Wasps fans give thumbs up after being sent to Coventry
LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Wasps fans have given their backing to the club's controversial move to Coventry after over 17,000 tickets were sold for their first game at new home the Ricoh Arena against London Irish in December.
Twice European champions Wasps announced the ticket sales on Monday, with the figures meaning they will more than double their record home attendance for the season when they start life at their new stadium on the Dec. 21.
The club agreed a ground share with Coventry City soccer club in October in a controversial deal that saw them move over 70 miles away from the much smaller Adams Park in Wycombe, where they had been hosting games since 2002.
Wasps, who won the last of their six English championships in 2008, started life in London and had shared Premier League soccer club Queens Park Ranger's Loftus Road stadium in London for six years prior to their move to Wycombe.
Following their failure to regularly fill Adams Park during their 12-year residency, it was thought that a move further north to Coventry would see attendances suffer still but Monday's announcement will encourage the club.
Wasps fans are no strangers to the Ricoh Arena, with the team winning a European Cup semi-final there in 2007 on their way to claiming the title. (Reporting By Sam Holden; editing by Justin Palmer)
