redjonn

yep have to agree... e.g. I've seen lots about the hundred in the media and hence really aware of the new concept. Yet I have absolutely no idea of the teams that participate or where in the country they are... they could even be international select teams for all I know - in fact that may be the aim to bring international players into the concept to challenge IPL in India.. So even though I won't be watching any games I am fully aware and when out with others it is a topic of discussion - mind not about players or the teams but the hype created for the sport. Bringing it into national awareness.

thanks for taking the time to answer.

I haven't copied all your comments as it was long.... but interesting and leads me to question. You paint quite a stark set of drop off's leading to loss of players. Do the clubs not provide any support programmes to those youngsters to manage them into whatever appropriate clubs in the community with a goal to keeping them in playing in the sport thus helping to strengthen the community game.

enjoy your ouzo,,,

That is not what I wrote... to put it another way. competitive can be based on poor standards together with your competitions poor standards or competitive can be against high standards of yourself and the competition. High standards in this case relating to the standard of play on the park to attract and excite sufficient fans.

Really please for Leigh. I have no doubt as all club teams that Leigh players have worked hard through the season together with the board and good for the fans to at last get a win... a group of really loyal fans are no doubt over the moon. Well done to the club, team and fans

Not sure that having a competitive league means better entertainment on the field to bring in the fan base we need as a sport. It may be an extra component but their is more to it to excite interest. Except maybe for some fans of clubs in that potentially boring competitive league as distinct from increasing demand through exciting entertainment. Yep. I'm just being a little extreme to make the point and whilst today SL is not a boringly competitive league it sometimes seems more boring than should be or could be. To add - I think Wigan will always make the payoffs every year and more than likely often make the GF or CCF... but don't think that in itself will bring any significantly higher Wigan attendance if it remains as is today.

Interesting reading and I guess ultimately its about balance. It seems to me if Wigan's attendances are declining over many years then its a fair question as why. One reason may be as Exiled Wiganer says in his comments... the balance or where the primary focus is may not be right. The Salary Cap is for sure a reality for all clubs and Wigan but the level of it is stifling the top of the sport. That is another whole discussion but for me is one of the major factors to question of their declining attendance.

I guess your correct from a competitive team with the others in SL but will that bring in the fans and increase the attendances significantly.

I guess as a business if something is important enough you plan contingencies... One or the other or both don't see it as important enough. I mean we are still in covid times and likelihood of cancellations at short notice are relatively high.

yep your absolutely correct. Having watched it I would imagine the negativity would have been huge on this forum if more had watched on TV.

To follow on comments above. It really was a poor game of entertainment. Both teams lacked any attacking flair so to speak and seemed very tired teams. Although both teams tackling was generally good in preventing many years being made in the first half. Apart from a couple of Leeds breaks both teams were very pedestrian and easy to defend against. Leeds were far the better team in the 2nd half and could have made more of their opportunities, but it was a new team with the youngsters and hence can be expected not to be gelling as well as the attack could have been. I think the schedule of games has had a major impact to both plus the rules being played to. Something needs to done to ensure its different next year otherwise the chance to bring back fans or hold to existing will be dimmed. In my view the standard of entertainment was very poor - especially the first half.

yep, would agree... although even when he first came on the scene with fans over the moon with him he exhibited his defensive weakness and poor agility. Fans as always see what they want to see depending on their emotions... barn storming runs made him a hero, subsequent poorer form of the team see's his weakness. We are a fickle lot. Personally I'd keep him and use him from the bench when the opposition are tiring... he can with his barn storming runs lift the team. If you can stop him jumping the line the rest of the defensive setup/line could cope better. Although he ain't the only at Leeds prone to jump the line... One thing I admire with saints the confidence and patience they show when the opposition is moving the ball wide and at speed...

I guess that is were a strong marketing organisation in all its different aspects helps to identify what it is that does not turn enough people to want to watch RL. Looking at the whole product. We are a country that has a large sports interested population, maybe not so sports minded as the USA, and to say the obvious we must be able to capture a larger portion of them. Part of that is making it easier for them to watch, assuming the action on the field gets them interested enough. One thing I have always hated is the tag line "the greatest game" which I think has caused some to sit back and think the game on the field is so good to all and sundry. Plus if somebody likes another sport that tag line is surely saying something to them about their choice of sport. As to your question... I take more interest in both Saints and Leeds. My wife is an avid Leeds fan and hence that's the games we mostly attend given where we live. As supporters of RL and certain clubs we tend to be a little insular as to what a new audience may want to see. As a fan all games whether lacking lots of passing and elusive running and just simple 5 drives and a don't know what else to do high kick will always have some interest. Even if just the anxiety that comes from not wanting your club/team to lose.

The real problem may be that the game itself isn't what enough people like to watch... Even though I attend virtually every week a game it doest really excite often... just imagine only getting a glimpse and that has to persuade people to followup...

Maybe but a large area around those clubs will have, most people in Liverpool or Manchester, or Sheffield etc etc will know those towns. I am not saying they are interested in the sport but they will know the towns. A good marketing organisation would help in identifying the barriers and opportunities from those close by cities or bigger towns. We have what we have as the starting point. I don't follow rugby union but I know where the premiership clubs are even if they have non location names, e.g saracens, etc.

Thanks for response... if nothing else it causes discussion. That is whatever our personal views we all want rugby league to be financial sustainable for the long term.

Mind you thats what some private equity houses do... sell the property and give themselves huge dividends from the income whilst loading the business with debt... Didn't that happen to many care homes that subsequent went bust once the first private equity firm sold on and the property owner raising the rent/lease, etc. Then again it often works well initially... I can see the HMRC selling property and then renting back less space whilst the other space is rented out by the new property owner. I guess what I am saying it depends on the contracts and ability to see ahead... in the case of a RFL club I suspect they wouldn't be looking ahead too well... sorry to side track...

Often the problem with many grand ideas or suggestion is the practical or pragmatic getting from current to the all singing vision/idea without the whole edifice collapsing.

Yes, I agree. It's a horse and cart scenario... We would have media stars because the sport has the profile. Stars alone will not create the sports profile and we won't have stars without the sports profile being higher.

thanks for the reply. Yep fair comment, although its a poorer spectacle and hence not so good from a sport selling point perspective, if stuck to watching the up and coming and often the just out the academy players.

Thanks for your response. Agree in general but to bear in mind that yep the player pool is huge but also a massive club pool to fill. Rugby League has a relative small professional club pool to fill with that limited player pool. So relatively I'm not sure how limiting the player pool really is or has been to the professional game. All-be-it if it continues drying up as seems to be it or if our better young players continue go off to NRL then its all part of the downward spiral here and inter-related..

well maybe but as we know with RL things can quickly change... for reasons beyond our comprehension, I've more chance of understanding the changing technology face of nuclear fusion then RFL/SL,,,,

of course media comes into it, but that media huge interest is because of the standard of players leading to the glamour of the football in this country. That relative high standard is because of the money. That money is because of originally the top 4, then top 6 and now the top 8. That is the top clubs have been the key catalyst bringing in the big deals, which subsequently is big enough so that even the lower standard clubs of the PL are now able to bring in international level players - thus raising those clubs playing standards. The PL success has been spurned by the Man Utd, Liverpool's, etc leading to the huge profile and subsequent investments by multi billionaires leading to likes of Chelsea, Man City greatly adding to the competition at the top and further glamour of the sport. If the PL had gone the SL way in limiting the top clubs to a salary cap so low as to help the poorest/weakest clubs (or to have shared it out across the whole of the professional league structure) I don't think the huge monetary success of the PL would be as it is now.

but they didn't just one day decide to expand into other area's. They created a market of high demand that meant they could chose to move franchises/clubs to suit or able to attract fans from a wider geographical footprint than previous. On this forum its like a magic formula that suddenly we should expand or create clubs in cities. First we have to create that demand - that takes time. We need a pragmatic solution that enables us to take those choices if wanted in the longer term. Until then we may have to prune to create that chance - I haven't seen anything better proposed than some sort of pruning as a first step. as in prune with regards to money allocation to less clubs.