Venues and Schedule for Tri-Nations Tournament Confirmed
The Rugby Football League - as the tournament's appointed organising body - can today confirm that Elland Road Stadium in Leeds will stage the final of the inaugural Gillette Tri-Nations on Saturday 27th November 2004.
The stadium - which last hosted Rugby League in November 1997 when Great Britain played Australia - has a capacity of 42,000.
The tournament will start six weeks earlier with the first game between Australia and New Zealand. This will be staged in the southern hemisphere on the same weekend as the Tetley's Rugby Super League Grand Final with all
subsequent matches then taking place in the UK. The first of these comes seven days later when those two nations meet again at Loftus Road Stadium.
Also - in an exciting first for the sport of Rugby League -the City of Manchester Stadium will play host to Game Three in the Gillette Tri-Nations between Great Britain and Australia.
The tournament's other host venues are Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium, the JJB Stadium in Wigan and the Kingston Communications Stadium in Hull.
Commenting on the confirmation of venues for the Gillette Tri-Nations, the RFL 's Executive Chairman Richard Lewis said: 'The choice of venues for the Gillette Tri-Nations clearly reflects the importance of this exciting new tournament.
'All the selected stadia are suitable for international sporting events and will provide live supporters and television viewers alike with hugely atmospheric settings in which to enjoy the spectacle that will unfold during
the six week period
'In the case of Elland Road, the stadium combines the required capacity and the quality of facilities to stage such an important event as a major international final. We are also delighted to be playing international Rugby League at the City of Manchester Stadium, one of the UK's newest sporting venues.
Lewis added: 'In terms of staging international Rugby League in the UK, the Gillette Tri-Nations represents a significant increase in both scale and scope and it is gratifying that the sport continues to progress in this way.
'However, despite the increase in the number of available seats created by the tournament's selected venues, supporters are advised to be prepared to secure their tickets as soon as possible once they go on sale.
'The sell-out crowds at the 2003 Tetley's Rugby Super League Grand Final and last weekend's Powergen Challenge Cup Final shows that demand for Rugby League's major events is hugely significant and is sure to be high in the
build-up to the tournament'.
Details of ticket availability for the Gillette Tri-Nations will be made public shortly.
The tournament is being organised by the Rugby Football League on behalf of the Rugby League International Federation.
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 stadium - which last hosted Rugby League in November 1997 when Great Britain played Australia - has a capacity of 42,000.
The tournament will start six weeks earlier with the first game between Australia and New Zealand. This will be staged in the southern hemisphere on the same weekend as the Tetley's Rugby Super League Grand Final with all
subsequent matches then taking place in the UK. The first of these comes seven days later when those two nations meet again at Loftus Road Stadium.
Also - in an exciting first for the sport of Rugby League -the City of Manchester Stadium will play host to Game Three in the Gillette Tri-Nations between Great Britain and Australia.
The tournament's other host venues are Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium, the JJB Stadium in Wigan and the Kingston Communications Stadium in Hull.
Commenting on the confirmation of venues for the Gillette Tri-Nations, the RFL 's Executive Chairman Richard Lewis said: 'The choice of venues for the Gillette Tri-Nations clearly reflects the importance of this exciting new tournament.
'All the selected stadia are suitable for international sporting events and will provide live supporters and television viewers alike with hugely atmospheric settings in which to enjoy the spectacle that will unfold during
the six week period
'In the case of Elland Road, the stadium combines the required capacity and the quality of facilities to stage such an important event as a major international final. We are also delighted to be playing international Rugby League at the City of Manchester Stadium, one of the UK's newest sporting venues.
Lewis added: 'In terms of staging international Rugby League in the UK, the Gillette Tri-Nations represents a significant increase in both scale and scope and it is gratifying that the sport continues to progress in this way.
'However, despite the increase in the number of available seats created by the tournament's selected venues, supporters are advised to be prepared to secure their tickets as soon as possible once they go on sale.
'The sell-out crowds at the 2003 Tetley's Rugby Super League Grand Final and last weekend's Powergen Challenge Cup Final shows that demand for Rugby League's major events is hugely significant and is sure to be high in the
build-up to the tournament'.
Details of ticket availability for the Gillette Tri-Nations will be made public shortly.
The tournament is being organised by the Rugby Football League on behalf of the Rugby League International Federation.
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