Gillette Tri-Nations Game to be Staged in London
The Rugby Football League - as the tournament's appointed organising body - can today confirm that the first match in the 2004 Gillette Tri-Nations tournament to be staged in the UK will be played at Loftus Road Stadium - home of Queens Park Rangers Football Club.
The match between Australia and New Zealand will take place on Saturday 23rd October 2004 (Kick Off TBC). Loftus Road Stadium has a capacity of 19,200 and has previously hosted an Antipodean international sports team when the Australian Socceroos played South Africa earlier this year.
It is already confirmed that Australian supporters attending the Gillette Tri-Nations fixture will be allocated the same seating area they enjoyed
for the football match.
Commenting on the announcement, the Rugby Football League's Director of Development and Marketing Gary Tasker said: 'Loftus Road Stadium is an excellent venue to stage the 2004 Gillette Tri-Nations opening fixture in the UK.
'The stadium has successfully played host to a match involving an Australian international team and has already proved a very popular venue with the hundreds of thousands of Antipodean sports fans who live and work in London.
'We are also confident that the contest will attract London Broncos and Skolars supporters as well as the capital's general sports fans who will appreciate the quality of the athletes on show'.
Tasker added: 'This highly prestigious event invlolving some of the world's best playing talent will also act as a boost for the development of Rugby League in London and the South East region, which is currently enjoying a
period of successful growth.
'The fact Joe Mbu of London Broncos and Desi Williams of Wigan Warriors - two players who learned to play Rugby League in London - recently faced each other at Tetley's Rugby Super League level is a great indicator of the
progress being made'.
Tickets for this first game are now on sale and are available from Rugby League Events on (0870) 990 1313.
Tickets will be on sale from Loftus Road Stadium at a later date.
The details of the other four fixtures which make up the tournament's qualifying phase and the venue, which will stage the final, will be revealed on Tuesday 18th May at a major press conference in London.
The opening fixture in the 2004 Gillette Tri-Nations tournament is also between New Zealand and Australia and will be played in the Southern Hemisphere on the weekend of 16th October. After this each team flies to
the UK to continue their matches.
The Gillette Tri-Nations is being organised by the Rugby Football League on behalf of the Rugby League International Federation.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Whitelam
Media Manager
The Rugby Football League
Tel: (01132) 441 114 / (07770) 993366
Fax: (01132) 441 110
E-Mail: andreww@superleague.co.uk
The match between Australia and New Zealand will take place on Saturday 23rd October 2004 (Kick Off TBC). Loftus Road Stadium has a capacity of 19,200 and has previously hosted an Antipodean international sports team when the Australian Socceroos played South Africa earlier this year.
It is already confirmed that Australian supporters attending the Gillette Tri-Nations fixture will be allocated the same seating area they enjoyed
for the football match.
Commenting on the announcement, the Rugby Football League's Director of Development and Marketing Gary Tasker said: 'Loftus Road Stadium is an excellent venue to stage the 2004 Gillette Tri-Nations opening fixture in the UK.
'The stadium has successfully played host to a match involving an Australian international team and has already proved a very popular venue with the hundreds of thousands of Antipodean sports fans who live and work in London.
'We are also confident that the contest will attract London Broncos and Skolars supporters as well as the capital's general sports fans who will appreciate the quality of the athletes on show'.
Tasker added: 'This highly prestigious event invlolving some of the world's best playing talent will also act as a boost for the development of Rugby League in London and the South East region, which is currently enjoying a
period of successful growth.
'The fact Joe Mbu of London Broncos and Desi Williams of Wigan Warriors - two players who learned to play Rugby League in London - recently faced each other at Tetley's Rugby Super League level is a great indicator of the
progress being made'.
Tickets for this first game are now on sale and are available from Rugby League Events on (0870) 990 1313.
Tickets will be on sale from Loftus Road Stadium at a later date.
The details of the other four fixtures which make up the tournament's qualifying phase and the venue, which will stage the final, will be revealed on Tuesday 18th May at a major press conference in London.
The opening fixture in the 2004 Gillette Tri-Nations tournament is also between New Zealand and Australia and will be played in the Southern Hemisphere on the weekend of 16th October. After this each team flies to
the UK to continue their matches.
The Gillette Tri-Nations is being organised by the Rugby Football League on behalf of the Rugby League International Federation.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Whitelam
Media Manager
The Rugby Football League
Tel: (01132) 441 114 / (07770) 993366
Fax: (01132) 441 110
E-Mail: andreww@superleague.co.uk