OVERALL MATCH ATTENDANCE in the United Rugby Championship increased this season by 36%, breaking the previous records of all iterations of the competition.
All 16 URC clubs welcomed more fans through their turnstiles in 2022/23 than was the case last season, albeit a portion of the 2021/22 season saw some constituent countries still affected by Covid-19 restrictions.
The inclusion of the South African franchises and, by extension, increased jeopardy in the competition has seen the average match attendance rise to almost 10,000 (9,893), the highest its ever been in any form of the league.
Munster’s semi-final victory over Leinster set a record attendance (26,795) for a non-final play-off game in Ireland or the UK, while the Stormers continue to break their own play-off records with crowds of 44,109 for their quarter-final win over the Bulls and 47,261 for their semi-final victory over Connacht.
A sold-out crowd of 55,000 at this Saturday’s final at the Stormers’ DHL Stadium — over 5,000 of whom are expected to be Munster fans — will also set a new yardstick for the competition’s showpiece.
A total of 1,424,520 fans attended regular-season games in 2022/23, with a further 152,954 taking in the quarter- and semi-finals. The 55,000 tickets sold for this weekend’s final will set a new overall season record of 1,632,114.
URC CEO Martin Anayi said of the figures: “We are blown away by the attendance records set across the league this season.
“Our teams put tremendous work into improving their match-day experiences for fans and promoting their games and this should give everyone in rugby great encouragement for next season.
“We are early days still for the URC but it is clear that fans are responding to the draw of the South African sides and the 18-round format which has increased jeopardy and competition across the board.
“The sell-out crowd in Cape Town this weekend is a fantastic sign of interest in URC. However, we are just as pleased with setting a new record for regular-season attendances and there should be great pride across all 16 teams in that collective achievement.”
