The Heineken Cup will return to its inaugural venue in May 2014 when the final will be staged in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. The Amlin Cup Final will be staged on a plastic pitch for the first time at the nearby Cardiff Arms Park.
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 made necessary at short notice when the French Rugby Union withdrew from the original plan to stage the finals in Paris.
Bids were made by the English, Scottish and Welsh Unions and Cardiff was announced as the winner yesterday. The IRFU is understood not to have entered the process despite the success of May’s hosting of both finals in Dublin.
The French decision was made because of uncertainty over the availability of Stade de France but the background was also heavily shadowed by the notice given by English and French authorities that the 2014 Heineken Cup would be the last unless major changes were introduced to the size, broadcast contracts and qualification processes for the tournament.
Meetings held under intense public and media scrutiny failed to find a compromise over the winter and the public process of negotiation at least was paused over recent months with the Six Nations, the 2013 finals and the Lions Tour taking centre stage.
European Rugby Cup Limited has extended a relationship with Sky Sports for the continued broadcast of the event while the English authorities have signed what appears to be a conflicting arrangement for the broadcast of European matches involving English clubs with BT Sport.
That contract is due to kick in after the 2014 finals and the clock is now ticking louder and faster on the future of the Heineken Cup which has been a cornerstone of Club and Irish Provincial Rugby since its inception in 1996.
If as seems likely the survival of the tournament is based on a changed qualification process with fewer places available to the smaller nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy, it is important that changes are known before or close to the start of the RaboDirect Pro 12 tournament in September.
One suggestion is that automatic qualification will be reduced to four with two other places to ensure that at least one team comes forward from each of the participating nations.
It would be possible to change the terms of qualification mid season but it would be difficult and may even be subject to challenge through courts, a process that would be dangerous for the ongoing future of the event.
Cardiff is nonetheless celebrating. An economic impact survey on the staging of the finals there in 2011 suggested that there was a benefit of £24 million for the city and surrounding areas.
“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,” said WRU Group Chief Executive, Roger Lewis
Tickets for the finals will go on sale in early September and following the demand for last season’s innovative offering which included tickets for both matches and passes to local tourist attractions in Dublin, ERC is working with its local partners in Cardiff to develop a similar two-final European club rugby festival package for 2014.
Sports Tourism Seminar at Croke Park (September 19th)
Sport for Business 20/20 at Ulster Bank HQ (October 8th)
The Business of Youth Sport Seminar (November 28th)
