LongbridgeH

To make sure it’s an event that attracts fans outside of the two teams playing, it has to be a central located stadium to a city. Therefore, that goes Newcastle, Cardiff, Everton or at a stretch Man City. I can vouch with Speedway, Cardiff can be an utter pain on event evenings.

Exactly the sort of targets they should be after. They should be using the Welsh RL as a guide.

Takes a lot to admit where you’ve gone wrong but they don’t have many attempts left. There needs to be a stronger relationship with the Welsh RL and the community clubs. It should be a natural pyramid from community club to Raiders to Wales. Wales RL could help with some of their Welsh prospects who may need development whilst at other clubs (or even released players) and trying to get them at Raiders for game time. By the way not a fan of how Skolars and Coventry have been labelled by some. They already have a legacy of developing players and passing them on. Hemel another club whom have passed players on eventual top flight appearances. These clubs often have to work in ‘cycles’ with their player pool. Skolars are certainly at the start of their cycle. Whereas Coventry have had to alter their selves to maintain a RL presence in the Midlands (definitely need a good/better base for next season).

The original post cited how non league football clubs have successfully improved their crowds in London. That demographic you’ve imagined seem to like watching very basic, non sanitised, warts & all sport. For example, at Dulwich Hamlet, the facilities are very basic but the craft beer tents, street food outlets pull punters in. People like an event/day out in London. Something more than just two hours of sport.

Wouldn’t necessarily say they have no early interest. I think all three of them have their opinion influenced by the welsh players departing from union and playing league in that era. However at the very core of it some of their points are incredibly salient. One of the reasons we are certainly biggest critics of the sport; it’s quaintness is often what makes it unique and it doesn’t get celebrated enough

I’ve heard this before. I don’t think Speedway’s ills can be placed solely on the TV deal. The RFL in some manner have learnt because they’ve successfully secured free to air coverage. I reckon you could date Speedway’s problems to when they lost the GP highlights package on free to air. The emergence of the Polish League into a professional set up which could see them pay its competitors enough that they didn’t have to race any other league. Alongside that Speedway has fallen victim to the economy where land which can be developed for residential units. Nearly 85% of teams don’t own their homes - as result the stadiums are mostly shoddy and have zero attraction to anyone under the age of 25.

They have to see a benefit or profit don’t they? The football teams work as a system which harvests young talent which are eventually sold. At the top of that system, Leipzig are not good enough to win trophies. They tick along fine with two clubs earning Champions League money though and being Champions of Austria. The motorsport / extreme side of things certainly appears more a status and sponsorship tactic. It’s also a sport which has closed outcomes - ie you spend the most, you normally win. Team sports don’t really lend themselves to that. You could genuinely see them buying one of the non NSW/QL NRL teams if they wanted to create an impact in Australia. Then the likelyhood is a UK team would be support of that. I don’t if Red Bull is a thing in Oz?

The scheduling is going to be that the two teams (academy and reserves) never clash on the same weekend. Really sensible for once. The reserves can be a mix of pros plus academy. While the academy stands alone and players feed from the age group below

As much the operating bodies and all those differing things surround it, the clubs have gotta put their effort into it as well. Can’t just expect people to magically appear back at grounds because of FTA coverage and a forthcoming World Cup. All the clubs should have the data of whose not returner because first and foremost they have to work on the fans which they have lost recently.

I read a really good article the other day which suggested that a lot of sports / league should simply stop trying to chase a huge TV deal and try to be more innovative. One of the ideas was free to air coverage. NFL and Serie A have picked up fans for life from the Channel 4’s well observed coverage of the sports/competition in the early 90s. The 100 in the summer shows that a terrestrial partner can open a few previously closed doors. Helps a lot with sponsors too. Another idea pointed out F1’s popularity has boomed in the last few years. This has largely been put down to the Netflix series where it’s added a human, ‘drama’ dynamic rather than just solely about the competition. It’s peaked interest into the middle pack of drivers rather than it being about the Championship winners. Could something like this work for RL? An All or Nothing type series but really warts and all

A bus will go approx ten minutes away from the stadium post Commonwealth Games. There’s far worse linked stadiums about - particularly given it’s the A34 out of town. Good shout. Bit of a pain to reach by car mind

No sport would ever go against the Tour de France in the French sport sphere on Bastille Day

The alternative was of course no end of season international at all. Which will have had very obvious complications for next year if that happened

Can be plenty of how’s and why’s with the fixture but ultimately it should be a two test series in non competition years and a single test in competition years. Has to be a long term five year minimum commitment as well

Btw I personally believe that the way RL can grow is via the international game. I may be apart here but I firmly believe a stronger World Cup is far more stronger attraction to ‘outsiders’ than the height of the domestic game. Toulouse’s ascent grows a level of coverage previously not forthcoming. It’s a completely different kettle of fish from a Toronto type set up where this has been a build of multiple years efforts with an existing youth system in place for years. They’ve earned it the hard way. Logistically it’s relatively easy trip for the clubs and the same challenges exist for say a bus ride in heavy traffic or a trip down south to London