UNFORTUNATELY, there will be no fans present when Warrington Wolves visit Championship side Swinton Lions in the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been a bumper crowd at Heywood Road to see the match and with this in mind, the Lions say the fixture would have been worth in the region of £40,000 to the club.

To attempt to recover some of that income, Swinton are selling virtual tickets for the third round clash at a cost of £10.

All who purchase a virtual ticket will receive a £10 discount on entry to any Lions home game when crowds return and also enter a draw to win a VIP matchday experience at Heywood Road at a suitable future date.

“The loss of a paying crowd for this massive cup tie is a heart-breaking financial punch in the face for the Lions,” the club said.

“We estimate lost revenue from the tie will be in the region of £40,000, which is a huge blow for a club at our level.

“Not only would that income have underpinned our off-field community strategy and on-field efforts for the rest of 2021, it would have also helped put us in good shape ahead of season 2022.

“We would therefore like to appeal to the wider Rugby League world to purchase a “virtual” ticket for just £10.

“Sadly the ticket won’t gain you entry to the match, but it will help replace some of the lost revenue which would have been so valuable to the Lions.”

> Click here to purchase a virtual ticket for the match

The ticket does not include a streaming pass, however, with the game being shown live on OurLeague.

Passes are on sale at an Earlybird cost of £4.95, with prices increasing to £10 on matchday.