koli

Should add Prem RU has a somewhat bigger TV deal spread over fewer clubs (but with CVC PE taking a big chunk)

Gate wise we are-and mostly always have been -around top half League 1 bottom half Championship soccer . In recent years we play a lot fewer league fixtures -13 home games + 1 Magic viz 23 and potentially fewer cup ties. So at a similar ticket price and beer/food price that’s a lot less gross income. Prem RU plays fewer games but outside of Sale n Newcastle charges higher ticket n food prices (more comparable with PL than anything Championship n down) . TV money wise Championship clubs get 5 to 6mil .We get 1.25 mil (probably similar to League 1?). We get very little in central distribution other that tv money whereas soccer clubs get their solidarity payment from the PL and Prem RU get a chunk from the RFU . Sponsorship wise we probably do better than most League 1 clubs but significantly worse than Championship or Prem RU. National media coverage -less than Prem RU but a lot more than League 1 or 2.

I’d move it back to the business end of the season 3 or 4 weeks before the GF n move the GF back to 5 or even 4 team knockout. I also like the idea of rotating venue known a year or more in advance

Everton that is.

No it’s not !

Relative to the size of regular league crowds the drop off in cup crowds is very glaring 2010s onwards. Large attendances from neutrals at semis started to fade in the late 60s n has more or less disappeared .

How to create a positive “buzz” around the game is the key that no one has recently found the answer too. The advent of Fulham and the ‘82 Kangroos did that to some extent. Super League more decisively for a few years -Bull mania, Paris SG ,Branson at the Broncos,the shift to summer. We need a new narrative n buzz but easier said than done.

We did get Stephens Jones at the match and in the Sunday Times today. I assume coverage of different sports in the “quality” press reflects the interests of their now relatively small concentrated reader base.RU and cricket very over represented relative to the general population ,EFL even more underrepresented than RL. They are in the business of making money so assume it’s customer based rather than prejudice.

The big council estates in the arc beyond Queens Drive to the M57 -Speke,Halewood ,Netherly,Huyton,Norris Green Fazakerly etc were built to house people from central Liverpool as the old tenement slums were cleared in from the 1930s onwards. Kirby,Skelmersdale and large areas of Runcorn were developed in the 50s and 60s as new towns again housing people from central Liverpool. As late as the 1970s you’d hear old people with full wooly Lancashire accents in Huyton village ,Roby and Knotty Ash as a reminder of the pre Livetpool expansion. Whiston is different and while the Scouse accent has infiltrated in recent years they wouldn’t consider themselves Liverpudlian in the same way .

Back in the day Oldham had crowds at similar levels to St Helens and Warrington . Widnes somewhat smaller. Suggests that with a successful SL team 10k type possible for Oldham….unless like Huddersfield changing demographics n too long out of the top flight. More recently unsuccessful Widnes SL sides pulled in 6k to 7k .

To be pedantic the CCF was usually the 4th last game of the season followed by Championship/Premiership semis and the Championship/Premiership Final

It was the best final atmosphere wise that I’ve been at for quite a few years.

You could strike at the ptb and more importantly there were contested scrums and a lot of them. Heavier balls,muddy pitches and no substitutions meant that knock ons were a lot more frequent -hence the number of scrums. My dad’s generation would say that the best period ever for attacking rugby was in the ‘50s with wingers like Tommy Voll and Brian Bevan scoring over 50 tries a season.

It’s an important point about governance.Wigan n Warrington arranged a regular round fixture before the fixture list had been set and presented it as a faite accompli. Good idea or not it’s clearly not the way it should be done .

I believe he was Ryan’s uncle.