14 replies to this topic

[Keith Nutter]

John,
Could you or one of your team make some enquiries at the RFL Headquarters to try to discover the "spread" of ticket sales for major events such as Saturday's Grand Final, Magic Weekend, Challenge Cup Final etc?
In today's computer age it must be fairly easy for the RFL ticketing people to produce a listing of sales against postcodes (every ticket has the buyer's name on I believe) and then come up with a graph showing which areas buy tickets for these events.
In the past I have tried to get this information but (as is their norm) I have received absolutely no response from the RFL to my emails.
Maybe with your "clout" John they will be more forthcoming.
Or could it be that the publishing of such information would destroy the myth that Rugby League is spreading its wings to all areas of the British Isles faster than the Black Death .
My personal view is that probably 95% of those in attendance on Saturday will have postcodes in the heartlands and will have spent their childhoods eating tripe and learning to juggle whippets LOL.
Seriously, I think the publication of such information (especially if viewed against similar information from say ten years ago) would go a long way to indicate how much interest is growing in the sport.
Cheers,
Keith

[HappyDave]

I guess 70% - 80% there were probably from Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, West Yorksire & Cumbria but why does that matter? I know that plenty of people like myself travelled up from the South & Midlands as well as elsewhere. I bet 50% - 60% of those at Wembley were probably from up North but I don't think it means anything.

[tim2]

Sky's viewing figures are also relevant. People outside the traditional areas who watch on Sky boost the TV money that subsidises the traditional clubs.

[HappyDave]

Sky's viewing figures are also relevant. People outside the traditional areas who watch on Sky boost the TV money that subsidises the traditional clubs.

Very true.

[Rob]

If you hold a match in the North West, and the finalists are from the North West, it wouldn't be a great surprise if the majority of the fans are from this region.

A good comparison would be comparing the geographical spread of ticket sales from the Challenge Cup Final, compared to the Grand Final, so we can see what effect holding a match in London or Manchester has on the spread of ticket purchases.

Edited by Rob_merged, 04 October 2010 - 10:44 AM.

[foti with the goaty]

40 of us from France, plus we bumped into at least 20 others

cheers
dave

[Exiled Wiganer]

My Exile is in Surrey, but I consider myself a Wiganer despite having moved away 25 years ago.
I think Sky Sports spread is most useful. The younger Exile watched the game in a pub in Cornwall which he tells me was packed with interested locals.

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

100+ Midlands Performance Players + Parents attended.

[Stag Fan]

100+ Midlands Performance Players + Parents attended.

Wern't the others good enough to attend

[thirteenthman]

Just to return to the OP, I think this is an interesting point. Back when internationals were held routinely at Wembley, much was made of the percentage of sales from down South. You'd like to think with the expansion of the junior game in London it might have had an impact on interest in the game at large. Or was it just a case of people going because it was perceived to be a big event?

[no13benny]

4 of us from Plymouth

[Bleep1673]

It's a good idea, but how many of those "non-heartland" tickets were bought by "heartland" ex-pats, ie., people from the M62 corridor, or Cumbria, but have now moved away, and attend the GF +/- Wembley as a means of "Keeping in touch with the game"?

Me for one.

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

Wern't the others good enough to attend

They were the ones I knew about. There were probably many more.

[goldcard]

It's a good idea, but how many of those "non-heartland" tickets were bought by "heartland" ex-pats, ie., people from the M62 corridor, or Cumbria, but have now moved away, and attend the GF +/- Wembley as a means of "Keeping in touch with the game"?

Me for one.

Me another, for Wembley anyway, and I muddy the water by sourcing my tickets on here the last 2 years, so RFL don't know I was there.....

[THE RED ROOSTER]

I made an 8 year old (I think) Wiganer's day "It's the Harlequins.. I have seen everyone now da". I think I saw two Female Quins fans near the entrance to the fans village, one Crusaders shirt and a couple of French lads with entering the ground from the North West when I was searching for Yorkshire Programmes badge sellers.

As someone with a TN!0 postcode, I would sincerly like to apologise for gatecrashing this Northern festival....

I would also like to pay tribute to the maligned staff of the RFL who when I 'phone them for tickets for Finals and Internationals always manage to sort me out wth a decent view which I suspect is because they know I come from the other side of the Country. Here posts one satisfied customer.