Lions tour opener nearing sellout

Nearly 22,000 tickets have already been snapped up for the British and Irish Lions rugby tour opener in Rotorua next June.

Interest has been high with 21,427 of the allocated 28,550 available public tickets for the June 4 tour opener against Bay of Plenty at Rotorua International Stadium requested, as of yesterday, by 6549 supporters.

Under the New Zealand Rugby Union's ticket system for the tour, supporters have registered their first, second and third options for that game on the lions.co.nz website.

The registration period closes on December 24 and New Zealand Rugby Union officials expect the demand for tickets to the opener to grow as other venues fill.

About 150,000 tickets will be available to all the Lions matches via the ballot which, apart from hospitality sales, is the only way for the public to get tickets.

The Bay of Plenty match has the largest number of public tickets available - 28,550 - while venues like Hamilton, where the New Zealand Maori play, and test venues - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch - are expected to see ticket demands far outweigh availability.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Paul Abbot expected a sellout well before June.

"I think because of the size of the stadium (Rotorua) people think they will be able to buy a ticket at the ground but that won't be the case once the other matches fill."

Tickets to the Rotorua match range between $35 and $100 for adults and $10 for children. There is also a family package (two adults and two children) available for $90.

When registering, people are asked to give their name and contact details, match preference, number of tickets wanted and to indicate a price range they are willing to pay.

Members of New Zealand's rugby community, including season pass holders and people living within the boundaries of provincial unions hosting Lions matches, will have a higher chance in the ballot through a weighting system.

- NZPA