LaneCoveTiger

I really wish the final would move back to Cardiff. Watched the Saints vs Wigan final there on DVD and the sense of occasion really stood out. Keep Wembley for an international match each year that can be sold to locals.

It could work if England, Scotland and Wales play tests against each other next year either mid season or prior to the Ashes. That way their brands are still visible and GB is seen as the next step in a players rep career. It may also help keep any strong Welsh players away from union.

Announce that it will be at a neutral venue next year. Don’t change the venue or rules for this season, that just makes the sport look amateur.

I think all clubs need a variety of match days or risk alienating a group of supporters. If Friday is when a club makes the most money target it is a fun night out that draws an older crowd. However make sure that there are three or four Sunday games a year that are targeted at families to keep the next generation interested. I like how St Helens and Warrington both targeted local schools for their matches against London and Catalans packed out the away stand.

I won’t mention the 25,000 that watched England play Fiji during the World Cup in Hull. I think if it is locked in 18 months out we could pull a great crowd.

Is this the opportunity to get the Hearns involved? Maybe they could pay to bring the likes of Fiji and Samoa over for tests. Book some large glamorous stadiums and promote the hell out of it. Once the players from the touring teams and England are paid they keep any profits. The RFL still seem to be able to make profit against Oz and NZ but we need more games. I’m sure the Hearns could make playing France a bit more interesting then the LSV on a Wednesday night.

The Tongan match and Australia’s preparation has been getting a few pages a day in the Sydney papers and all of it positive. Massive contrast to five years ago when it would barely get a mention.

I think both approaches are needed, long term strategies to locals as well as events to attract tourists. The more people the better the atmosphere and the more likely they are to return.

I love this idea, looking forward to Saints implementing this next season.

You can’t force clubs to to play Sunday games, however any club that sticks to a single time slot is going to alienate a certain group of supporters. When I was younger I loved hitting the pub with mates before and after games on a Friday night. Now as a dad of three I scan the draw for the Sunday arvo games that I can take the kids to. A mixture of both is best, that way clubs can cater for all. Even sell partial season tickets that fans who can only attend certain games could buy. These could be four Sunday games in an u reserved seating area.

Just thought I would start a thread where we can share our ideas on how to get people watching and playing our great game. This is not a thread for moaning about what is currently happening but to create a pool of ideas that we could send to the powers that be and might inspire them to try something new. Playing numbers: My junior club are launching a girls tag rugby comp next season. The teams will be training on the same night as the league teams and will also be playing there matches on the same day and ground. All teams will have the same uniforms apart from the tag shorts. The idea is it will get more people involved with the club and in turn also help attract more players into the full contact version. Crowds: Each club should have to play at least four home games a year on Sunday afternoons. Make them free entry for kids with a paying adult. We need to get the next generation involved. These four games should be promoted with fans allowed on the field at full time to kick a ball. Meet the players stations, pass the ball comps, rugby league live PlayStation comps, soft serve ice creams and even a few festival rides brought in. Out of Town teams: Why not tee up with local businesses and make a Catalans match a French food, beer and wine festival. Have French entertainers, music etc on before and after a match. SuperLeague management could be involved and organise it as a Saturday night event that tours around for all Catalan games in the UK. It can be hard to make every game an event but let’s target the smaller drawing games and make it a day to remember.

Maybe it’s time to just give the Hearns a go. The lack of crowds at most games is a real turn off. At the risk of being labelled a crowd watcher, their is just something compelling about a game played in front of packed house. It’s as if the atmosphere can make an average game seem like a great one.

To be fair to NSW fans, they were largely ignored at the last World Cup and only received two Lebanon miss matches. The recent Pacific test had a crowd just shy of 18 thousand. There is also a large amount of expats in Sydney meaning that teams like NZ, Italy, France, Ireland, England and the Pacific teams could generate a sizeable following. Also journalists that had previously anti World Cup such as Paul Kent and Buzz Rothfield were one over and as recently as last night were discussing how good it was on NRL 360.

Such a shame, a perfect match to take to a smaller ground in London. Make it a 2pm kick off and use it as a fund raiser for junior and amateur clubs in the south. Each could club be given 100 tickets to sell at 10 pounds with the club keeping 5 pounds for each ticket sold. Toss in an England Lions (think that is the amateur summer conference side) vs Wales amateurs and make a day of it. Instead we have a depressing midweek game in front of a small crowd. Maybe if you stick in London and play it every year, it will grow like the Pacific tests have. I am sure the junior players in London will Enjoy seeing there country winning.

Whilst I am disappointed with the NRL's attitude towards the Denver test and would love to see a thriving international game. I can imagine that there are still a few administrators around who remember countries such as England, New Zealand and Fiji jumping ship to Super League and leaving the Kangaroos with no one to play apart from a rest of the world side. It was that move and the switch to summer that killed off the ashes series just as it was reaching its peak after three epic series in succession 90-92-94. Hopefully the Sunday Origin game is a great success and paves the way for it to played on successive weekends leading to an international window a month long.