FOLLOWING VIAGOGO’S recent run of securing sports marketing partnerships with some of the biggest organisations in professional sport, the secondary ticketing company found itself at the centre of a negative story with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) this week.
The Supreme Court in London dismissed an appeal by Viagogo against an order forcing it to reveal the names of people who had used its website to sell on tickets for autumn internationals in 2010 and Six Nations games in 2011.
The RFU claims to be the first national governing body to take action against the likes of Viagogo – which enables ticket holders to sell on tickets at any price they wish – in order to preserve the notion of rights holders being able to offer tickets at affordable prices.
The decision by the Supreme Court sets an important precedent for sports governing bodies and rights holders which may seek legal action if they deem their tickets to be resold at unreasonably high prices, which in turn, may have serious knock-on effects to future marketing and sponsorship partnerships for companies like Viagogo.
A statement by the RFU read: “If a seller is found to be listing these tickets on secondary websites they face tough sanctions, including possible court action. The RFU has made the case throughout that it seeks to maintain the price of tickets at a reasonable level in the interests of the public and to promote the sport, by encouraging more people to attend international matches.”
However, Viagogo has described the RFU’s legal win as a “hollow victory” stating the importance of the court’s verdict that the resale of rugby tickets is still legal.
Viagogo UK director Ed Parkinson said: “Here are the facts. Not only is it still legal to buy and sell rugby tickets, but our sales have gone through the roof. While the RFU may have run off with a handful of names from sales that took place several years ago, I can assure you that this will not happen again.”
By Luke Harman
Follow Luke on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG