Fans will return to the Aviva Stadium next month for two international rugby fixtures against Japan on July 3rd and the USA one week later.
Capacity at the Aviva for the Vodafone Summer Series will be limited to up to 3,000 supporters for the game against Japan 6,000 supporters for the USA fixture on the 10th July.
These figures are six and 12 per cent of the full capacity that would normally be permitted.
It will be the first time that any supporters will have attended the Aviva Stadium since Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations game against Wales on the 8th February 2020.
In recognition of their contribution to society, the IRFU will allocate 300 tickets for the Japan Game to front line workers, while all clubs will be represented by club Presidents, who will be invited guests of IRFU President, Des Kavanagh.
For the USA game, one-quarter of the reduced capacity will go to rugby clubs via their branch ticket office. Any tickets not taken up by clubs will be reallocated by the branch ticket office. It is unlikely that any tickets will go on public sale.
All tickets are priced at €40 for both games, higher than the €15 and €5 charged for the matches at Croke Park.
As these are pilot events, the remaining tickets will be allocated, in reduced numbers to players’ partners and family members, long term ticketholders and IRFU sponsors and media partners.
All attendees will be required to adhere to strict COVID safety protocols in order to ensure the success of these events. They will echo the ones seen already at Croke Park and at the RDS and other locations that have thus far staged games. There has been a significant level of collaboration between all the main sporting bodies, under the leadership of a group chaired by Martin Murphy of the Aviva Stadium.
“Firstly I would like to thank the government for their approval of these two international rugby fixtures as pilot events,” said IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne.
“It has been a long time since the Ireland team have played in front of live albeit limited support, at the Aviva Stadium.”
“These games are initial positive steps on the journey back to hopefully full stadia across the Island. The numbers are small, but I am sure spectators will make themselves heard in cheering on the team. We look to deliver two successful safe events, as our part in the government approved sporting and cultural pilots in the months ahead.”
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