Pros and cons of high priced rugby tickets
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High priced tickets and cricket match-like scores is one of the troubling issues for the present quality of rugby played at schools level. This week we took the question to the public and some prominent figures in the rugby circle.
Rizah Mubarak 
(National Ruggerite)
They are making rugby too commercialised. At school level it should be more about passion and not financially motivated. And by charging such a thumping amount they are robbing the public of enjoying an amazing sport.
Dinesh Janaka (Rugby coach)
Rugby is an expensive sport and to fuel all the players’ need that vary from supplements, nutrition and boots and so on and so forth we rely on ticket sales to cover the cost. It is a necessary evil.
Nuwan Nishantha (Gym trainer)
With regard to the high priced tickets when good teams clash a lot of people come to watch it, so to satisfy the basic demand and supply chain the prices instantly go up.
The cricket like scores we have witnessed are due to lack of fitness. The first half teams are able to keep track but the second half the less fitter team loses grip and thus leaves way for the more gym oriented team to take over and crush their opponents.
Nihal Mudannayake
(Rugby match official)
In this day and age rugby has become an expensive sport, ground costs alone can drive up the ticket price becacause most schools have to rent out a ground which is not a cheap thing to do. Thus the spectators have to face the brunt of this. Also cheap tickets might attract the wrong sort of crowd and it will be hard to control the arena. I am still baffled by the Thurstan vs St. Anthony’s match triple digit score. These cricket scores sprout from the difference in the teams levels of playing.
D. Nimal
(Rugby referee)
The tickets are far too expensive, the parents grandparents siblings aren’t able to come and enjoy watching their loved one on the field as a normal Sri Lankan family cannot exactly afford to drop thousands on tickets every week, by increasing the ticket prices we are denying those who really want to come.
The large gap between the scores can be attributed to the fact that most of the giants in the school arena are able to afford the latest equipment supplements and what not but the schools that cannot really lose out in the race.
Uditha Wijeratna
(Carey College rugby captain)
Any talent seen on the field will be snatched up by the main schools leaving the growing small schools vulnerable thus leaving way for such a large gap in the scores.
My team members have been recruited by the giants like St. Peter’s, Isipathana, Royal and so on, not leaving places for their home grown players, in this case rugby has lost its pride and prestige in playing for your alma mater. I must admit the tickets are too expensive for the common Sri Lankan to purchase but at the end of the day what can we do.
Suranga Ariyaratne 
(Rugby coach)
Standards increase, crowds increase thus the ticket prices will also increase. A few superior teams are to be blamed for the cricket like scores we have witnessed this season.
Aruna Matagoda
(Businessman from Kandy)
The most expensive tickets are Rs. 200 in Kandy, and in Colombo the cheapest is Rs. 500 if we are lucky. Colombo is able to get away with this because at the end of the day people will pay to watch quality rugby.
Kamal Jayawardhana
(Rugby coach)
The pricing of the tickets this season are an unreasonable burden on the families of the players and sports enthusiasts alike. In my forty years of coaching I have witnessed the game of rugby evolve and get faster and much more competitive. A healthy nine-point gap should be the norm but now the cricket like scores have taken over.
- Pix by Amila Gamage
