Challenge Cup Final

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

the club wembley seats will be included in the attendance, the other 5000 seats plus the club seats that didn't turn up made it look like a lot of empty seats but hey 80 odd thousand aint bad.

I disagree. The first and second tiers were packed in, only a few small gaps. The bulk of the gaps were on the 2nd level - these were the Club Wembley seats and those seats allocated to the restaurants and other corporate areas. I'd say the majority of those 5,000 seats were in the Club Wembley level.

The other interesting point to note is that a number of the boxes seemed like they had been sold as well - ensuring some of the corporate pound finding its way into the game.

[Trojan]

As a Leeds fan, I just made it to the final hooter, but I was tempted to leave long before then

I left on the hooter too. We were sat in the tier that Dave Woods called "the ring of indifference" courtesy of Carnegie (my lad's mate works there - he was at Watford cheering on LUFC - gave us the tickets)

I'm not a Leeds fan (no! ) but I was cheering for them.

I wasn't keen on the old Wembley, I reckon this one's not much better - it'll be another slum in 20/30 years.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Trojan

[Bulliac]

I think going on about empty seats near the end is pointless; it's the ones at the start which looked bad, and I don't mean the 'club Wembley' ring, but the many, bright red, seats in the lower tier which stuck out very clearly on TV.

[goldcard]

There are always people who can't make it on the day.

True, hence the half dozen threads with folks with spare tickets on offer, and the only way I got in myself via one of those such threads...

[no13benny]

I think going on about empty seats near the end is pointless; it's the ones at the start which looked bad, and I don't mean the 'club Wembley' ring, but the many, bright red, seats in the lower tier which stuck out very clearly on TV.

It didn't look bad, it looked great, because your average joe doesn't look at and focus on tiny red blobs around the ground, the look at the stadium as a whole, and it looked full as there were no gaps in the top corners.

They also, hopefully, watched whats happening on the pitch, and for a passing watcher, the first 5 mins would have been enough to keep them going for the rest of the game. In football and rugby union you wait for stuff to happen, and hope that it might, and sometimes nothing does. In rugby league, stuff happens when the ball is kicked on minute 0, and ends at minute 80 (with a brief interlude to get your breath back)

[goldcard]

i may be wrong but the "house full" sign is 72,000, the other 18,000 tickets were never on sale.

Correct, every ticket the RFL had available was sold.

Incidentally, the last England football game there had over 10k fewer spectators, and that had a lot of offers trying to get folks in after the World Cup performances, so less than 5k below capacity on the day is a major achievement, not a reason to moan.

[goldcard]

There were more than enough empty seats in the Leeds end with 20 mins to go. The wire end seemed to stay quite full though!

Their version of the Wigan Walk, the Leeds Leg-it.

Also called the Rhinos' Run-off.

I've also witnessed the Bradford ######-off, and (many) years ago the Saints Stroll.

It's a mile off topic, but I felt for the Leeds players, going to salute their fans at the end, to find they were already on the M1....

[Black Country Wire]

Agree with you about Club Wembley. Dave Woods was spot on when he described it as "The Ring of Indifference". Empty seats were probably those bought by wendyball fans who wouldn't know a decent sport if it hit them on the head.

Although 13,000 of them must have turned up.

[audois]

I think the first final between Wire and Leeds was the first ever 50,000 + crowd back in 1936. Is there a time limit by the way when the middle tier 18,000 Club Wembley enclosure expires? The other irritation for me are those prime seats right on half way. The recipients are always slow to back into their places after the break. They owe it to the players.

Sponsors for me are important but not as important as some of them think. For me they should join the parade for sure but really tailing off at the back somewhere. Give the prime seats if necessary to former participants who have graced the finals and the kids who have played in the Championship Schools events.

What was the problem they had with the microphone for the lass who sang AWM?

Have they a problem with the pitch still? I thought it not as good as the old Wembley green.

Thought the clash of shirts spoilt a bit the spectacle.

Edited August 29, 2010 by audois

[Manx RL]

I think going on about empty seats near the end is pointless; it's the ones at the start which looked bad, and I don't mean the 'club Wembley' ring, but the many, bright red, seats in the lower tier which stuck out very clearly on TV.

Those seats were courtesy of the BBC and its CGI team. A conspiracy to make the game look less popular. They also worked their magic with a CGI Kevin Sinfield but it was switched off 5 minutes after kick off.

[Wendall]

Got told that 85,000 was the official crowd but there was no way 85,000 in there, im sorry but a blind man could see that. Club Wembley was half full at best, plus a few other gaps in the crowd.

And the nice bunch of Leeds fans we spoke to were disgusted at the vast majority of their fans who left 15 mins before the end. If you travel all that way, no matter how much of a beating you take you stay to the end and support your team.

The Wigan Walk is dead long live the Leeds Walk!

[motorface]

Enjoy the glory while it lasts Wendall, it wont last forever, these things tend to go in cycles, so make the most of your moment in the sun but try not to gloat too much!!

[goldcard]

Enjoy the glory while it lasts Wendall, it wont last forever, these things tend to go in cycles, so make the most of your moment in the sun but try not to gloat too much!!

Most of us Wires fans are loving our spotlight time, but the timescale from being "it's nice they won something at last" to being resented has been cut very short, and for only 1 reason, which I fully understand.

The "ignore" button was invented for him.

Or for us other folks, anyway.

[foozler]

Their version of the Wigan Walk, the Leeds Leg-it.

Also called the Rhinos' Run-off.

I've also witnessed the Bradford ######-off, and (many) years ago the Saints Stroll.

It's a mile off topic, but I felt for the Leeds players, going to salute their fans at the end, to find they were already on the M1....

Or the Rhinos Retreat?

[Dave T]

At the start of the game, I thought the stadium looked stunning, it was packed, apart from Club Wembley. Sure there may have been the odd little block, but you may have been talking blocks of 30-40 seats from clubs who hadn't sold their allocation for example.

Also, one point about blocks of red seats, there were a couple of sections at the Leeds end where there were fans of a club in all red shirts, and on TV i thought they looked like empty seats!!!

Unfortunately, due to the fact that people are drinking themselves silly, people are up and down queuing at the bar and toilet, meaning that the actual stadium doesn't stay full for long!

[shaun mc]

Apart from Club Wembley there wasn't that many empty seats.

There are the usual late ones.

2 distinct blocks of around 30/40 seats at the Warrington end empty at the start but then started to fill up

There are always some at the bar and the bog. Could easily be a thousand.

Those that can't make it on the day.

Those that don't make it from the pub.

[goldcard]

Correct, every ticket the RFL had available was sold.

Incidentally, the last England football game there had over 10k fewer spectators, and that had a lot of offers trying to get folks in after the World Cup performances, so less than 5k below capacity on the day is a major achievement, not a reason to moan.

As an add on I read today that the football World Cup final had 85000 in attendance.

Our game had 217 more.

So much for it being a minority northern sport, eh?

Edited August 31, 2010 by goldcard

[Trojan]

At the start of the game, I thought the stadium looked stunning, it was packed, apart from Club Wembley. Sure there may have been the odd little block, but you may have been talking blocks of 30-40 seats from clubs who hadn't sold their allocation for example.

Also, one point about blocks of red seats, there were a couple of sections at the Leeds end where there were fans of a club in all red shirts, and on TV i thought they looked like empty seats!!!

Unfortunately, due to the fact that people are drinking themselves silly, people are up and down queuing at the bar and toilet, meaning that the actual stadium doesn't stay full for long!

There were two empty seats next to us. And quite a few more around us.

[1976PMJwires]

There were two empty seats next to us. And quite a few more around us.

they were warned you were coming

[goldcard]

There were two empty seats next to us. And quite a few more around us.

Probably stuck in roadworks.....

[goldcard]

As an add on I read today that the football World Cup final had 85000 in attendance.

Our game had 217 more.

So much for it being a minority northern sport, eh?

Last night's England game only had 73200 there, 12000 less than our cup final.

That wasn't a friendly this time either.

[JWAD]

Last night's England game only had 73200 there, 12000 less than our cup final.

That wasn't a friendly this time either.

There'll be more though. And as the qualifiers progress with the games becoming more crucial, the crowds will hit maximum.

[Lee]

There'll be more though. And as the qualifiers progress with the games becoming more crucial, the crowds will hit maximum.

Montenegro

Switzerland

Wales

Maybe Wales, which other will hit more?

[dkw]

There'll be more though. And as the qualifiers progress with the games becoming more crucial, the crowds will hit maximum.

And you know this how?

Last 4 qualifiers from 2009:-

England v Belarus 14th october 2009 76,897

England v Croatia 9th September 2009 87,319

England v Andorra 10th june 2009 57,897

England V Ukraine 1st April 2009 87,548

Seems the round ball fans only turn up for the big games.

Edited September 4, 2010 by dkw

[deluded pom?]

I don't think Friday night's will help the England Euro attendances either.