Recognition as the only European club tournament featuring the very best players throughout the entire season was a key theme of the EPCR Season Launch at St James' Park, as Newcastle will become the first English venue outside of Twickenham Stadium to host a European Cup final on 11 May 2019.
More than 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the Heineken Champions Cup showpiece, illustrating the widespread appeal of European club rugby’s blue-riband tournament which is widely regarded as The One to Win.
It's the first weekend of European rugby with Dragons travelling to Romania to face Timisoara Saracens, whilst in the Heineken Champions Cup the Pool 1 clash of holders, Leinster, and Wasps at the RDS Arena is live on BT Sport while the following day, the meeting of Bath Rugby and Toulouse will be broadcast live on a free-to-air basis on Channel 4 in the UK and on Virgin Media in Ireland.
With Channel 4 and Virgin Media broadcasting a free-to-air Heineken Champions Cup match in every round up to and including the final to complement BT Sport’s cutting-edge coverage, EPCR’s TV platform has been further enhanced with the recent announcement of NBC Sports as rights holders in the USA.
EPCR Chairman, Simon Halliday, said: "Fans are voting with their feet in appreciating the quality of European club rugby with the aggregate attendances for our top-flight tournament set to pass the 20 million mark this season and we are looking forward to more great rugby from English clubs this season in both tournaments on the road to Newcastle, which is undoubtedly an outstanding venue for our finals."
EPCR Director General, Vincent Gaillard, said:?"In the region of 9,000 tickets remain on public sale for the Heineken Champions Cup final which shows how this venue has captured the imagination of rugby fans all over Europe. It’s an exciting time in general for our tournaments with improved broadcast platforms and the potential for the new audiences they will bring."
Welcoming visitors to the north-east of England, Kim McGuinness, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Public Health, added: "We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals in May.
"This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our great city to a global audience and we look forward to providing a very warm Geordie welcome and staging a hugely spectacular and unforgettable weekend of sport.
"By hosting the most prestigious club tournament in world rugby, we will draw tens of thousands of fans and visitors to the city, benefiting our economy and local businesses by around £20 million and further cementing Newcastle’s reputation as a world-class sporting destination."
