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Original poster

Babies need a ticket for the Rugby World Cup Now!

121 replies

jonthebassmon01 · 09/01/2015 23:13

So we've just found out that our baby who isn't born until March will need a ticket to accompany us to the Rugby World Cup matches that we have bought for September.

It's the Olympics all over again, anyone else think this sucks!

OP posts:
Original poster
jonthebassmon01 · 28/08/2015 14:36

Hi Mummymiley

I actually have some good news. I managed to speak to someone at England 2012 who was able to sell me a child ticket to both matches I am going to.

It took some work, and a lot of LinkedIn stalking...that was the way I found out the name of the person, but it worked.

If you're interested the person you want to speak to is Prin Gallagher [email protected] 033 2015 6572

This is all I was after in the first place - I was perfectly happy to buy additional tickets, I just wasn't allowed to due to their computer system only allowing a child ticket to be sold at the same time as buying an adult ticket.

Good luck everyone

OP posts:
Maki79 · 28/08/2015 22:35

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the posters request.

rayzin · 02/09/2015 13:26

The RWC customer service centre is ridiculous. I just checked again and there are some tickets available for 2 of the matches I am going to.

So I try buy a child ticket. - NO you can't buy a child ticket without having an adult ticket in your basket. (Even though I've already bought tickets to those games previously!)

So I call the customer service centre to ask them for help in this regard. They tell me that there are NO children seats available in the area where my current tickets are for. Even though my child is not taking up a seat I still can't get a ticket for her from another block in the stadium.

So even if I buy a full priced adult ticket from another block I will not be able to take my 11 month old baby with me on that ticket.

awall · 04/09/2015 10:27

We are in the same boat. We ordered our tickets well before our daughter was conceived and now there are no tickets left for the game we want to go to. When I contacted RWC2015, they stated that it was their policy and that we signed up to the terms and conditions on ordering. To be honest though, given that we were not expecting this never crossed our minds, until we received the tickets last week.

I've been looking into this and it is a disgrace. We are going to the Millennium Stadium. It is the policy for normal Welsh internationals that children under 12 months old do not need a separate ticket and are admitted with their parents. Therefore there can be no health and safety or other legal issue preventing breast feeding mothers taking in their child without a ticket.

This was also the case at the Olympic Stadium during the 2012 Olympics where babies under 12 months old were allowed entry on their parents ticket.

As such I fully believe that this policy is both not needed and blatant discrimination against breast feeding mothers.

Can I recommend that anyone who cares about this sort of discrimination writes both to their local MP and to Tracey Crouch the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism. I have already had a response from her under secretary, Philip Bland ([email protected]) The emails for Tracey are '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'.

The more people who write the better. Even if you don't care about rugby, I'm sure you all agree that breast feeding mothers should be supported, so please write to them.

Mummymiley · 04/09/2015 11:23

I'm so glad there are so many backing this now. I have been given a contact at the bbc that maybe willing to take this up as a story. I will include this link in my email that I am about to send so they can see there are so many of us very disappointed with RWC.

Maki79 · 04/09/2015 11:38

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the posters request.

rayzin · 08/09/2015 11:44

I've now sent 2 emails to: [email protected] - Zero response :-(

Probably getting too many "Please help me with a child ticket" requests.

My tickets arrived yesterday and I'm not as excited as I should be because half our party can't go to the ONLY 2 (of 5) games that we were going to take our daughter to.

rayzin · 08/09/2015 13:37

So I've just bought a full priced adult Category A ticket for a 10 month old baby. - Its not in the same section as my other 4 - So if we can't wangle something on the day I'll go sit on my own! - At least its right on the halfway line so someone should want to swap!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Maki79 · 08/09/2015 13:43

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the posters request.

NoManJan · 08/09/2015 14:15

We too have the same problem. We bought tickets in May last year as my DH got early access through his rugby club. DD will be 8 weeks by the time of the game and is EBF. We live in Yorkshire and the game is in Brighton so don't dare risking it by just turning up - there are no tickets left in the category that we have booked either.

We are huge rugby fans and were looking forward to being part of RWC but it seems like it's more and more unlikely that we will get to go.

awall · 08/09/2015 16:17

All,

I have just been contacted by a very kind lady from Radio 4's consumer program You and Yours. She is looking at possibly doing a piece on this on next Monday. Could anyone who this affects please email her on [email protected]. The ladies name was Natalie. She was particularly keen to talk to anyone traveling from abroad, so if any of you know of anyone please get them to get in touch. Even if you are not traveling from abroad, please contact her. The more of an issue they think this is the greater the pressure is we can bring to bear.

She is particularly interested to ask the organisers why their policies are different from previous events (ie the Olympics), Twickenham (who allow children under 24 months in with no separate ticket) and the Millennium Stadium in Wales, (who normally allow babies in under 12 months without a ticket).

Many thanks,

Sootybear123 · 08/09/2015 16:48

Got nowhere either. Kicked up a massive fuss with RWC but to no avail, just got their standard blah blah blah response. It's pathetic. It's my birthday the day of one of the matches too! At this point I'd happily pay for a child ticket but they won't even let us do that as there aren't seats next to ours grrr. Will email the above tonight once LO is in bed.

Mummymiley · 08/09/2015 18:01

Maki79 how do I pm you? Would like to follow you on Twitter so I can retweet your tweet. I have been given a contact at the bbc too so I'm going to contact them as well as the lasy at bbc4. It's so close now but I'm currently not looking forward to it. At the moment my husband will have to take our boys with a friend or grandparent and I will miss out. ??

Blumchen · 09/09/2015 11:06

awall: I will email the lady at Radio 4 too, we are travelling from Germany to attend 2 matches at Millennium Stadium. I only found out yesterday that our daughter who will be 6 weeks old needs a ticket - there are no tickets left in our seating areas or in our price categories. The whole trip is now in jeopardy! Really hope we can all find a way round this ridiculous policy.

Maki79 · 09/09/2015 14:14

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the posters request.

rayzin · 09/09/2015 14:39

I emailed them too. Planning a RWC trip from South Africa is hard and expensive enough as is.... without these added complications!

NoManJan · 10/09/2015 08:21

Goodness...I really feel for those travelling abroad. All this could have been avoided if they just had a babes in arms policy like they do for internationals.

I've ended up buying an adult ticket so we can go but it's certainly put a dampner on it.

rayzin · 10/09/2015 08:40

I've also ended up buying an adult ticket for a 10 month old baby but was unable to get one in the same area as my others so I may end up sitting on my own if I can't convince officials on the day that my 10 month old WON'T NEED A BLOODY SEAT!

awall · 10/09/2015 08:42

All,

I just got a call from Brynn Gallagher from the RWC2015 ticketing, (he is mentioned in an earlier post and the number he called me on was 03320156572). He told me that he had been asked to contact me by Vernon Coaker, my MP, who was one of those I contacted to alert them to this appalling situation. Anyhow, he mysteriously was able to find a childs ticket in the area we were sitting. This despite them not being available on the internet. When I called RWC ticketing last week myself I was also told there was none available and it was highly likely there would be none.

So, we have purchased a childs ticket for ??15, but I feel strongly that it was only the effort of our local MP that enabled this.

I was due to give an interview to the Radio 4 you and yours program I mentioned in earlier posts but now don't feel its worth it. We were only traveling from Nottingham to Cardiff, and they were really more interested in those traveling from further afield.

So my advice now would be,

1- contact the you and yours program and give them an interview if you are still in this same boat. They are still interested in doing the piece and it should go out Monday if a few people on here contribute.

2- Phone this guy Brynn, who appears to have a magic batch of tickets.

3- Contact your local MP and explain the situation. To be honest I didn't it would work but he really did come through for us here.

If you are coming from overseas and thus don't have a GB MP, then you really need to follow up on points 1 & 2.

I wish you all luck,

Sootybear123 · 10/09/2015 08:50

Wow lucky!! Glad you are sorted. Hope they do something for the rest of us (and the plenty of parents wanting to take babies not on here). I glad you've got tickets but tbh they really need to revoke the policy to sort this situation.

LittleRedSparkle · 10/09/2015 09:03

i don't watch Rugby, and dont have a baby - but my god how crazy is this that people are buying FULL PRICE adult tickets!!! for babies that werent even bloody conceived at the time you bought your tickets

LittleRedSparkle · 10/09/2015 09:04

** i mean being forced to buy, not buying as you dont really have a choice unless you want to write off the tickets you have already bought

rayzin · 10/09/2015 09:19

@ LittleRedSparkle - That's exactly the point. We're being forced to. The worst part is that even if we buy a full priced ticket we can't sit together at the games. Because all the tickets need to be in the same area!

Even if we KNEW the rules beforehand we would not have been able to buy tickets because we were only allowed to apply for 4 tickets per game. Mom, Dad, Granny, Gramps and baby make 5! - They have really made it impossible for us! - Grrrrrrrrrr. this is so frustrating!

I still have to find a full priced extra ticket for another game. I just keep trying and calling and calling and swearing!

rayzin · 10/09/2015 09:21

@ awall - Thanks for all the effort. I sent my emails last night to Natalie and Jane. Lets hope something comes of it. I may try give Brynn a call today but I don't know how much energy I have left for this. Afterall I still have the rest of my 3 week trip to plan!

NoManJan · 10/09/2015 09:35

If they don't let me, DH and baby sit together I will go sit in the middle of the pitch and start breastfeeding Grin Shock

Seriously though, I hope on the day, the volunteers/staff will have common sense and compassion rather than blindly following the t&cs.

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