Our Own Cup to Woo the Collector

WHEN the British Lions were in Australia last year for their Rugby series against Australia, they brought with them something like 20,000 supporters. When they gathered for the first Test in Brisbane, the scene inside and outside the ground was extraordinary. Everybody wore red - mostly Lions jerseys. The programs (and supplies were trebled on normal Brisbane requirements) sold out an hour and a half before the game, and the scene inside was simply awesome. A sea of red and a deafening chorus of Lions support greeted the teams. It triggered a change in the way Australia approached its Test match events.

Seas of gold were encouraged to match the seas of red at later Tests, and an outpouring of nationalism was inspired unlike anything Rugby had seen before. The “souvenir” market was extraordinary. Lions jersey sold out everywhere; match programs were bought by the boxful, literally, as Britons buoyed by a generous exchange rate forked out $500 at a time. The true collectable market was strong too, particularly as the Lions were extremely wary of just how much they signed. A few jerseys were signed for sponsors; others went on sale at charity auctions. There was not a lot about, but what there was went quickly. Quickly enough, for sure, to whet the appetite for 2003, when Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup and the British, particularly, will come here in droves.

The Rugby World Cup is being promoted as the third biggest sporting event on earth, behind the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics. Certainly it will be a major sports and tourism event in Australia, backed by the State and Federal Government and given the full resources of an Olympic infrastructure that gave the world the “best ever” Games. The Cup, indeed, will be an economic powerhouse. Memorabilia inevitably will be a significant part of it in an age when people are more collectable conscious, and sport more aware of the market potential. It might not be as big as the recent Soccer World Cup. But it won’t seem like that if you’re living in Sydney through October and November next year. It’s our own backyard, and the potential is simply enormous.

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