cause trouble then they can be ignored!

Just wondering surely the ground the blues were sharing with City would hold more.

I work for network rail and there should.....should be extra trains on the South Wales main line. There are for rugby ints, concerts at the MS. However, sat night into sun morning is prime time for essential engineering works. So the chance of a train after midnight out of Cardiff is slim.

Irish Londoner wrote:On the other hand as rugby supporters are much less likely to cause trouble then they can be ignored!

The AIs will be proof of that, Cardiff Vrs Swansea in football is on the day after one of the Wales games. Should be two totally different, dedicated, sports fans atmospheres.

ERC Finals in Cardiff? Time to learn French.

Why when most of the their club squads speak English ?

Good point.

If two French teams got to the final at MS, there wouldn't be any room for paying spectators as all the seating would be occupied by their squads.

Brendan wrote:Just wondering surely the ground the blues were sharing with City would hold more.

 It easily holds more as far as I can remember.  But they might be nervous about getting the crowd for that game.  Was it Stade v Quins in the Amlin in Cardiff the last time and if I remember right there were an awful lot of empty seats.

probably more of a spectacle for it being the 'first european final on a plastic pitch' that won the ERC over. Plus, it's a traditional rugby ground and not a football ground.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2369189/Network-Rail-bosses-line-5million-double-money-bonuses-despite-missing-punctuality-targets.html will gladden the hearts of all WRU and Regional directors.

Yes it is a Daily Mail article so it's bound to be sensationalist unlike the measured journal of record - The Western Mail.

Brendan wrote:Just wondering surely the ground the blues were sharing with City would hold more.

Yes it holds more, but Cardiff City would profit from staging this game at CCS as it is their ground. Having it at the Arms Park means Cardiff Blues will rake in the cash. Marvelous news and with the HEC final next door, a supporters village set up on our plastic pitch will make it a double kerching.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:

Brendan wrote:Just wondering surely the ground the blues were sharing with City would hold more.

 It easily holds more as far as I can remember.  But they might be nervous about getting the crowd for that game.  Was it Stade v Quins in the Amlin in Cardiff the last time and if I remember right there were an awful lot of empty seats.

Aye, the infamous "Stade were robbed" final.

Breadvan wrote:I work for network rail and there should.....should be extra trains on the South Wales main line. There are for rugby ints, concerts at the MS. However, sat night into sun morning is prime time for essential engineering works. So the chance of a train after midnight out of Cardiff is slim.

Non existent rather than slim in my experience of Arriva trains and they often put on busses after 11pm.
As for "essential engineering works" - does this include an Arriva employee running up and down the platform with an old and battered galvanised watering can, topping up the leaky rads? Twas hilarious. You had to see it to believe it.

Breadvan wrote:I work for network rail and there should.....should be extra trains on the South Wales main line. There are for rugby ints, concerts at the MS. However, sat night into sun morning is prime time for essential engineering works. So the chance of a train after midnight out of Cardiff is slim.

Which again makes a mockery of the WRU agreeing to Friday night 6 Nations games.

In any case great news for Cardiff RFC.

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2369189/Network-Rail-bosses-line-5million-double-money-bonuses-despite-missing-punctuality-targets.html will gladden the hearts of all WRU and Regional directors.

Yes it is a Daily Mail article so it's bound to be sensationalist unlike the measured journal of record - The Western Mail.

Give me the Mercury any day!