Judgement Day fans moved to improve atmosphere as thousands of tickets still left

Supporters are being re-allocated seats to 'enhance the fan experience' ahead of Judgement Day at Cardiff City Stadium.

Ahead of the regional double-header between Scarlets v Dragons and Cardiff v Ospreys in the Welsh capital, fans have been moved from higher sections of one stand to lower parts.

The previous eight Judgement Day events have been held at the Principality Stadium, but the home of Welsh rugby is unavailable this year.

As such, the event has been moved to Cardiff City Stadium - which has a capacity of 33,280. It's understood the full capacity was requested for Judgement Day.

The Welsh Rugby Union's policy is not to comment on ticket sales, with no current figure offered up by the Union upon request.

It's hoped that, with a week left, more tickets will be sold for the season finale.

But this week, some supporters received an email that they would be moved to another part of the stadium.

“Thank you for your purchase for Judgement Day 01.06.24," read the email.

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"In order to enhance the fan experience for this event, we will be moving purchasers in the Level 5 section of the Ninian Stand to a lower section of the same stand.

"Your seats have been moved to either a section of equal category, or a higher category section of the stand (with no upgrade payment required).”

The Cardiff City Stadium ticketing website currently shows over 3,000 tickets still available for sale, with Level 5 of the Ninian Stand - the section of the stadium that has seen fans moved, which holds 3,800 fans - not showing any tickets available after the email was sent.

It's not clear how regional season ticket holders are factored in.

One of the selling points of previous Judgement Day events has been its location in the centre of Cardiff, allowing casual fans to make a day of it close to a host of pubs and restaurants.

A more casual audience has tended to be the market for Judgement Day in the past, with regional regulars perhaps not as enthused about the double-header.

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Even with a smaller ground to fill, having the event outside of the city centre in Leckwith was always going to affect ticket sales.

However, to counter this, a host of bands and DJs - including former Wales international Josh Navidi, ALIMISH, Into the Ark and the choirs of Cardiff and Scarlets - are set to perform throughout the day at the fanzones within the stadium.

The concourse areas of the Ninian Stand, Family Stand and Canton Stand will all be transformed into indoor fanzones, with musical guests, presenters and players all present throughout the day.

The plight of the four professional sides, who all sit in the bottom half of the table under the current financial strains of Welsh rugby, is likely to be another reason for any lack of interest.

The Ospreys do have a slim chance of reaching the play-offs, at least providing some jeopardy for the final regular round of the season.

Tickets are still available to purchase from the Cardiff City Stadium site.