Hello

Obviously, I was just saying like.............. it might have been an idea to think of the bigger picture.

Ok fair enough, I checked the journey times from where I am (Aberystwyth) and I just can't make any of the games when I get back from work. Frustrating........And I can't book time off as a teacher, set holidays.

Thanks for the reply. I think that Leigh and St Helens are that extra hour or so further that pushes it into the impossible for the likes of ourselves. Also, one match is in Doncaster.

I live in west Wales (not near the West Wales team) and have been following League for some time amongst other sports. I spoke with my 23 year old son recently about league, he is a very proud Welshman. His first love is the Welsh football team, second love Liverpool (inherited from myself) and third he enjoys watching the Welsh union team. When I was talking to him about Rugby League he admitted that he thought that he would probably enjoy it more than Union. Last week I thought, bu**er it, I'll look into getting us tickets for a world cup game. However......... the Wales games are all in grounds that are totally impossible for us to reach after work. WTF? Why didn't anyone think to maybe have them in Warrington which is just about reachable for us and many others who live in Wales, if they were not going to allow Wales to play pool matches within Wales? Another massive self-foot-shoot from RL in my humble opinion. As the title says, crying over spilt milk cos nothing's going to change for the World Cup now obviously.

Hi. Why is that the general feeling? I would have thought with their crowds and investment, and looking at how they won the Championship easily last time they would be good favourites to go back up. Are there factors I don't know about, or is it human nature pessimism?

Another close defeat for TO, almost as if the sporting gods want to hold RL expansion back and indeed see the sport continue to retract

It feels a shame that Cornwall are getting such good attendances at this level and yet are total whipping boys. Perez seems to have gone from one extreme to the other in terms of investing in the actual squad. If there isn't more investment soon in said squad then I fear it will just become another appeared and then disappeared story in the attempts to expand and ultimately survive as a sport that has credibility as a professional sport.

Fair points

Toulouse have been ahead in a few games well into the second half, and their record should be better. I feel that they will have recharged after a week off and win this. They're not one of those bottom sides who've been hammered in nearly every game e.g. .........

Sorry couldn't resist

They're not their. Learnt that when I was about 8 lol

To all. I am not a lifelong follower of League, watched the odd game in my childhood on Wales but have started following and watching regularly in the last ten or so years. If it is accepted on this forum that the term "rugby" means only league then please accept my apologies because I honestly was not aware of this. Let me also reiterate what I posted above - I support improved crowd levels across the board, and also feel that successful expansion is vital. Have a good weekend all.

You, not I, made it cross code by talking about the "biggest rugby club" instead of the "biggest rugby league club in Britain". Or do you think that rugby union isn't rugby? Again, not looking for an argument just looking for plain talking. Fact is that I would welcome great crowds at your ground and want to see progress across the board with attendances at League matches, particularly in the high population areasv with greater potential.

Yes and therefore fall under the bracket of "rugby" club, the term that you used in your statement

Do attendances count as a metric? Just asking, not looking for an argument https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/leicester-tigers-top-attendance-tables-1570510.amp&ved=2ahUKEwjUjqDh24v2AhUJHcAKHZnKDpcQFnoECCwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw10sW4jQkVyH2gYyt7mZ2np

You're correct, their regular season attendances not so long ago were under a couple of thousand most games. I respectfully maintain though that to drop from 9k second tier for the semi final as well as the final of the second tier to less than half that for their first ever game in super League would be surprising and disappointing, unless the weather is awful or something. We will soon see and I hope that I am right for the good of game, but maybe I will prove to be incorrect. Fingers crossed!

I think after that after their last attendance was about 9000, to get less than half of that for their first ever SL game would be a huge disappointment, don't you? I expect much higher than 4k

Or hot dogs and beer sold

Fair enough but I wasn't the one who brought TWP up, just responding to what I perceive to be false, if forums aren't for debate then they are weak. Also, a polite request to perhaps highlight the posts of those who "derail" in the first place instead of picking on somebody who responded.

Yep just like TWP did before a totally unprecedented and unforeseeable global shutdown

Ok we'll have to agree to disagree. They never had the chance to exploit financially the publicity, merch, ticket sales, food and beer sales that they would have had for SL home games. Given their increasing popularity and already decent ticket sales, it surely would not have been long before they moved to a considerably bigger stadium with more potential for sales. Also I refer to my previous point re the fact that they were asking to increase the salary cap, and you are another who is playing down the impact of covid - it's finished hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide

Such huge debts that they were asking to be able to pay MORE wages. Anyway, it is normal for big sporting clubs to have debts - look at the huge debts of Barcelona, a massive club. And none of this is the point anyway, the fact is that a new team was set up very successfully a couple of thousand miles away and after just three years already had crowds in the Championship that embarassed most of your ideal lock-off-the-heartlands-from-civilisation world where your dream is non-expansion and steady overall decline of the sport. Others, including myself, welcomed those many thousands of new Toronto fans to the sport. And to say covid hasn't had an impact, blimey where do you start......

Would you say that Toronto getting 10000 crowds for matches in the championship (God knows what attendance they could have achieved in super League at home if covid had permitted)was a "eurika" moment for how it will never work outside the the heartlands? Get a grip

They do seem to be a bit of a shambles, but in fairness the fact that sports are not allowed any spectators currently and indefinitely in Wales makes it awkward to try and flog season tickets.

You've made a classic error, you've described a city as having "zero interest" in the sport when they got crowds of up to 9,000 in the second tier, about 10 times or more of the attendance of several other teams in that tier, and a better average crowd than at least half of super League, despite only being in tier 2. Presumably you think that all championship teams and half of super league have "zero interest" since they get less people in than Toronto managed.