Champions Cup 2024

How would moving the game 2 hours later impact most people who've bought flights and paid for accomodation?

I can't imagine a significant portion of the crowd are flying out that evening on a flight in the hours immediately after the game ends. For the vast majority they're likely staying in London or nearby overnight, or at least until the last flights of the day at 11pm-ish, anyway so it would have no impact.

Moving the game's kickoff time so it doesn't lose millions of viewers is surely of more benefit to more people and to the sport in general.

A quick google will show you that there are already charter trips available (and some already sold out).

Outside of that, plenty of people who have bought tickets will have already made arrangements irrespective of what team they're following - it would not be a good look to move it for a lot of fans who bought in early.

The organisers never cared about fans and i cant see that happening now.

Its always been about TV.

Massive soccer games get played all over London every weekend

Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Brentford, Fulham, west ham , Palace all in Premier league so there is at least 3 games in london every weekend, London is such a big city that you could be 2/3km from the stadium and not know they are on

Can't see CC final being moved

They better not move it, I've bought tickets for a gig for later that evening in London.

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I really can’t see a scenario where they don’t move it

Tv viewership will plummet if it clashes with the FA Cup and that’s the main money maker

Yes it will inconvenience some fans but that’s the minority and not what EPCR will care about in the grant scheme of things

They only confirmed kick off time 3/4 weeks ago?

Most of those plans would have been made with a 4/5 KO in mind

Do we know how many people viewed the Champions Cup Final last year?

There's talk as if there are millions of viewers being lost if the games clash on TV…. Will there be? Sure, it might lose a number of casual fans or new viewers whose interest is piqued who might be channel-hopping, but are there that many out there that its worth making potentially costly logistical changes? How many of those millions and millions of FA Cup Final viewers would even bother stop flicking through the stations if the FA Cup Final was on later in the day.

Leaving aside the 'feck the fans' aspect of the discussion, there could be a huge cost in moving the KO time. Breaking broadcasting contracts, service providers, advertising, reputational damage etc. etc.

And listen, I agree that it's better for the sport to have the game on FTA at 3pm. But its pure speculation how many new fans that an unopposed broadcast slot could bring in - particularly if there are no English teams in it. EPCR could end up taking a huge hit on sheer hope that enough people will tune in to justify the move. And reputationally, its not a good luck to put a lot of people out relatively last minute.

There generally isn't ref radios for Leinster games so it's highly unlikely.

At what frequency do you know?

EPCR confirm they're not moving it.

https://www.planetrugby.com/news/epcr-issues-response-after-champions-cup-final-jeopardised-by-fa-cup-kick-off-clash