ts.com

New Super League Rugby Club reveals innovative ticketing for fans

New Super League rugby club Catalans Dragons have announced that they are using the award-winning online sales and marketing service ticketingsolutions to sell match tickets for the 2006 season. ticketingsolutions will handle all online, phone, walk-up and merchandise sales for the Club throughout the Super League this year.

Catalans Dragons, based in the southwest French town of Perpignan, were selected ahead of Toulouse and Villeneuve to enter the 2006 Super League. They will play their first league game of the season against Wigan Warriors at the Aimé Giral stadium in Perpignan on Saturday 11th February 2006. With the ticketingsolutions service in place, supporters of Catalans Dragons, including many from the UK, will now be able to buy both match and season tickets online for the first time via the club’s new website www.catalansdragons.com.

Grant Mayer, CEO of Catalans Dragons said, “This is an exciting time for the team and its supporters. Online booking with ticketingsolutions means that we can now offer fans a much faster and more convenient way to purchase their tickets in advance. It’s another step forward for the Club, and an example of the high level of customer service it continually strives for”.

With the help of the system the Club is now able to cater for its international supporters more effectively. Tickets are available for online purchase in either French or English with the system automatically recognising which language to display once the main selection has been made on the website. As Grant says, “Catalans Dragons have a loyal supporter base who travel far and wide to see the team play. Tickets for every single match of the 2006 season can be purchased in advance through ticketingsolutions. This means that supporters will be able to take advantage of cheaper airfares by booking early, safe in the knowledge that they already have their tickets for the match.”

Unallocated seating will be sold via the ticketingsolutions system for the Club’s home games at its three stadiums in Perpignan and Narbonnes, France and Figures in Spain. Once the onlinetransaction has been processed, fans will receive an email confirmation that they will print out and redeem for a printed ticket at the ground. As Grant explains, “online bookers will not only get their tickets guaranteed, they will also be able to collect their tickets from a separate gate at the ground, which will reduce queuing time and provide much faster, more streamlined ticket collection”.

Matthew Hare, Managing Director of ts.com, which provides the service, added, “we are delighted to be helping Catalans Dragons offer their supporters accessible and user-friendly ticketing. The Club is leading the way in ticketing for the sports industry, and its use of the ticketingsolutions service is a reflection of its ongoing commitment to high quality performance, both on and off the pitch”.

Catalans Dragons join other rugby league clubs Salford City Reds, Leigh Centurions, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, York City Knights and Celtic Crusaders in their use of ticketingsolutions.