Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup Final returning to Dublin in 2013
ESPNscrum Staff
June 9, 2011
The Aviva stadium on its opening day, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, May 14, 2010
The Heineken Cup Final will be staged at the Aviva Stadium in 2013 © IRFU
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Teams: Ireland | Leinster
Grounds: Lansdowne Road

Dublin's Aviva Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for the 2013 Heineken Cup Final.

The 51,700-capacity ground, opened in November 2010, hosted three games in Leinster's march to last season's title, with Clermont Auvergne, Leicester and Toulouse beaten in front of packed houses.

The tournament finale was last staged in Dublin in 2003, when Toulouse beat Perpignan 22-17 at the old Lansdowne Road. The 2012 Final will be staged at Twickenham.

"The Aviva Stadium is a world class venue which has quickly established a close affinity with the Heineken Cup having staged three matches last season, including two magnificent knockout games," ERC Chief Executive Derek McGrath said.

"The Heineken Cup final has become one of the most prestigious sporting fixtures in the European calendar and it now requires long range planning in order to deliver the spectacle we enjoyed in Cardiff just over a fortnight ago.

"Ireland has provided four Heineken Cup champions in the past six seasons and Irish rugby is steeped in the history of the tournament since it began 16 years ago."

Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) chief Philip Browne played up the financial impact that the Final could have for Dublin and also the wider Irish economy.

"We felt it was important for the stadium that it would get this opportunity to host the pinnacle game of European club rugby and this is not only good news for the game in this country, but also for Dublin," he said. "It is estimated that rugby contributes over €200m to the Irish economy, and the recent Ireland-England Six Nations game generated just over €51m to the Dublin economy."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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