Giant Wasps' crowd smashes club attendance record and gate receipt record

Wasps’ Christmas Cracker clash with Bath Rugby broke the record for a Wasps Christmas home game attendance as 31,626 people came to Ricoh Arena to enjoy the festivities on Sunday.

The fixture was also the second-highest attendance Wasps have enjoyed since their move to Coventry, with only the Premiership semi-final v Leicester Tigers in May 2015 hosting more people (32,019).

Of the 31,626 attending on Sunday, over 5,000 were juniors (under 16s), as a whopping crowd enjoyed an entertaining day in Coventry with Wasps boasting a festive Fan Village which included a funfair, reindeer, giant inflatable snow globe, carol singers and house band Wired, followed by a dazzling fireworks display post-match.

The Club also confirmed earlier in the week that the fixture smashed the highest gate-receipts record in its history.

Wasps and Ricoh Arena Managing Director Stuart Cain said: “The huge attendance and record gate receipts is a testament to the hard work of the team behind the scenes at Ricoh Arena.

“Our Christmas Cracker matches are fast becoming the game not to miss in the rugby calendar, and although the result wasn’t what he hoped for, it was a fantastic occasion for all the family.

“With Coventry being the European City of Sport in 2019, it’s a tremendous advert for rugby and the local community. We attracted over 9,000 brand-new customers to the game and hopefully after such an action-packed afternoon, they’ll want to come back again.

“The community is very important to us and encouraging the next generation to come and support us is paramount, so with our next home match with Northampton Saints set for the final day of the Christmas holidays, we have made entry free for under 16s and hope that we see as many youngsters as possible coming along to enjoy the rugby.

“I’d just like to take a moment to thank our fantastic fans for their continued support in 2018 and we can’t wait to see you back at Ricoh Arena in 2019.”