More than 60,000 tickets have been sold on the first day of the priority window for the Rugby League Ashes series, which is set to return this year for the first time since 2003.
England is due to take on Australia in three matches on October 25, November 1, and November 8 with Wembley Stadium, Everton Stadium, and Headingley Rugby Stadium due to host fixtures, respectively.
Three of the four stands at the Headingley ground in Leeds have completely sold out, and just 1,500 tickets remain for the fourth section with tickets due to go back on sale on April 14.
All hospitality packages for Headingley have sold out while tickets are claimed to be “selling at an unprecedented rate” at the other two venues, with Everton selling out of category one tickets on the first day of the 12-day priority window.
“These are unprecedented and exciting figures for rugby league – easily the most tickets that have been sold for any series in a single day,” said managing director of Rugby League Commercial, Rhodri Jones.
“It confirms the huge demand to see Shaun Wane’s England team taking on Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos this autumn, in the first Ashes series since 2003.
“We believe our choice of venues has captured the imagination of rugby league and sports fans in all parts of the country, and even overseas.
“We have set ambitious goals to ensure the series is played in front of the audiences it deserves – and we are already well on course to meet those goals.”
The series organisers, the Rugby Football League, faced some earlier criticism with the inclusion of Headingley as a host venue with fans stating it showed a “lack of ambition”.
The ground, which is staging the final test, has a capacity of 19,700 compared to Wembley’s 90,000 and Everton Stadium’s 52,888.
The original Rugby League Ashes was played between Australia and Great Britain and was contested 39 times between 1908 and 2003. Australia won 20 times compared to Britain’s 19.
The revival of the series was announced by International Rugby League as part of a long-term strategy for growth on a global scale.
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