“French Tennis Federation teams up with viagogo to fight back against ticket touts”

London, ENG (viagogo) April 27, 2009 – The French Tennis Federation (FFT) today signals its intent to combat ticket touting by signing a landmark deal with viagogo to launch an official ticket exchange for tennis fans. The partnership will make viagogo the Official Secondary Ticket Exchange of Roland-Garros and the BNP Paribas Masters. It is the first ever secondary ticketing deal to be initiated in France.

The Roland-Garros viagogo Ticket Exchange will allow tennis fans to buy and sell tickets to these two world class events on viagogo’s safe, secure and guaranteed platform. Fans who can no longer attend a day at the tennis can post their tickets on the online exchange and sell them to other fans at face value prices.

The unique service aims to eradicate black market ticket touting by providing tennis fans with a safe, transparent alternative to dealing with unscrupulous touts. It will also ensure that more fans will have access to Grand Slam tennis at Roland Garros, one of the four leading tournaments in world tennis.

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The ticket exchange can be found at viagogo.com or http://rolandgarros.viagogo.com, and also via links on www.viagogo.fr and www.billetterie.fft.fr

viagogo already has some similar ticketing partnerships in place with football clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Munich.

Gilbert Ysern, Managing Director of the French Tennis Federation said: “We are more determined than ever before to exterminate the plague of the black market. To this end, we have chosen to enter into a partnership with viagogo, Europe’s leading secondary ticketing company. Together we are offering fans of both Roland Garros and BNP Paribas Masters, a new, 100% secure ticketing solution. This will be of huge benefit to all.”

Eric Baker, CEO of viagogo, “This is a landmark partnership with one of the leading sports organisations in the world, confirming viagogo’s position as a true market leader. Fans across Europe have already benefitted from viagogo’s service and we look forward to extending this to the passionate fans of Roland-Garros.”

For more information on viagogo please contact Harry Porter or Richard Rust at freud communications on +44 203 003 6380/+44 203 003 6481 [email protected]
For more information on the French Tennis Federation please contact Frédéric Longuépée, Director Ticketing and Customer Relations on +33.1.47.43.51.66 / [email protected]