MASTERCARD SIX NATIONS RUGBY REPORT

MASTERCARD SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP RUGBY REPORT 

Report prepared by the Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) 

REPORT HEADLINES 

Positive economic impact: 

The 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship will deliver a positive total economic impact of 

US$632.81 million, comprised of: 

Total economic impact of the 2010 RBS 

Six Nations Championship 

Million USD 

($) 

Million GBP 

(£) 

Million EUR 

(€) 

Impact in England 132.82 88.38 97.72 

Impact in Ireland 123.06 81.85 90.50 

Impact in France 122.10 81.21 89.79 

Impact in Wales 109.00 72.50 80.16 

Impact in Scotland 94.56 62.90 69.55 

Impact in Italy 51.27 34.10 37.71 

Healthy recorded audiences: 

Match day attendances for the 2010 Six Nations Championship have been high, with full 

or close to capacity crowds at all fixtures. An estimated 1,054,654 fans attended games 

during the tournament. 

TV figures are similarly buoyant overall, with audience figures for the tournament 

attracting an estimated audience of 125 million viewers. 

Three matches attracted a total TV audience of more than 10 million (France v Ireland, 

Wales v France, France v England). 

Positive impact of Friday evening matches: 

Holding a Six Nations match on Friday evening – in the second year of its trial – has again 

proved popular in the 2010 Championship. The 2010 match between Wales and France 

has attracted the second highest number of TV viewers of the competition (estimated at 

10.5 million across UK, Ireland, France and Italy) as well as a capacity crowd in the 

Millennium Stadium.

MasterCard Worldwide – Page 2 

MasterCard Six Nations Championship Rugby Report 

Increasing participation: 

The overall growth in rugby worldwide is estimated at 15% per year, while participation 

has been growing across the Six Nations, with substantial increases recorded since 2007: 

Nation 

% Growth 

Italy 36 

Ireland 33 

Scotland 32 

France 22 

Wales 10 

England 5 

OVERVIEW OF THE REPORT 

Ahead of the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship, MasterCard – a Worldwide Partner 

and official payment system of the Rugby World Cup 2011 – commissioned leading 

international sport business experts at the Centre for the International Business of Sport 

(CIBS) to conduct a study into the economic impact of the 2010 RBS Six Nations 

Championship and associated demographic trends. 

The report consists of the following sections: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 1: Report Aims 

Section 2: History of the Competition 

Section 3: Sport Events and Impacts Research 

Section 4: Sports Events and Demographic Profile 

Section 5: Broadcasting 

Section 6: Participation 

Section 7: Conclusions 

Section 8: Methodology 

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SECTION 1: REPORT AIMS 

The aims of this report are: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To identify the economic impact of the 2010 Six Nations Championship on the host 

countries 

To indicate how these impacts might be felt across product categories/ industrial 

sectors 

To assess the likely impact that emerging from the recession has had 

To consider the socio-demographic profile of rugby fans in relation to the above 

To analyse the popularity of the Championship on TV 

To examine the implications of the Friday night fixture 

To compare to other televised sports events 

To outline participation figures in rugby union across the nations involved in the 

tournament 

To highlight areas of growth by demographics 

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SECTION 2: HISTORY OF THE SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP 

The Six Nations Championship is the oldest and most high profile rugby union 

tournament in the Northern hemisphere. Contested annually by six of Europe’s rugby 

playing nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales), the tournament 

consists of 15 matches, with each nation playing the others once. Home advantage 

alternates year by year. In the 2010 edition, England, Scotland and Italy played two ties 

at home, while Ireland, France and Wales played three 1 . 

England and Scotland contested the first official rugby union international in 1871 and 

following occasional friendly matches between the two over the next 12 years, the 

Home International Championship was introduced in 1883. This was a tournament held 

between the four home nations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Though France 

played in the tournament four times previously, it was not until 1910 that they officially 

joined and it became known as the Five Nations Championship. 

The tournament reverted back to the Home Nations in 1932 after French teams were 

found to have been illegally paying their amateur players 2 and this remained the case 

until 1939. The competition had breaks for the two world wars, then the Five Nations 

resumed in 1947. The competition grew in popularity, and by the 1970s matches were 

all ticket events and coverage on television was becoming increasingly popular. The 

tournament was again renamed in 2000 when the addition of Italy made it the Six 

Nations Championship. 

In its first decade of existence, France has been the Six Nations winner most frequently, 

with Scotland and Italy never having been Champions. 

Table 1: Past Six Nations Winners 

Year 

Winning nation 

2000 England 

2001 England 

2002 France 

2003 England 

2004 France 

2005 Wales 

2006 France 

2007 France 

2008 Wales 

2009 Ireland 

2010 France 

1 This scenario will be reversed in the 2011 edition. 

2 Rugby Union turned professional on 27 th August 1995. 

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The Six Nations Tournament receives consistently high attendance figures and compares 

very favourably with other tournaments of its type, in many cases beating the 

attendance of other high profile major events. 

Table 2: Attendance at Selected Competitions between National Representative Sides 

(sorted by average match attendance) 

Tournament Sport Host nation Games Total 

attendance 

Average match 

attendance 

1994 FIFA World Soccer USA 52 3,587,538 68,991 

Cup Finals 

2009 Six Nations Rugby England, 15 981,963 65,464 

Championship Union Ireland, 

Scotland, 

Wales, Italy, 

France 

2006 FIFA World Soccer Germany 52 3,353,655 52,401 

Cup Finals 

2007 Rugby Rugby France 48 2,274,037 47,376 

World Cup 

2009 Rugby 

Union Tri- 

Nations 

2007 FIFA 

Women’s World 

Cup Finals 

Union 

Rugby 

Union 

Australia, 

New Zealand, 

South Africa 

9 399,907 44,434 

Soccer China 32 1,190,971 37,218 

Euro 2008 Soccer Austria, 31 1,140,902 36,308 

Switzerland 

2004 AFC Asian Soccer China 32 1,000,025 31,258 

Cup 

2006 Rugby 

League Tri- 

Nations 

Rugby 

League 

Australia, 

New Zealand, 

Great Britain 

7 163,769 23,395 

2009 Baseball 

Classic 

2004 World Cup 

Of Hockey 

2007 Cricket 

World Cup 

Baseball 

Various, USA 

final 

39 801,408 20,549 

Ice 

19 303,630 15,981 

hockey 

Cricket West Indies 51 672,000 13,176 

Attendances reported for the 2010 competition suggest that overall attendance is 

similar but higher than the 2009 event. An estimated 1,054,654 fans attended games 

during the 2010 tournament, compared to 981,963 for the 2009 Championship. 

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SECTION 3: SPORT EVENTS AND IMPACT RESEARCH 

A large number of studies analysing the economic impact of sporting events have been 

produced in the past. Amongst these studies is a view that sporting events can be 

categorised in the following way: 

 

 

 

 

Global sporting event – irregular, one-off, major sporting events that generate 

significant economic activity and media interest e.g. FIFA World Cup, Rugby World 

Cup 

Domestic sporting event – major spectator events, generating significant economic 

activity and media interest which are part of an annual domestic cycle of sporting 

events e.g. FA Cup Final 

Irregular sporting event – one-off, major spectator/competitor events generating 

considerable economic activity albeit less than global sporting events e.g. UEFA Euro 

2008 

Major competitor event – generates limited economic activity and are part of an 

annual domestic cycle of sport events e.g. national championships 

However, the Six Nations Championship does not readily fit into any of the categories 

identified. Instead, a new category of event is proposed: 

 

Continental/Hemispheric sporting event – part of a regular cycle, major sporting 

event that generates significant economic activity and is of interest to media outlets 

across the world 

In addition to the Six Nations Championship, this definition also accounts for events like 

the Tri-Nations rugby union tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. 

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Various studies have examined the economic impact of sporting events, the majority of 

which are multi-sport in nature or are held over an extended time period. Although the 

methodologies used in each are likely to have been different, one report reveals the 

following as the ten sporting events that generate the largest economic impact: 

Table 3: Top 10 Sporting Events by Economic Impact 

Rank Event 

$ 

(billion) 

£ 

(billion) 

€ 

(billion) 

1 Olympic Games 11.34 7.53 8.32 

2 FIFA World Cup 9.16 6.08 6.72 

3 America's Cup 6.98 4.63 5.12 

4 FIA F1 World Championship 3.05 2.03 2.24 

UEFA European 

5 Championships 2.18 1.45 1.60 

6 Baseball World Series 1.09 0.72 0.80 

7 NFL Superbowl 1.09 0.72 0.80 

8 Rugby World Cup 0.34 0.23 0.25 

Athletics World 

9 Championship 0.34 0.23 0.25 

10 Cricket World Cup 0.16 0.11 0.12 

NB All impacts are global 

To enable comparisons to be made between events of various sizes, the economic 

impact of a selection of other sporting events is presented below: 

Table 4: Economic Impact of Selected Events 

Event 

$ 

(million) 

£ 

(million) 

€ 

(million) 

1997 World Badminton 

3.29 2.18 2.41 

Championships, UK 

1999 MLB All-Star Game, US 65.43 43.42 48.00 

1999 NFL Superbowl, US 226.82 150.51 166.40 

2000 MLB World Series, US 218.09 144.72 160.00 


2001 Cooper River Bridge Run, US 5.32 3.53 3.90 

2001 Girls Fastpitch World Series, US 3.49 2.32 2.56 

2001 NCCA Basketball Last Four, US 95.96 63.68 70.40 

2001 St Giles Youth Soccer Classic, US 1.47 0.98 1.08 

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2002 Breeders Cup, US 49.73 33.00 36.48 

2003 UEFA Champions League Final, 12.98 8.61 9.52 

UK 


2003 World Gymnastics 

26.17 17.37 19.20 

Championship, US 

2005 European Eventing, UK 2.77 1.84 2.03 

2005 Open Golf Championship, UK 39.82 26.42 29.21 

2005 British F1 Grand Prix 36.35 24.12 26.67 


2006 World Rowing Championships, 4.84 3.21 3.55 

UK 

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Canada 110.97 73.63 81.41 

2007 UEFA Cup Final, UK 28.22 18.72 20.70 

N.B. All impacts are local 

Specifically in the context of rugby, various studies have provided estimates of economic 

impacts. Table 5 lists some of the main findings: 

Table 5: Economic Impacts of Rugby Events 

Event 

$ 

(million) 

£ 

(million) 

€ 

(million) 

2002 Scotland v South Africa Autumn Test Match, 

18.08 12.00 13.27 

Scotland 

2002 Scotland v Fiji Autumn Test Match, Scotland 6.03 4.00 4.42 

2002 Scotland v Romania Autumn Test Match, Scotland 6.03 4.00 4.42 

2003 IRB Rugby World Cup, Australia (national impact) 183.85 £122 134.88 

2007 Scotland v Ireland Six Nations Match, Scotland 39.18 26.00 28.74 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Overall 592.84 393.40 434.92 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, England 124.47 82.60 91.32 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Ireland 115.28 76.50 84.57 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Scotland 88.61 58.80 65.01 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Wales 102.17 67.80 74.96 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, France 114.38 75.90 83.91 

2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Italy 48.07 31.90 35.27 

2009 Heineken Cup Final, Scotland 33.15 £22 24.32 

2009 Super League Magic Weekend, Scotland 16.58 11.00 12.16 

2009 Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s Festival, Scotland 4.52 3.00 3.32 

2009 Heineken Cup Quarter Final Match, Limerick, 

Ireland 

110.94 73.62 81.39 

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The positive economic impact of sporting events is likely to be evident at four levels: 

 

 

 

 

Local level – within the host cities, where the 2010 Six Nations Championship is held 

Regional level – this will include the political and geographic area within which the 

tournament is staged 

National level – more broadly and generally across each of the six nations 

International level – there will be a multiplicity of impacts across Europe and the 

world that can be attributed to the Six Nations Championship. Interest in the 

Championship will have an economic impact. 

The impacts attributable to the 2010 Six Nations Championship will take one of a 

number of forms including: 

 

 

 

Direct effects – includes the market revenues directly attributable to the individual 

matches either at the time of the event or in the future once the event has finished 

Indirect and Induced effects – normally generated following an investment in 

infrastructure (e.g. stadium developments), also wider impacts from increased sales 

etc which has a multiplier effect on economic activity amongst those with direct and 

indirect links to the initial investment 

External effects – includes non-market factors that benefit communities linked to 

the host venue such as improving the image of a locality and raising local economic 

growth 

In the context of the above commentary the range of positive impacts for the host cities, 

local area and for countries participating in the Six Nations in general, that one would 

normally expect from such an event are: 

 

 

 

 

 

Ticket sales 

Food and beverage sales 

Merchandise and related sales 

Visitor use of accommodation 

Visitor numbers at host venue attractions 

Research undertaken at previous sporting events (shown in Table 6 below) indicates 

which forms of expenditure are most likely to be influenced by people attending either. 

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Table 6: Profile of Expenditure at Sporting Events 

Rank Gratton et al. 

(2000) 

Bernthal 

& Regan 

(2004) 

Haug et 

al. (2004) 

1 Accommodation Tickets Tickets & 

event 

spending 

Lee & Taylor 

(2005) 

Culture & 

recreation 

Saayman (2005) 

Entrance 

Daniels & 

Norman 

(2006) 

Hotels & 

lodging 

UK Sport (2006) Wilson (2006) 

Accommodation Food & drink 

2 Food & drink Food Food Shopping Food Meals Food & drink Accommodation 

3 Shopping & 

souvenirs 

Shopping Hotels Accommodation Alcoholic drinks Sport Shopping and 

souvenirs 

Shopping & 

souvenirs 

4 Travel Travel Transport Tours & 

transport 

Accommodation Retail Programmes & 

merchandise 

Programmes & 

merchandise 

5 Entertainment Event 

Food & 

Transport Automobiles Travel Travel 

spending 

beverages 

6 Programmes & 

merchandise 

Recreation Souvenirs Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment 

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One might also expect there to be a direct or indirect economic impact in the host cities, 

in the wider six participating nations and/or across Europe on the following: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increased amount of electronic and print media advertising 

Increased use of telecommunications and new media services 

Activities and sales based around event officials 

Activities and sales based around officials from commercial partners and sponsors 

Place marketing benefits and image improvement 

Magazine, newspaper sales and other related sales 

Sales of sport apparel, equipment and related items 

Sales of official merchandise and memorabilia 

Increases in betting and gambling services 

There is also evidence to indicate that sporting success can have a positive economic 

impact on the national economy of the winners, previous studies highlighting positive 

share price movements linked to winning. 

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE 2010 RBS SIX NATIONS: 

Considering the above, and on the basis of all available data, it is projected that the 

2010 RBS Six Nations Championship has delivered the following positive impact: 

Table 7: Projected Economic Impact of the 2010 Six Nations 

Total economic impact of the 2010 RBS 

Six Nations Championship 

Million USD 

($) 

Million GBP 

(£) 

Million EUR 

(€) 

Impact in England 132.82 88.38 97.72 

Impact in Ireland 123.06 81.85 90.50 

Impact in France 122.10 81.21 89.79 

Impact in Wales 109.00 72.50 80.16 

Impact in Scotland 94.56 62.90 69.55 

Impact in Italy 51.27 34.10 37.71 

In total, it is estimated that the cumulative economic impact of the 2010 RBS Six 

Nations Championship has amounted to upwards of $632.81m (£420.94m). 

This economic boost results from a short term positive commerce flow through fan 

spending in bars, clubs, shops, hotels, city attractions, transport, bookmakers and inside 

the stadia, along with sponsors and organisations spending on marketing in the cities. 

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Research suggests that major rugby events such as the Six Nations, tend to be 

characterised by significant numbers of travelling supporters. As international visitors 

bring significant new consumer spending into the economy, they tend to provide the 

primary source of additional income to a host. The differences in the boost for each city 

relates heavily to the attendance of non-local visitors to games, which is in turn 

influenced by stadium capacity. 

The projected boost to the English economy of $132.82 million compares very 

favourably to the Italian boost which is estimated to be closer to $50 million. There are a 

number of reasons for this difference. Firstly, capacity utilisation for the tournament is 

invariably high, thus the grounds with the highest capacity clearly have a greater 

potential to accommodate the demand for tickets to games. 

A major reason for the greatest impacts being felt in England, Ireland and France, 

therefore, is because of these nations’ bigger stadiums, which means they are more 

capable of meeting the demand for tickets. 

Table 8: Average Attendance and Capacity Utilisation for the 2009 Six Nations 

Nation Ground Capacity Average 

Attendance 

(2009 

Championship) 

England Twickenham 82,000 82,000 100 

Ireland Croke Park 82,300 80,500 98 

Scotland Murrayfield 67, 130 61,000 91 

Wales Millennium 74,500 73,813 99 

Stadium 

France Stade de France 81,338 79,800 98 

Italy Stadio Flaminio 30,000 28,683 96 

Source: Six Nations Match Reports, statbunker.com 

Capacity 

Utilisation (%) 

Given the ease of access to all of the host cities from the other competing nations, and 

also the crowds for the 2009 tournament which fell at the height of the credit crunch, it 

was reasonable to expect a significant number of additional fans to travel to the host 

cities for the 2010 competition. 

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Attendance demographics 

Research suggests that on average more than 85% of fans attending matches are drawn 

from the host nation, with 10% from opposing teams and the remaining 5% from other 

fans of rugby in general. Of course this changes according to which teams are playing. 

For example in 2006, the Wales v Scotland match in the Six Nations Championship 

resulted in 85,499 visitors to Cardiff, generating a total of £16.4 million ($24.73, €18.14) 

for the Cardiff economy. Of this total estimated 85,499 visitors, 87% were ticket holders; 

92.6% were Wales supporters; 7.5% were Scotland supporters and 0.01% were neutral 

supporters. 

In 1997, estimates indicated that visitors attending Six Nations games spent on average 

€469 ($638, £423), with other out of state visitors (non-attendees at games) spending 

on average €379 ($516, £342). Further research based on fans attending an Ospreys 

match, who have a similar demographic profile to those watching the Six Nations rugby 

suggests that on average €527 ($715, £474) was spent per visiting supporter, with 27% 

being spent on accommodation and 68% on food and beverages in the team’s home 

city. 

To add to those travelling to the match venues, a large number of people watch the 

games in pubs, clubs, bars or cafes, as well as at home. The projected economic impacts 

also incorporate a potentially longer-term economic legacy for the hosts, through 

increased tourism, civic sponsorship and a greater likelihood of repeat visits. Some 

visitors also incorporate watching a match into a longer visit and travel with additional 

friends and family, thus also increasing the economic impact. 

In addition, success at such a tournament can encourage increased participation, which 

in the long term can deliver significant health benefits and have a positive impact on 

community cohesion (Discussed in section 6 below) and contribute to employment (full, 

part time and temporary) and entrepreneurship as well as generating increased revenue 

from sales of equipment and sporting goods. 

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SECTION 4: SPORTS EVENTS AND DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE 

Given the diverse population of the geographic area of the Six Nations, it is difficult to 

generalise about the nature and characteristics of people involved in consumption in 

and around the tournament. Nevertheless, there are inevitably a large number of 

people who are engaged in consuming the Six Nations product. 

Interest in rugby across all of the six nations is strong and growing. The IRB World Cup 

2007 generated an unprecedented interest in rugby in France, with the France-England 

Semi-Final watched by 18.3 million people and the Quarter-Final against the New 

Zealand All Blacks by 16.6 million, while two of the three pool matches had audiences of 

more than 14 million. 

Additionally, the total attendance for the French championship reached 3.2 million 

spectators in the 2007-2008 season, which was accompanied by an increase from 

400,000 to 500,000 for the French national team's matches, and from 400,000 to 

500,000 for the European Cup matches. Evidence indicates that 29% of French people 

follow rugby, as opposed to 30% who follow football; while the French national rugby 

team's progress is followed by 41% of French people, as opposed to 40% who follow 

football. 62% of the public gives rugby a favourable rating of between 8 and 10, as 

opposed to only 36% who give a similar rating to football. 

In Italy too, the sport is developing rapidly. Despite the North of the country still being 

classed as rugby’s heartland, a sell-out crowd of 80,000 attended the recent Italy-New 

Zealand match at the San Siro in Milan. Such is the demand for rugby that two Italian 

sides are set to join the Magner’s League next season. This is likely to create ‘superclubs’ 

similar to those in Wales and Ireland. 

The addition of the Italian sides would benefit not only the development of Italian rugby 

but have a positive effect on the other sides and their surrounding economy too with a 

rise in the number of games likely to induce a corresponding increase in the number of 

spectators, thus generating additional revenue for the clubs and regions. Related to this 

additional exposure, and with an additional market for brands to sell in, the value of 

sponsorship would be expected to increase, as would the brand of the competing sides 

and locations. This also impacts the broadcast market which is discussed further in 

section 5. 

There is evidence from the UK that approximately 2.8% of the population paid to watch 

rugby union in 2008, compared to 2.5% in 2004 (2.7% cricket, 9.4% football). This 

increases to 22% regarding people who watched rugby union on television, and 38% 

follow the sport media reports. (Mintel, 2009). 

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Additional information on socio-economic characteristics of rugby supporters in the UK 

suggest that rugby supporters are traditionally from higher economic groups compared 

to the average of the population. While 24% of the adult population are from group AB, 

54% of those that play rugby or watch and attend rugby are from the top social 

grouping. In Ireland, as with the other Six Nations participants, the socio-demographic 

profile of rugby union supporters is predominately male, although approximately 30% of 

attendees at international fixtures are female. In Scotland too, the majority of people 

who express an interest in rugby are drawn from classes A, B and C1, with over 65% 

being male (Mintel). 

This interest from relatively wealthy social groups is associated with greater spending 

capacity than fans of some other sports. This higher propensity to spend translates 

favourably in terms of economic impacts and the ability for rugby to recover strongly 

from the credit crunch. This is likely to be reflected in the number of overnight stays, the 

overall spend (research suggests that rugby fans spend more than football fans overall 

on attending sports events). Additionally they are more likely to travel in groups with 

family members and stay for longer than just the match visit. 

Location impacts 

The Six Nations Championship hosts benefit from being in popular capital city locations 

so trips which are planned around the rugby but perhaps include an extended stay are 

more likely. Large numbers of travelling fans from high-income groups tend to bring 

significant additional expenditure. Research suggests that fans travelling further 

distances tend to spend more during their stay in the host nation. 

For example evidence from two 2002 Six Nations matches suggests that French fans 

visiting the UK tend to have a higher spend than the home nations fans and also tend to 

travel outside of the host city. High end events recover quickly because the market they 

attract is still wealthy, but value for money is also important. 

Emerging from the global economic downturn 

While the previous two years competitions have taken place in the grips of the global 

downturn, the competing nations are now all technically out of recession. In previous 

reports it has been argued that major sporting events would be largely resistant to the 

negative impact of the economic downturn, and that new supporter groupings would 

emerge to consume the sporting product in different ways (Chadwick, 2009) – in 

particular the stay at home audience and the way in which they engage. 

Indeed, despite the slow economic recovery, reports suggest that the demand for 

corporate hospitality in the UK, for example, will exceed £1.25b (€1.38b, $1.89) by 2013 

(MBD Commercial Due Diligence UK Corporate Hospitality Market Development Report, 

2009). 

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At Twickenham, following a 35% decrease in sales revenue from corporate packages for 

the 2009 Championship (causing the RFU to lose £2m, (€2.21m, $3.02m)) 2010 has seen a 

great recovery with a 60% rise in hospitality sales. Demand has outstripped supply of 

boxes and hospitality seats for the Ireland game and the situation is similar against 

Wales. Reports indicate that RFU could have filled 82,000-capacity Twickenham twice 

for both of England's home matches this season, despite a 2.5% increase in ticket prices 

following recent VAT rise. 

Similarly hotels in close proximity to the grounds have experienced strong demand. The 

Marriot Hotel, located in Twickenham’s redeveloped South Stand, sold out for both 

weekends of England’s home 2010 Six Nations matches. This is particularly good news 

for the service sector who have been hit hard in the recession, especially at a time of 

year when traditionally hotels are facing low occupancy rates. 

While corporate entertainment suffered heavily in the downturn, events offering value 

for money have been among the first to recover. As public criticism has been strong for 

corporates wasting money over indulging at events, the recovery has seen a shift with 

companies keen to keep their activities more low key. However rugby union appears to 

have bounced back strongly, with Twickenham having sold out its hospitality area for 

the Ireland game, and achieved sales of 4,000 tickets for the game against Wales 

(compared to sales last season of 2,800 and 3,000 against Scotland and France 

respectively) in advance of the start of the tournament. 

Brands are being careful with how they are seen to be spending but have rejoined the 

market in force. Experiential and bespoke events have proved popular, particularly 

those involving meeting players, and the Unions have reacted to this. Scottish rugby 

have launched a series of innovative partnerships with local hotels to offer bespoke 

packages for the Six Nations matches to ensure any additional revenues from corporate 

hospitality can be reinvested into the game by boosting the union’s revenues instead of 

fans buying unofficial packages. 

However, growth in corporate sales has not been repeated across all nations. In Ireland 

companies continue to curtail their hospitality spend. While hospitality packages are still 

selling, this tends to be on a smaller scale. Despite sport sponsorship in Ireland growing 

by 2% to €133m (£120.26m, $181.39m) in 2009, it is expected to fall by up to 6% in 

2010, compared to a predicted 5% rise in Europe overall (Onside Sponsorship Report). 

While technically, based on growth in GDP, Ireland exited recession in December 2009, 

this was mainly due to higher profits of multinationals which use Ireland for tax 

purposes. Without this effect, GNP would have decreased by 1.4%, suggesting that most 

of the Irish population are still in the grip of recession. Ireland’s recession has been one 

of the deepest, with its economy shrinking by 10% in 2009. Clearly this has filtered 

through to corporate sales. 

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However, Ireland’s Central Bank has predicted that the country will exit recession in the 

second half of this year, and recovery is expected for the 2011 edition of the 

Championship. 

The 2010 Championship is expected to be the final time in the modern era that Ireland 

will play their home games at Croke Park. The Aviva Stadium, built on the site of the old 

Landsdown Road ground is due to open later this year. Though the reduction in seating 

capacity from 82,000 at Croke Park to 50,000 at the Aviva Stadium will inevitably mean a 

reduction in attendances, the new stadium is designed to accommodate premium and 

hospitality guests. There are 10,000 seats at premium level and a further 1,300 at box 

level. 

While the Six Nations tournament draws its attending audience primarily from existing 

rugby fans in the participating countries, it is popular throughout the rest of Europe and 

the rest of the world. 

Categorising the Six Nations audience 

Drawing from observations made in previous CIBS reports for MasterCard, and also from 

observations made above, one should expect the composition of people expressing an 

interest in the Six Nations Championship to include: 

 

 

The Mobiles: people predominantly from the participating nations, but also rugby 

fans across Europe, who travel to one or more of the host cities to watch a match 

(this group in turn will consist of a series of further consumer segments, each of 

which display distinctive characteristics – see below); the Mobiles are more likely to 

be male, middle class, earning an above average income and be aged 20-44 years 

old. 

The Engagers: people who engage with the Final at some level but stay in their 

home nation to watch it; the most engaged are likely to be existing rugby fans, and 

potentially fans of the teams from which players are drawn and spend money 

around the matches on e.g. food and drink, replica shirts and other merchandise 

etc.; the least engaged are likely to be aware of the tournament, may watch it given 

that it is the most prestigious northern hemisphere tournament and may spend on 

e.g. drinks and snacks, newspapers etc.; given the breadth and depth of people with 

an interest in rugby, it is difficult to characterise the demographic characteristics of 

the Engagers, although we can predict that large numbers of people talk about the 

tournament, read about it, watch it, spend around at and have at least some interest 

in it. However, those most engaged are likely to be from a high social grouping, 

reflecting the general socio-economic profile of those with an interest in rugby. 

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The Recession-Resisters: people and organisations who deliberately seek to engage 

with the Six Nations in some way in order to displace the pessimism associated with 

harsh economic conditions. Amongst these, people will engage with the tournament 

because it will help them to forget other problems they have which have been 

caused by economic hardship; people will engage because it excites them at a time 

of pessimism and concern. Amongst some organisations such as advertisers etc., 

there will be a feeling that the tournament constitutes a safe-haven and good value 

for money given the exposure and profile it provides. 

Across the Northern hemisphere and the rest of the world, there is also considerable 

interest in the tournament. Although a categorisation of whom these interested parties 

are and what their interest in the tournament might be proves difficult, the following 

provides an indication: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They may be fans of a player competing in the tournament 

They may be fans of the Six Nations 

They may be fans of a particular nation/ patriotic 

They may be fans of rugby generally 

They may be fans of sporting spectacle 

They may be fans of good entertainment 

As was identified above, there are likely to be a sizeable number of ‘Mobiles’ who travel 

to the host cities to watch matches, some of whom have (or secure upon arrival) match 

tickets. 

Others, who are more likely to be domestic fans, travel to watch the game in bars and 

cafes, or to experience the feeling of being associated with a major sporting event. 

Kurtzman (2005) identified that visitors to cities hosting major sporting events, can be 

classified in the following way: 

 

 

 

 

 

Preluders: visitors who travel to a host city ahead of a sporting event 

Attenders: visitors who travel to a host city specifically for a sporting event 

Retainers: visitors who remain in a host city after a sporting event has finished 

Residuals: visitors who return to a host city up to 24 months after a sporting event 

Continuers: visitors who return to a host city during a period 2-5 years after a 

sporting event 

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The work of Preuss et al. (2007) helped to further clarify these categories by identifying 

the following groups of visitor who travel to sporting events: 

 

 

 

 

Event visitors: those who travel to a host city specifically because of a sporting event 

Extensioners: those who travel to a host city anyway but stay longer because of a 

sporting event 

Home stayers: local residents who opt to stay in a host city and spend their money 

on attending a sporting event rather than on a vacation out of the region at some 

other time in the year 

Time switchers: those who wanted to travel to the host city at another time but 

bring their journey forwards to coincide with a sporting event 

On the basis of evidence presented elsewhere, this report proposes that the following 

groups of people associate themselves with the Six Nations: 

 

 

 

 

The Buzzers: people who arrive before the day of the match in order to get the buzz 

of being in the city, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the experience; stay in local 

accommodation, as well as eating and drinking in the capitals; buy souvenirs and 

merchandise; may or may not have tickets upon arrival and may not necessarily 

make it to the stadium, instead watching the game in a bar or café. 

The Acclimatisors: people who arrive before the day of the match in order to 

establish themselves in the city before the match takes place and the majority of 

fans arrive; stay in local accommodation, as well as eating and drinking in the host 

city; visit local tourist attractions and buy souvenirs and merchandise; may or may 

not have tickets when they arrive but are intent on attending the match rather than 

watching from outside the stadium e.g. in a bar or café. 

The Instant Hitters: people who arrive in, and leave, the host city within a short 

space of time (possibly less than 24 hours); want to get the buzz of being in the city 

for the match, particularly if it’s their team against high profile opposition, soak up 

the atmosphere and enjoy the experience i.e. they either want, or only have time 

for, a short, sharp hit; likely to spend their money mainly on food and drink; may not 

have tickets upon arrival and may not necessarily make it to the stadium; likely to 

have other professional or domestic commitments that dictate their short stay in the 

city. 

The Late Landers: people who arrive in, and leave, the host city within a short space 

of time (possibly less than 24 hours) i.e. they land at the airport, eat, drink, watch 

the game and leave; spending focused on food and drink; may or may not have 

tickets when they arrive but are intent on attending the match rather than watching 

from outside the stadium e.g. in a bar or café; likely to have other professional or 

domestic commitments that dictate their short stay in the city. 

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The Indulgers: people who choose to stay in the city once the match is over; keen to 

immerse themselves in either the ecstasy of victory or the pain of defeat, and 

recognition by locals of either state; stay likely to be less than a week and 

expenditure will be focused on food, drink and merchandise; may not have a 

permanent base in the city and may or may not have attended the game; are keen 

to assert their credentials as true fans for staying once the main event is over. 

The Tourers: people who choose to stay in the city once the match is over; likely to 

enjoy the post-match atmosphere, and the recognition amongst locals that this 

brings; mainly stay in the city to sight-see and take in tourist attractions, possibly 

having brought forward a similar such trip or substituted the trip for another they 

were going to take elsewhere at a later date; focus of expenditure likely to be on 

accommodation, food, drink, tourist attractions and souvenirs. 

The Returners: people who return to the host city at least once in the period up to 

two years after the match; in the event of their team’s victory, return will be 

motivated by desire to relive the memory of winning; may also return to visit 

attractions they were unable to see or spent little time visiting around the time of 

the match; focus of expenditure likely to be on accommodation, entertainment, 

visitor attractions etc. 

The Long-Termers: people who return to the host city on more than one occasion in 

the period up to five years after the match; in the event of their teams victory, 

return will be motivated by desire to relive the memory of winning; may also return 

to visit attractions they were unable to see or spent little time visiting around the 

time of the match; may have a particular bond with the local area such as friends, a 

partner or a deep liking for the host city/country; focus of expenditure likely to be on 

accommodation, entertainment, visitor attractions etc. 

In addition to people visiting the host cities to watch or be associated with the Six 

Nations Championship, it is also likely that residents of the city, and from elsewhere in 

the host countries, contribute to the economic impact of the Championship. The group 

consists of people who are most likely to generate economic activity in the following 

areas: 

 

 

 

 

Ticket sales 

Transport 

Food and drink 

Merchandising 

For those people who travel from outside of the host cities, additional economic activity 

may be associated with accommodation and visits to tourist attractions. 

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SECTION 5: BROADCASTING 

The TV market has shown a keen interest in rugby in recent rights cycles with both the 

IRB Rugby World Cup and Six Nations Championship rights attracting higher sums. In 

France for example, the Six Nations’ broadcaster recently renewed its contract for €100 

million ($136.40 million, £90 million) over four seasons, an increase of 28%. The average 

audience for Six Nations matches is just over 3 million, while French Championship 

games attract approximately 500,000 viewers. 

Table 9: Current Contracts for Six Nations Broadcasting 

Value per year (million) 

Country Broadcaster € £ $ Terms 

UK BBC 44.00 39.79 60.01 2010-2013 

France 

France 

Televisions 25.00 22.61 34.09 2010-2013 

Ireland RTE 5.00 4.50 6.82 2010-2013 

Italy Sky Italia 10.00 9.00 13.64 2010-2014 

Source: SportCal, SportBusiness, National press 

In 2002 total viewing figures averaged just under 5 million per game, with no game 

exceeding 10 million viewers (RBS, 2008). By 2004, BBC reported average viewing figures 

of 4.1 million and by 2009 BBC coverage alone attracted record peak audience viewing 

figures averaging 6.2 million, and average viewing figures of 4.3 million per match, 

representing an increase of over a third since 2002. 

As table 10 shows, in 2009 Ireland v France, Wales v England, France v Wales and 

England v France all attracted an average audience of over 10 million across the six 

territories. In 2009, four of Ireland’s most watched sporting events on television were 

Six Nations games. According to the BBC, the 2009 Six Nations tournament reached – or 

at least was watched at some point – 65% of the population of Wales and 41% of the UK 

as a whole. 

The third weekend of the 2009 competition was the most viewed overall, attracting a 

total audience of 26,649,968. 

In the 2010 competition, the tournament is estimated to have been watched by 125 

million people across the UK, Ireland, France and Italy, with the France v Ireland, Wales 

v France and France v England matches attracting over 10 million viewers in total from 

the six participating nations. The final match of the tournament (France v England) is 

thought to have attracted almost 15 million viewers. 

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Table 10: Six Nations 2009 Average Audience Viewing Figures 

Match UK (BBC) France Italy (LA7) Ireland Total 

(France 2/3) 

(RTE) 

England v 4,600,000 2,175,310 994,479 262,000 8,031,789 

Italy 

Ireland v 4,800,000 5,323,785 411,007 702,,000 10,534,792 

France 

Scotland v 4,100,000 1,889,085 427,936 256000 6,673,021 

Wales 

France v 3,700,000 4,178,885 397,028 240,000 8,515,913 

Scotland 

Wales v 7,200,000 2,690,515 467,000 348,000 10,705,515 

England 

Italy v Ireland 2,900,000 2,003,575 749,720 558,000 6,211,295 

France v 4,400,000 5,896,235 327,586 384,000 11,007,821 

Wales 

Scotland v 3,100,000 1,717,350 633,311 230,000 5,680,661 

Italy 

Ireland v 6,100,000 2,690,515 282,971 888,000 9,961,486 

England 

Italy v Wales 2,900,000 1,889,085 709,238 230,000 5,728,323 

Scotland v 4,100,000 2,232,555 306,577 670,000 7,309,132 

Ireland 

England v 4,900,000 4,808,580 312,330 249,000 10,269,910 

France 

Italy v France 2,000,000 3,377,455 626,829 143,000 6,147,284 

England v 4,400,000 2,175,310 309,047 293,000 7,177,357 

Scotland 

Wales v 6,000,000 2,347,045 468,389 955,000 9,770,434 

Ireland 

TOTAL 65,200,000 45,395,285 7,423,491 6,408,000 124,426,776 

Average per 4,346,667 3,026,352 494,899 427,200 8,295,118 

game 

Source: Ofcom 

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Benefits of the Friday evening match 

A Friday night match (France v Wales) was introduced as part of a two year trial, 

following the success of Friday night matches in the IRB Rugby World Cup. 2009 viewing 

figures show that this was a popular decision, attracting the second highest total 

audience of the Championship. 

The Friday evening game was repeated for the reverse fixture (Wales v France) in the 

2010 event and has also proved extremely popular, with a live audience of around 10.5 

million viewers, including almost a quarter of the television audience share in France 

and approximately 65% in Wales (NB as the match was shown on BBC across the UK, not 

just Wales, the available figure cited is 17% of the UK total). Viewing figures suggest that 

this was the second most viewed match of the 2010 tournament. 

Comparing viewership 

In 2007, the year of the IRB Rugby World Cup in France, rugby replaced football at the 

top of the sports viewing charts in the majority of television markets across Europe. 

Matches from the IRB Rugby World Cup were the most watched events in France and 

the UK, according to the annual survey by TV Sports Markets. The biggest audience was 

attracted by France’s semi-final match against England which attracted 18.3 million 

viewers, the biggest sports audience in any of the 17 countries surveyed. 

ITV’s live coverage of Brazil v Ireland international football (Tuesday 2 March 2010) 

averaged just 3.3 million viewers, while the UEFA Cup match between Sporting Lisbon 

and Everton drew in an average of 1.6 million viewers on Channel 5 (25 February 2010). 

ITV1’s coverage of the UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and Porto 

(Wednesday 17 February 2010) was watched by considerably more people, attracting 

average viewing figures of 4.8 million and a peak of 6 million viewers. 

In contrast, over 7 million viewers watched the BBC show the climax of the England v 

Wales Six Nations rugby match on the first weekend of the Six Nations Championship 

(Saturday 6 February). Live coverage of the rugby averaged 6.4 million viewers, and 

peaked at 7.3 million in the final 15 minutes of the game. 

It is estimated that revenue generated by the Six Nations Championship amounts to 

approximately 30% of total commercial revenues (including broadcast, marketing, 

ticketing and hospitality) earned by the domestic governing bodies from the premier 

rugby union competitions in the Northern hemisphere. The rest of the revenue is 

generated from the Autumn internationals and main club competitions (including 

Heineken Cup, Challenge Cup and domestic / cross-nation leagues). 

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As table 11 shows, Italy is the only country where the live broadcaster of the 

Championship is not a terrestrial channel. As rugby continues to grow in popularity and 

participation throughout Italy, pay per view channel Sky Italia has taken over the live 

broadcasting of the Six Nations from La7 from 2010. The channel also holds the rights to 

the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011, Tri Nations and the Heineken Cup. Early estimates show 

that while figures for live viewing of the matches in Italy are significantly lower than 

those of in 2009 3 , the delayed coverage on La7 combined with the live Sky Italia footage 

is likely to amount to figures very similar to those of last year. As would be expected, the 

matches involving Italy have proved to be Sky Italia’s most popular. 

Table 11: Exclusive television broadcasting rights to the championship 

Country 2002 – 05 2006 – 09 2010 – 13 

UK BBC BBC BBC 

Ireland RTE RTE RTE 

France France Televisions France Televisions France Televisions 

Italy La7 La7 Sky Italia 

Healthy sponsorship agreements 

Related to this increasing popularity, many major firms appear in rugby clubs' customer 

portfolios. For example, in France: Renault (Stade Français, Clermont), Axa (SF & 

Perpignan), Afflelou (Bayonne), Peugeot (Toulouse), Capgemini (Biarritz), Seat (Brive), 

Mercure (Castres), and Sony (Dax) among others. 

The French rugby union league has a number of loyal major partners: in 2008, all of its 

big contracts (Orange, EDF, PMU, GMF, and Société Générale) were renewed for an 

additional four years: a total of €12 million (£10.85, $16.36) per season. The French 

National team attracts major sponsorship revenue, with leading deals worth between 

€6m (£5.43m, $8.81m) and €9m (£8.14m, $12.27m) over 5 years. The Scottish national 

team also has several large sponsorships including with Murray International, which is 

worth £2.7 million (€3m, $4.07m) over 3 years. Welsh Rugby Union also recently signed 

a one-year extension to one of its leading sponsorship deals, amounting to a value of 

almost £500,000 (€553,000, $753,000) 

3 A similar situation was true in the 2001-2 season when England v Wales at Twickenham attracted a Sky 

Sports audience of under half a million. A year later the same teams in Cardiff attracted a BBC audience of 

6 million (Review of Free to Air Listed Events, 2009). 

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SECTION 6: PARTICIPATION 

While the game at the professional level is clearly healthy, with record attendances, 

sponsorship deals and television viewing figures, grass roots sport is a key part of the 

game, without which, the elite level could not exist. Following stagnation and decreases 

in participation and interest in rugby through the 1990s and early 2000, the governors of 

the game now see participation as the key to expansion. 

The Six Nations sides are well represented in terms of participation worldwide. England 

the world’s largest rugby playing nation (35% of the participants in the top ten rugby 

playing countries) and France is in third place with 272,000 (16%) players. Overall it is 

estimated that the game has grown by over 16% worldwide since the last rugby world 

cup; with England, the largest country, growing by over 4%. Table 12 sets out the 

number of participants in each major country divided into Adult, Youth and Mini/Junior 

categories as recorded by the IRB. 

Table 12: Estimated Rugby Participation in Top 10 Countries in 2008 

2004 2007 2008 

Adult Youth Mini/Jun Total 

Share 

(%) 

Share 

(%) 

Share 

(%) 

England 177 89 420 686 32.70% 37.60% 34.60% 

South 

Africa 69 144 274 487 30.30% 25.50% 24.60% 

France 91 106 75 272 11.50% 11.80% 13.70% 

New 

Zealand 29 38 62 129 6.70% 7.50% 6.50% 

Ireland 25 38 39 102 2.70% 5.00% 5.10% 

Australia 36 18 26 80 7.30% 3.70% 4.00% 

Argentina* 21 24 46 91 2.60% 2.90% 4.60% 

Italy 14 22 22 58 1.90% 2.40% 2.90% 

Wales 47 0 0 47 2.90% 2.30% 2.40% 

Scotland 11 13 8 32 1.40% 1.40% 1.60% 

Totals 520 492 972 1984 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 

Source: IRB, RFU 

All Six Nations countries feature in the top ten for participation worldwide and there is 

estimated to have been overall growth in European participation of around 8% between 

2007 and 2010. England is the biggest market boasting over 2 million registered players, 

with 678,000 thought to be active, while the other six nations countries have 

experienced recent growth. Of the top ten, Argentina appears to be growing at the 

fastest rate, demonstrating similar development to that of Italy in the 1990s. Their 

addition to the Tri-Nations in 2012 will be timely. 

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The growth or decline in the number of clubs, shown in table 12, is interesting in that 

clear differences are seen between the nations which are still developing and those that 

are established. While the number of clubs in England and Ireland have stayed relatively 

constant, those in Italy have continued to increase, suggesting that the sport is gaining 

in popularity in new areas. 

However, the sizes of clubs are very different with those in Ireland servicing 

approximately 490 players each, while the average number of players at clubs in Italy is 

80. In terms of increases in participation, Italy has the strongest growth of the six unions 

with a 36% rise since 2007. This is to be expected as it started from the smallest base. 

Future growth would also be predicted following Italian sides joining the Magners 

League. The sport is enjoying greater popularity than ever before in terms of fans, 

players and media coverage, with rugby union especially popular in Rome, L’Aquila, 

Treviso, Milans, Genoa, Parma and Bologna. This surge in popularity has seen a large 

improvement in the domestic player quality in Italy which has in turn led to a flow of 

Italian players being bought by other European clubs. 

Table 13: Number of Registered Clubs and Players in the Six Nations 

Nation Clubs (2010) Clubs (2008) Registered players 

France 1,734 1,683 273,084 

England 1,900 1,900 2,146,140 

Italy 744 718 61,487 

Ireland 207 208 152,830 

Scotland 241 234 32,817 

Wales 325 239 46,324 

TOTAL 2,712,682 

Source: IRB 

Table 14: Estimated Participation Growth from 2007 – 2010 

Nation 

% Growth 

Italy 36 

Ireland 33 

Scotland 32 

France 22 

Wales 10 

England 5 

Source: BARB, Media Guardian, Sportcal 

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The growth in participation figures for the other Six Nations countries can be explained 

in a number of ways: 

As the largest rugby playing nation it is difficult for participation figures to grow 

substantially. Success in the IRB Rugby World Cup 2003 provided the catalyst for further 

development of the game in England and was built upon by reaching the Final in 2007. 

Participation rates have been steadily increasing in the years following. With this has 

been increased investment in facilities and infrastructure to ensure that clubs can be 

well run. 

For France, the IRB Rugby World Cup 2007 generated an unprecedented interest in 

rugby in France and participation since has grown. Rugby in France has a highly 

geographically specific constituency, with most clubs located in south-western and 

southern France, or in Paris. 

Scotland too has a rugby heartland traditionally based in the border regions. However, 

the two Magners League sides are based in Glasgow and Edinburgh and there has been 

a year-on-year growth in rugby participation, at both adult and youth levels. The SRU 

restructured in 2006 introducing new initiatives to encourage engagement, and 

following this, participation has been growing strongly at both the junior and adult 

levels. 

Though the headline figures are healthy, they mask to a certain extent some of the 

challenges the governing bodies are facing. In England for example, while 72% of the 

active participants are involved in the mini/junior game, there is a sharp decline at the 

youth level (13%, the lowest of all of the top ten), suggesting that in the past the game 

has found it difficult to retain their players as they enter their teens, but have a good 

recovery in participants returning to the game as adults shown in table 15. 

Table 15: Participation by Age 

Adult Youth Mini/Jun 

England 25.80% 13.00% 61.20% 

South 

Africa 14.20% 29.60% 56.30% 

New 

Zealand 33.50% 39.00% 27.60% 

France 22.50% 29.50% 48.10% 

Australia 24.50% 37.30% 38.20% 

Ireland 45.00% 22.50% 32.50% 

Wales 23.10% 26.40% 50.60% 

Scotland 24.10% 37.90% 37.90% 

Italy 34.40% 40.60% 25.00% 

Totals 26.20% 24.80% 49.00% 

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Table 16: Participation by Gender (%) 

Country Mini/Jr 

Male 

Mini/Jr 

Female 

Youth 

Male 

Youth 

Female 

Adult 

Male 

Adult 

Female 

Overall 

Male 

Overall 

Female 

France 97 3 97 3 95 5 96 4 

England 91 9 100 0 99 1 99 1 

Italy 90 10 97 3 94 6 94 6 

Ireland 90 10 95 5 90 10 92 8 

Scotland 99 1 97 3 93 7 96 4 

Wales 99 1 97 3 96 4 97 3 

While proportionately rugby is very male dominated, there is evidence of an increasing 

numbers of girls being involved at young ages. New formats and versions of the game 

have made rugby more accessible for females, with many young girls playing tag and 

touch rugby up to the age of 13 within a mixed gender environment in clubs and 

schools. 

Rugby appears to be most popular for girls in Ireland. However the proportions do not 

translate directly to attendance at rugby matches where the percentage of female fans 

is much higher. Overall, there are more participating rugby players in the Leinster region 

(57,001) than anywhere else in Ireland (the next is Ulster with 44,216); 

Growth in participation is a key aim for all of the national federations with each putting 

strategies in place to achieve this. This is also likely to have an impact on the 

demographics of those playing and watching rugby as targeting different groups will 

lead to a broader base of fans across all social groups. 

The inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the Olympic programme is also likely to have a positive 

effect. The socio-economic benefits of sports participation have been particularly 

prominent in recent years as the benefits of health and social cohesion are increasingly 

identified as important. Estimates suggest that an increase in participation in sport for at 

least 1 hour per week of 10% overall for the UK would lead to a reduction in health 

spending of in the region of £100m (€110.57m, $150.79m). 

The World Health Organisation has provided evidence of the link between people's 

physical activity and their health. However, trends show that young people in particular 

are not doing enough physical exercise and that a growing number of young people are 

affected by obesity. A recent Eurobarometer survey suggests that only 15% of youths 

are active in sports and that the average EU citizen spends more than six hours per day 

seated. 

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Overall, the number of children not participating in any sporting activity is constantly 

rising across the Northern hemisphere. In response to the perceived benefits and the 

debate on how to boost sports participation, governing bodies, with the support of 

national governments, are making a concerted effort to engage with communities and 

their potential fans and future players. 

Clearly the economic impact of rugby in the Six Nations countries must not be ignored 

both in terms of economic impact from rugby events and also utilisation of stadia for 

other activities which generate large sums for the local economy as well as the 

additional benefits accruing from increased participation and the knock on effect on 

health and public services. 

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SECTION 7: CONCLUSIONS 

The Six Nations Championship is one of the world’s most important sporting events and 

one of the most popular events of its sort in the world. 

Not only does the tournament routinely attract around 1 million visitors (an estimated 

1,054,654 in 2010) to its host cities each year, television viewing figures show that the 

tournament may be watched by as many people as 125 million people worldwide. 

Added to this there are large numbers of people who buy related merchandise, 

consume food and drink in and around the venues, read about it in newspapers and 

magazines and place bets on the outcome of matches, as well as large numbers of 

officials and commercial partners travelling to the matches. 

This means that the tournament represents a bonanza for a range of organisations from 

the nations taking part through to sportsware manufacturers and venue managers at 

the stadiums in which matches take place. 

The economic impact of the tournament is therefore profound; it is financially 

significant, reverberates across time and spans international boundaries. 

The profile and significance of the Northern hemisphere’s premier rugby competition 

retains a value that places it alongside the most valuable other sport events properties 

in the world. The fact that this is an annual event makes the impact even more 

significant. 

For many industries, and indeed for sports, the economic downturn has had a profound 

effect, resulting in unprecedented levels of pessimism. However, as major events such 

as football’s UEFA Champions League Final and the NFL Superbowl have shown, major 

sporting events are of such a nature that they can be recession busting in their impact. 

Indeed, further evidence suggests fans, broadcasters and commercial partners seek safe 

havens during times of economic hardship. That is to say they consume or invest in 

products that provide them with the best value for money. 

One can therefore argue that rugby properties provide this value, with signs that 

corporates are again engaging with the sport and the Six Nations Championship. 

While the tough economic climate has of course had an impact on demand with 2009 

estimates suggesting it was harder to sell tickets and hospitality, there are signs that the 

tournament is emerging from those hard times stronger, adapting by necessity to create 

more bespoke offerings for fans which can attract a premium fee. 

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It is also likely that the prestige and profile of the tournament has caused more people 

to buy into the event as it provides an escape from the tough economic conditions. 

Rugby fans tend to be young, males with a relatively high disposable income and travel 

in large numbers. Additionally, the fact that the majority of rugby consumers belong to 

the highest socio-economic groups means that events such as the Six Nations are 

rebounding from the recession more quickly. 

Even when people chose not to travel to the host cities to be at the event in person 

during the worst of the downturn, the TV audience figures showed that the spectacle 

has remained popular, with record numbers of fans tuning in. 

This also results in the generation of economic and commercial activity, based around 

for example, expenditure on food, beverages and merchandise. It is also essential to 

note that the vast majority of the reduction in fans travelling will be those without 

tickets – as the attendance figures show demand is still high with the stadiums filled 

close to capacity and in some cases could have been sold out more than once. 

The TV market for rugby is stronger than ever, with assessments suggesting record 

numbers of viewers are tuning in to matches across the host nations. This is in line with 

the increases in rights fees received for the competition. 

While live viewing figures for Italy are significantly lower following the move away from 

terrestrial TV, there is a commitment from the broadcaster (Sky Italia) to a range of 

rugby events which will doubtless engage the Italian viewers. The slightly delayed 

terrestrial coverage has proved very popular. 

The addition of a Friday night fixture has proved popular overall. While there are 

inevitable difficulties for fans to travel on a work day, and for transport networks to 

cope with the demand, the fixture still proved very popular with a sell-out crowd, 

including a strong away contingent. 

The timing is certainly not thought to have had an adverse effect on attendance or 

spend, particularly given that French fans may have been inclined to stay longer in the 

Welsh capital and surrounding area for the weekend after the match. The Friday night 

timing, while new for the tournament, is a proven popular slot in both the Magners 

League and LNF and it is expected that this will be kept for future editions of the 

tournament. 

Similarly, the Friday night fixture has been popular with the TV audience, with estimates 

suggesting that it was the second most watched game of the tournament with 10.5 

million viewers across the six participating nations, behind only the France v England 

finale to see if France could secure the Grand Slam. 

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Compared to some recent televised football games in the same territories, the Six 

Nations has been extremely popular. In fact, this continues the general trend shown in 

2007 when the IRB Rugby World Cup replaced football at the top of the sports viewing 

charts in the majority of television markets across Europe for that year. 

The six competing nations have very different relationships with rugby. While in Wales it 

is the national sport and televised matches can attract two thirds of the audience share, 

in other nations though popular overall, there tend to be pockets of regions that are 

rugby fans in terms of both participation and viewing. 

Participation overall is growing strongly with the Six Nations unions all recording 

significant growth over the past decade. As the strategic plans are implemented by the 

governing bodies of rugby it is expected that more and more people from ethnic 

minorities, lower social groups and females will become engaged. 

While rugby is experiencing great popularity on all fronts, with passionate fans travelling 

in large numbers, it is important that the custodians of the game do not become 

complacent. With the commercial revenues of high profile competitions providing much 

needed resources to the grass roots level, it is important that the governing bodies are 

able to respond to changing preferences and opportunities. Embracing different formats 

of the game are evidence of this already occurring. 

The addition of Sevens Rugby to the Olympic programme for Rio 2016 is likely to have a 

great impact in promoting the sport around the world and have knock on effects on 

participation. 

Increases in participation displayed by the Six Nations countries alone are likely to save 

the economy millions through the reduction in obesity and health improvements as well 

as benefits for community cohesion through reductions in crime and anti-social 

behaviour. 

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SECTION 8: METHODOLOGY 

MasterCard commissioned the Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) in 

Coventry University, England, to develop a report that examines the economic impact of 

the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship and associated demographic trends. 

CIBS: 

Compared the tournament with other major sports events, with particular reference 

to analysis of attendance, TV audience, visitor spend and other economic indicators 

Reviewed previous economic impact studies of the tournament 

Calculated an estimate of the economic impact of the 2010 competition at the 

national level for the six host countries by collating data then calculating the direct 

and indirect expenditure 

Appropriate benchmarks have been sourced from previous economic impact studies 

where available, to aid interpretation and ensure consistency. Information presented in 

previous published reports has been extracted in order to model the economic impacts. 

In addition, a wide variety of publicly available data has been provided by organisations 

including the International Rugby Board (IRB) and national federations, and in annual 

reports as well as data accessed through sources such as Mintel and EBSCO. 

In all cases we have relied upon existing data to be correct and have not carried out 

additional audit of them. 

Please note, all USD, GBP and EUR currencies are calculated using www.xe.com.

MASTERCARD SIX NATIONS RUGBY REPORT

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