Leicester Tigers have opted to stage their Heineken Cup quarter-final against Bath at the Walkers Stadium.
Heineken Cup quarter-final with Bath moved to Walkers Stadium
Leicester Tigers have opted to stage their Heineken Cup quarter-final against Bath at the Walkers Stadium.
The game, which takes place on April 11, has been moved to Leicester City's home ground which has a bigger capacity than the Tigers' home, Welford Road.
Indeed, with redevelopment work taking place at Welford Road, the 17,500 capacity would have been reduced further and thus the Tigers have taken the decision to switch the all-Guinness Premiership European showdown.
Leicester have played three previous Heineken knockout games at the Walkers Stadium, beating semi-final opponents Llanelli Scarlets in 2007, but losing a quarter-final against Bath the previous season and a semi-final to Toulouse in 2005.
However, all three matches attracted crowds of over 30,000 and demand for the contest with Bath is expected to ensure a sell-out.
"Demand for tickets for such a major fixture between two historic rivals is sure to outstrip the capacity of Welford Road," said Tigers managing director David Clayton.
"Redevelopment work at our home stadium also requires the demolition of the current Caterpillar Stand during April, which would mean reduced capacity at Welford Road.
"Also, we must reserve 25% of available tickets for the away club and, taking all of these factors into consideration, we believe that hosting the quarter-final at the Walkers Stadium is the best option available to us."
Leicester have already agreed to move the final home game of the Premiership season, against Bristol on April 25 to Walkers Stadium, as work on the new Caterpillar Stand continues in readiness for its opening at the start of the 2009-10 season.
