SL Grand Final must sell out

[Futtocks]

Even the reporter* doing the RUWC city-by-city guide on Radio 5 today admitted that Manchester this weekend "is all about Rugby League".

 

*soon to be appearing at a Job Centre near you.

[GeordieSaint]

The GF final has some momentum again now. This has a massive knock-on effect with neutral ticket sales pre-play offs. Hopefully this means healthy crowds even a club like Catalans got there.

Bit of an assumption but hope you are right.

[thehullram]

It's great to sell the event out. I'm a neutral but am taking 3 other non League converts and they are all looking forward to it as it is being seen as 'an event'. Something we have lacked recently

[Jerry the Berry]

I agree Talk Sport, their coverage of Rugby League over the years has been abysmal. They only presenter who regularly mentions Rugby League is Adrian Durham who I believe got to know the game whilst a student in Hull. Talk Sport has basically decided to endorse Rugby Union and ignore Rugby League.

Talksport can be pretty nasty to the sport of RL. Other than Adrian Durham, who has always sung the praises of the GF, Rugby League fans should be grateful that we don't get a mention on that station, because when we do it's generally derogatory.

[Futtocks]

Talksport is the radio equivalent of ITV. Lowest common denominator broadcasting, with the occasional moment of quality that they can highlight for praise, despite it being an unrepresentative example of their output.

 

TalkFootball, TalkLager, TalkDannyDyerMovies, TalkNutsMagazine, TalkNeanderthal.

[Guest]

Talksport can be pretty nasty to the sport of RL. Other than Adrian Durham, who has always sung the praises of the GF, Rugby League fans should be grateful that we don't get a mention on that station, because when we do it's generally derogatory.

Andy Jacobs likes his RL but the rest couldn't careless while the celebrated drunkard Alan Brazil has said some really nasty things about RL. Talksport should be renamed Talksh#te.

[Guest]

Talksport is the radio equivalent of ITV. Lowest common denominator broadcasting, with the occasional moment of quality that they can highlight for praise, despite it being an unrepresentative example of their output.

 

TalkFootball, TalkLager, TalkDannyDyerMovies, TalkNutsMagazine, TalkNeanderthal.

It's a mix of itv and the sun.

[ChrisL2]

I am so sorry I am going to be in LA when all this is going on (I know...) but surely we wan't the Charlies to play North Country Boy? 

make it happen folks, it would be beautiful

[zorquif]

Ha!

The idea that I want to see RL in this country fail is the biggest misconception on this forum.

There is surely a valid point here though. The SL system we currently have is designed to be a small group of 3 or 4 strong clubs and a bunch of much smaller traditional clubs, which means that (as history has proven) the GF is always between 2 of said strong clubs, who by definition of being strong have good fanbases so the GF sells out. This shouldn't necessarily be seen as any great success as within these crowds there are likely to very few new fans (apart from younger fans of said teams) and certainly no widening of the game's reach.

The larger UK sporting public were not overly impressed by a Leeds vs Wigan vs Saints vs Bradford GF in 1998 so are not likely to be in 2015 and nor in 2032. Whether this kind of "success" can even be maintained is for me very much open to debate as it would not be immune to the shrinking tide of SL in general that I think the new system inflicts upon us.

Someone said that the Cowboys' GF success won't generate any new fans in Oz. Really? A 20 year-old expansion team with its first ever title? That's not only great for them but for fans of the smaller sides (Panthers, Sharks, Tigers and Titans I would say off-the-cuff) who will be more likely to sign up and stay engaged as they see that the big prize isn't limited to the best-supported big boys (as of course the last 15 years of GFs shows anyway). It will also surely act as a "gee up" to RL fans in potential new expansion areas to drum up support for bids for their own teams.

As ever, the 2 leagues are apples and pears and time will tell which system delivers the biggest fan growth. In the meantime, I know which one I want on my telly.

This thread is about the gf selling out, so nice goal post moving. And I stand by my earlier point that the clubs you mention giving the larger UK sporting public a handle into the sport and games between them actually increase interest, especially in finals

[JohnM]

what is Talksport?

[MancRL]

Talksport can be pretty nasty to the sport of RL. Other than Adrian Durham, who has always sung the praises of the GF, Rugby League fans should be grateful that we don't get a mention on that station, because when we do it's generally derogatory.

The other night I was sat down in Birmingham listening to a discussion on Talk Sport between Brian Moore, Mark Saggers and two biased RU journalists discussing England RUs failure at their World Cup. After about 15 minutes the conversation got onto Sam Burgess, well apart from the unchallenged assertions that Sam was to blame for England RU departure, what annoyed me was the comments that all Rugby League fans have a chip on both shoulders. With Mark Saggers agreeing with this comment. If Talk Sport are going to let Rugby Union journalists make comments like this on their radio station. Then let Rugby League have somebody there to challenge these outrageous comments with facts.

[Chariots]

_{A few good stories coming out now}

 

_{http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/08/stuart-lancaster-england-manchester-rugby-league-grand-final-world-cup-uruguay}

 

_{Again this shows that giving the press an angle, such as Grand Final selll out lets them write a good story, they are up for Union bashing at the moment}

[Gerri Monside]

Grand final eve and I can't wait. Carrying on with the tradition of introducing new people to the game in the hope that they become hooked.  Some have, so the process is working! Great news that its sold out.  Interestingly, I was at a recording of Radio 4's "News Quiz" last night and the subject of that other code having to slash ticket prices for their game came up.  If it makes it past the cutting room floor, Terry Christian was pretty damning of the RU attitude to Burgess & Farrell using the phrase "obviously easy to blame lads from RL & the north who obviously failed latin, greek & classics".  Anyway - back on track & really looking forward to this game.  Just hope its an absolute cracker, with a minimum of controversy.

[MancRL]

Grand final eve and I can't wait. Carrying on with the tradition of introducing new people to the game in the hope that they become hooked.  Some have, so the process is working! Great news that its sold out.  Interestingly, I was at a recording of Radio 4's "News Quiz" last night and the subject of that other code having to slash ticket prices for their game came up.  If it makes it past the cutting room floor, Terry Christian was pretty damning of the RU attitude to Burgess & Farrell using the phrase "obviously easy to blame lads from RL & the north who obviously failed latin, greek & classics".  Anyway - back on track & really looking forward to this game.  Just hope its an absolute cracker, with a minimum of controversy.

The atmosphere at this game is so natural. The people aren't afraid to let-rip. Unlike Union games that I've attended, where they all appear repressed, and frown upon any outbursts of raw emotion.

[Gerri Monside]

The atmosphere at this game is so natural. The people aren't afraid to let-rip. Unlike Union games that I've attended, where they all appear repressed, and frown upon any outbursts of raw emotion.

Amen to that.  I was invited to a Bath-Gloucester game some years ago.  Dull as ditchwater the whole way through.  After 60-odd minutes someone broke through and scored a try.  I stood up & cheered (as you do) - only to be told off by the crusty old major behind me. "I think you'll find if we all stay seated, everyone can see all of the action" were his words.

[zorquif]

You guys have been to very different union games than me, i must say. if anything, some league games are more stuffy - see the whinging on here about people going for a pint during the game. 

[DeadShotKeen]

 How does this work?

 

Back in 1998 40,000+ turned up for Leeds/Wigan, the event was judged a success and has continued to get bigger just about every year since.

 

In 2015 we've a sold out Grand Final between the the same teams with the demand approximately twice as high as it was for the initial event.

 

I'd say the larger UK sporting public are pretty impressed.

 

A fair point but 17 years on the sport has not expanded geographically within the UK at elite level one iota (in fact it has contracted with the loss of London). The bolt-on of Catalan - an existing RL stronghold - is our only geographical expansion.

 

That is a catastrophic failure.

[DeadShotKeen]

....as of course is a mere 4 GF winners and only 2 more losing finalists.

[Exiled Wiganer]

It always makes me smile when Catalans is dismissed as if its success were a fait accompli. I guess because they just don't support a doom n gloom argument.

[Amber Avenger]

It always makes me smile when Catalans is dismissed as if its success were a fait accompli. I guess because they just don't support a doom n gloom argument.

 

Totally agree with this - if Whitehaven or Workington ever get back into the top tier I assume that will also get dismissed as irrelevant as being an existing RL stonghold

[RSN]

A fair point but 17 years on the sport has not expanded geographically within the UK at elite level one iota (in fact it has contracted with the loss of London). The bolt-on of Catalan - an existing RL stronghold - is our only geographical expansion.

That is a catastrophic failure.

How's that relevant whatsoever to the grand final selling out?

[zorquif]

A fair point but 17 years on the sport has not expanded geographically within the UK at elite level one iota (in fact it has contracted with the loss of London). The bolt-on of Catalan - an existing RL stronghold - is our only geographical expansion.

 

That is a catastrophic failure.

 

 

....as of course is a mere 4 GF winners and only 2 more losing finalists.

 

I echo the above, this is about the GF selling out. That is a good thing.

[Davo5]

A fair point but 17 years on the sport has not expanded geographically within the UK at elite level one iota (in fact it has contracted with the loss of London). The bolt-on of Catalan - an existing RL stronghold - is our only geographical expansion.

 

That is a catastrophic failure.

Yeah especially seeing how those NRL teams in Western and South Australia are thriving.

[GeordieSaint]

_{A few good stories coming out now}

 

_{http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/08/stuart-lancaster-england-manchester-rugby-league-grand-final-world-cup-uruguay}

 

_{Again this shows that giving the press an angle, such as Grand Final selll out lets them write a good story, they are up for Union bashing at the moment}

Good article.

Interestingly, I was listening to Radio Two this morning and they stated the big show in Manchester this weekend was the Super League Grand Final, not the RU. Slightly spoilt it stating it was Sinfield's last game before switching to RU but at least acknowledged as a big event!

[Exiled Wiganer]

The Guardian had a couple of articles making it crystal clear we are the big show in town. Natch.