November 2008

Ticket Application Conditions

Issue to Schools

The Rugby Football Union (the "RFU") allocates and issues tickets for events to Schools only upon these Ticket Application Conditions and, by applying for an allocation of tickets, the applicant shall be deemed to have  accepted these Conditions.  If a School has any concern that it may be supplying a ticket to anyone in breach of RFU policy or these Conditions (or the Ticket Distribution Conditions) it should contact the RFU Legal Department for advice.

In these Ticket Application Terms and Conditions the following Definitions will apply:

“Genuine Sponsor” means a company, firm or person (who is not a Restricted Person without RFU consent and) who during a period of not less than 2 months before receipt or purchase of tickets sponsors the Applicant and receives a benefit from the Applicant (other than membership, tickets and/or the title of sponsor) for a complete season unless the Applicant obtains the prior written approval of the RFU (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).  In the case of dispute as to whether anyone is a Genuine Sponsor, the decision of the RFU) shall be final and binding.

A Genuine Sponsor cannot be a Restricted Person unless the Applicant obtains the prior written consent of the RFU (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed). 
“Packages” means the supply of tickets with any additional benefit including car parking, accommodation, food, drink or travel or any vouchers or any other means of obtaining the same.

“Restricted Person” means

(i) a ticketing or corporate hospitality company;
(ii) anyone offering, or who through a third party supplies, catering facilities on the date of an event within one mile of Twickenham Stadium;
(iii) anyone who resells tickets; or
(iv) an officer or agent of any of the above.

“Terms” means the terms and conditions contained in these Ticket Application Conditions, the Ticket Distribution Conditions, the Terms of Admission of ticket holders to the Stadium and Ground Rules.

“Transferee” means any member of staff, pupil and/or Genuine Sponsor.

A. The RFU is authorising the applicant to distribute tickets allocated to the applicant by the RFU following receipt of the applicant's application form and bought by the applicant.  The applicant is herein referred to as the "Applicant".

B. The full price of the tickets applied for must be paid by direct debit mandate in the form prescribed by the RFU or by cheque which must accompany the application form or such other manner as is approved by the RFU from time to time.  The face value of the ticket includes VAT.   For the purposes of VAT only, any supply of a ticket by the Applicant shall be treated as a supply made by the Applicant on its own behalf and the Applicant shall itself be liable to account for any VAT applicable thereto.

C. The Applicant may make available any such ticket to any Transferee but to no other person/entity.  

D. The Applicant must ensure that:

1. the Terms are incorporated into all agreements to supply tickets to Transferees;

2. it only supplies tickets to Transferees on terms that those to whom it supplies tickets cannot sell or offer for sale or transfer those tickets;

3. tickets are not supplied to Restricted Persons;

4. Tickets are sent directly to the Transferee and not via any Restricted Person or any other third party; and

5. tickets are not used by it or Transferees in Packages. 

Any ticket supplied to or by any Transferee otherwise than in accordance with the Terms will be a breach of the Terms and render the Applicant liable as under Condition N below.

E. Any ticket must be supplied to any Transferee or used in any scheme or arrangement at or below its face value and subject to the Terms. Any ticket supplied or obtained in breach of the Terms shall be void and all rights connected therewith shall be nullified. Any person seeking to use a ticket to obtain access to a match or event obtained in breach of the Terms will be liable to be refused entry or evicted from the venue and no refund will be payable by the RFU.

F. The Applicant must keep a proper record of the individual numbers of all tickets supplied and the name and address of the Transferee to whom supplied and must provide such information to the RFU within 7 days of any written demand therefor.

G. The Applicant may supply tickets to any of its Genuine Sponsor(s) in return for cash or benefits in kind PROVIDED THAT each such supply arrangement is in writing and complete details thereof are minuted in the Applicant's records and made available for inspection by the RFU upon request at any time.  If the Applicant supplies a ticket to any sponsor, the Applicant must ensure that the written agreement satisfies Condition D above by the inclusion of express terms.

H. Any Genuine Sponsor of an Applicant to whom tickets are supplied, other than an England Team/RFU sponsor, will not be permitted to use any ticket as a prize or as part of any competition or promotional or other similar activity or as part of any hospitality or travel or other commercial package or for any other media purpose without the prior written approval of the RFU in order, amongst other things, to preclude the possibility of such sponsor "passing off" that it is an England Team/RFU sponsor.

I. If the event is cancelled or abandoned and the RFU refunds the face value of any ticket to the Applicant, the Applicant must promptly pay such refund to the purchaser of the ticket (if any).   The Applicant will indemnify the RFU fully and promptly (including for its reasonable legal costs) against any claim(s) from such purchaser both in these circumstances and in circumstances where the Applicant commits a breach of any other obligation owed to such purchaser.

J. For Grade A matches (6 Nations matches or matches against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia), the Ticket Office will (provided they are returned either before the match day or up to 60 minutes before kick-off) accept returned tickets and a refund will be issued to the Applicant to which the tickets were originally allocated. Please note that each ticket returned on a match day is subject to an administration charge of £5 and proof of identity of the person returning the ticket may be required.  For non-Grade A matches, tickets are not returnable.

K. The Applicant must ensure that neither it nor its agents use tickets as the sole or main incentive for any person firm or company to become a Genuine Sponsor.   The Applicant must ensure that agents or others used to find Genuine Sponsors do not offer to those persons:

1. corporate hospitality or Packages for events at Twickenham before they have signed a contract with the Applicant to be a Genuine Sponsor; or

2. tickets for events at Twickenham before they have expressed an interest in becoming a Genuine Sponsor. 
. 

L. An Applicant may not enter into a sponsorship arrangement with a person or an entity that is or has been introduced to the Applicant by a Restricted Person unless the Applicant obtains the prior written consent of the RFU (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed). 
 
M. Applicants must not use their right to sell tickets to a Genuine Sponsor or Member as a means of circumventing (or the effect of which is the circumvention) of the Terms.

N. The sanction on any Applicant found by the RFU to have breached these Ticket Application Conditions may (in the absolute discretion of the RFU) be one or more of the suspension for a fixed term of all or part of the Applicant's entitlement to a ticket allocation and/or any financial and/or other sanction which the RFU may impose.  Tickets are the absolute responsibility of the Applicant to whom they have been issued and the Applicant will be penalised for any misuse.   Misuse includes but is not limited to:

1 any supply of any ticket by a Transferee otherwise than in accordance with the Ticket Distribution Conditions (contrary to Condition D above) or any other breach of the Ticket Distribution Conditions;

2 any transfer of any ticket or any use of the ticket in any scheme or arrangement for any payment or benefit in kind above its face value (contrary to Condition E above) (save for the value derived by the Applicant under any supply arrangement referred to in Condition G above);

3 any transfer of any ticket to any person who is unlicensed by the RFU to provide corporate hospitality or travel or other commercial packages relating to the match or event (contrary to Ticket Distribution Condition 5);

4 any use of the ticket as a prize, promotion or similar activity (contrary to Ticket Distribution Condition 5).

O. Every ticket remains the property of the RFU at all times.

P. These Ticket Application Conditions incorporate the following Ticket Distribution Conditions: