Dear Lions Members,

Since our last communication we continue to work hard in ensuring you can return to our iconic stadium soon. We trust that you and your loved ones are all healthy and weathering the current storm. This pandemic has certainly humbled us all – family, support, patience and understanding from our partners have never been more important as we all struggle to keep afloat.

For the Sporting Industry it has been particularly challenging to deal with the harsh realities of COVID-19, the well-being of players, the return of rugby and the massive loss of revenue as a result of making difficult decisions in order to balance lives and livelihoods.

As all other Franchises in South Africa, we are unable to refund all 2020 Lions Memberships. With that being said, we are not ignoring the issue nor expecting you to shoulder the loss on your own. We are working tirelessly with industry partners and the government to keep rugby afloat, create new opportunities and hopefully gain approval for a phased approach to spectator attendance at stadia and events in South Africa.

As you would appreciate, a lot of these decisions are outside our control, and we will only be able to communicate a solution to you once we have confirmation of our proposals and the season ahead.

We appreciate your patience as we try our best to give you the best possible solution.

What we do know so far:

Rainbow Cup SA:

SA Rugby and PRO14 announced a revised schedule for the SA Teams whereby the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA will enter it’s fourth week this coming weekend.

Carling Currie Cup

The Carling Currie Cup is still set to kick off in June, and the oldest Rugby Competition in the world will not disappoint.

British & Irish Lions

• Full refunds for all tickets bought via the official ticketing website
• No need to apply – automated refunds to purchaser’s payment card
• First right to purchase tickets if spectator restrictions lifted
• Purchasers of hospitality packages will be contacted directly about their refunds.SA Rugby confirmed that tickets bought for the Castle Lager Lions Series through the authorised ticketing platform (tickets.lionstour2021.co.za) would be eligible for a full refund.

The assurance was given following the announcement of a revised schedule to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ticket holders who made their purchases as part of the travel packages from SA Rugby Travel or Lions Rugby Travel will receive an email from their respective agent explaining their options.

Purchasers of hospitality packages will be contacted by email in respect of their refunds.

Refunds to ticket holders will be made automatically. Ticket holders will have first right to buy tickets for the revised schedule if the South African Government announces the lifting of restrictions in sufficient time to deliver the necessary safety protocols.

All eight matches of the Tour will be played in Gauteng or Cape Town to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues and significantly reduces travel.

The Castle Lager Lions Series will now kick off in Gauteng (rather than Cape Town) with three matches against provincial opposition before moving to Cape Town for two more warm-up matches before the first Test at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday 24 July.

The Series then returns to Johannesburg for the second and third Tests at the FNB Stadium.

There is one team change in the revised schedule with the Emirates Lions replacing the SA Invitational team. The adjustment was made to reduce the risks associated with drawing a squad from around the country.

SA Rugby is organising all games in the schedule on the basis they will take place behind closed doors.

Saturday 3 July: Emirates Lions v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Wednesday 7 July: Cell C Sharks v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 20h00 (SAT) / 19h00 (BST)

Saturday 10 July: Vodacom Bulls v The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Wednesday 14 July: South Africa ‘A’ v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 20h00 (SAT) / 19h00 (BST)

Saturday 17 July: DHL Stormers v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Saturday 24 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (1st Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Saturday 31 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (2nd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Saturday 7 Aug: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (3rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Test Rugby

Emirates Airline Park is still scheduled to play host to a Rugby Championship Match of the Springboks in September. The final date and opposition to be confirmed.

Pro16

The PRO16 is scheduled to kick-off in October 2021. Final fixtures still to be confirmed.

2020 Jersey Voucher

If you have not redeemed your jersey voucher in your membership booklet for the 2020 jersey, members can now use that same voucher to order their 2021 Rainbow Cup jersey.
Please contact marketing@ellispark.co.za with your details and sizes required.

You will be required to hand in your voucher when you collect your jerseys.

From all of us at Emirates Airline Park, we want to thank you for your continued support and patience. We are hoping to have confirmation and a proposed solution for the way forward soon. Please be so kind and share this information with fellow supporters and members. We take great care to spread the message as far and wide as possible.

The staff and the players miss you all dearly, and we cannot wait to welcome you back to the Park.

Pieter Burger  –  Managing Director, EPS