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[Maximus Decimus]

The RFL have played a clever game with internationals since 2010 and it has paid off.

Looking back to 2009 we had some relatively poor crowds for internationals. We didn't sellout Wigan for the Aussies, getting 23k but looking less, fewer than 20k in Hudds for the Kiwis and only 31k at Elland Rd for the decider which was down from previous tournaments. Things were going downwards.

In 2011 they took the plunge and went back to a big stadium for the only the second time since 1997. They tried everything and got a modestly successful 42k. However, they learned the lessons of 2000 and didn't get over ambitious, keeping the rest near the heartlands and getting improved crowds.

The World Cup was perfectly placed, being ambitious for the big events and selling them well. The result was 2 of the 3 biggest ever international crowds in this country. Now they've ventured out for one big game and kept the best 2 medium sized grounds. These have sold so well that we can now take the next step.

For next year, they should keep Olympic Park if all goes well for the Aussies and choose maybe C of M for the final, keeping the NZ game at Wigan. One big venue for the South and the North is the next step.

[Maximus Decimus]

Even though I said the C of M for the final, I was unimpressed with it as a venue. The atmosphere wasn't great and it was far from the action. However, it's the ideal size and location for a venue in the north.

[JohnM]

Trying to buy tickets for the 14th via https://www.eticketing.co.uk/rle/details/event.aspx?itemref=10424

 

Epic fail: There are errors on the page

• None of the prices you selected could be found. Please contact RFL Ticketing directly or select from a different area

[Teessidewire]

It was announced as sold out a couple of days ago.

[M j M]

More Leeds-based businesses put more money into Rugby League than those in any other city. It makes no sense to leave them behind, never mind that it is at the centre of one of the great Rugby League hotbeds.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

We cant just take games to other cities in the country because 'it sounds nice' or 'has a nice stadium' I dont understand the clamor for Newcastle. Barely any presence up there, a team with no immediate SL ambitions and a curious to ignorant public. London is a RL city, it has fans there. Internationals need to be where we will get the biggest crowds not to help Bristol Sonics get a few more players, there are other means to do this.

 

Dont tamper with the prestige of the biggest games!! They are too fragile at the moment. Would you play the Grand Final at Aston Villa? No neither would I. 

[Maximus Decimus]

We cant just take games to other cities in the country because 'it sounds nice' or 'has a nice stadium' I dont understand the clamor for Newcastle. Barely any presence up there, a team with no immediate SL ambitions and a curious to ignorant public. London is a RL city, it has fans there. Internationals need to be where we will get the biggest crowds not to help Bristol Sonics get a few more players, there are other means to do this.

 

Dont tamper with the prestige of the biggest games!! They are too fragile at the moment. Would you play the Grand Final at Aston Villa? No neither would I.

Newcastle is thought of because of the Magic Weekend. The reaction to this was good from locals and visitors. The stadium was great IMO and made for a great atmosphere. Games sold well for the Union World Cup so there is potential that eventers will come out to the game.

Personally I'd prefer City of Manchester for now despite not loving the venue. There are only about 20k northern RL fans going to London at the moment and there are obviously many more fans in the north than this. The C of M is big enough and central enough to satisfy the demands of a big event.

[Exiled Wiganer]

We had it right when we had a united and popular sport pre SL

No it wasn't. It was dying on its feet...apart from Wigan.

Though oddly at international level we had a bit of a boom. And household names. We should never have ditched the second cup comp and internationals on BBC - we went from 13 weeks a year to 5 overnight and has been playing catch up ever since...

[Padge]

Though oddly at international level we had a bit of a boom. And household names. We should never have ditched the second cup comp and internationals on BBC - we went from 13 weeks a year to 5 overnight and has been playing catch up ever since...

 

It had a boom, why?

[bamfordsbeans]

Its taken the game about 20 years to recover from the SL advent at an international level.The signs are now good and if the Aussies fully embrace it the future is looking good.

[Exiled Wiganer]

It had a boom, why?

Am guessing it was because we were competitive, had an ambitious RFL with a visionary at the helm and much more terrestrial coverage, which made household names of star players.

[GeordieSaint]

The Tickets for Troops allocation has all sold out. No idea how many the website was given, but all gone!

Right off to London...

[JohnM]

It had a boom, why?

 

P & R ?

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[Maximus Decimus]

Am guessing it was because we were competitive, had an ambitious RFL with a visionary at the helm and much more terrestrial coverage, which made household names of star players.

 

There was something of a perfect storm IMO that contributed to it but even pre-SL there were signs that it was starting to decline. 

 

The 1980's was the first time that the Aussies really pulled away from us. In recent memory, fans had seen the great invicibles teams of the 82 and 86 series. In 1990 it looked as if we'd caught up and were ready to take the series back. However, even though 1994 was successful when looking at crowds, it looks apparent on the pitch that the Aussies had left us behind again. Nowadays, the quest to beat the Aussies has been smashed by years of failure and it has been replaced by the acceptance that they're more likely to put 50 on us than for us to beat them when it matters. I've pointed out in the past that the relatively poor teams of 1997-2000 would have been made up of the same players SL or no-SL. 

 

The RFL were able to take advantage of this enthusiasm for Ashes tests and bravely took the games to big stadia. However, I think it's telling that NZ tests didn't take off in anything like the same way. They attempted a game at Old Trafford in 89 and Wembley in 93 but got a modest 18,000 and 36,000 respectively. Games in the heartlands were less impressive than they are now. 

 

Terrestrial coverage is a difficult one. We'd had a lot of terrestrial coverage prior to this and in years where the international game was struggling. I think the Wigan team of the early 90's was certainly well known and this could have helped. However, I disagree with a second cup competition, the CC is struggling enough and I don't think seeing our best clubs with hardly any fans in the stadium does the game any good. 

[funkidunc]

I think it would be great to have one of the games at the Ricoh in COventry.

 

Great stadium (not too big at 32k), excellent links to north and south and Coventry Bears doing well.

 

The midlands is criminally under valued but a great rugby area.

 

If not an international maybe one of the big teams taking a home game there.

[Maximus Decimus]

I think we have to be very careful about the choice of venue.

In the past we've picked some random places with no long term objective. Blackburn and Watford are two that come to mind.

London is a given, it is the capital and we have a history of playing there. I would suggest only Wembley and Olympic Park though. No more picking random football grounds and that includes somewhere like Arsenal.

Any other venue we pick has to be an attractive venue and ideally close to the heartlands. We could definitely sell the idea of a big game in the capital and a big game in the heartlands. If we're to leave established venues, then the venue itself has to be large and somewhere that people want to go.

For me that rules out places like Sheffield and Coventry, which are unspectacular and only offer a few more thousand than Wigan or Hull. For loyalty and security reasons I would stick with Wigan and Hull if this is the case.

The only venues that I think should be considered are OT, C of M and St James's park. They have an association with the sport, are close enough to the heartlands and big enough to be impressive in themselves.

[jannerboyuk]

I'm calling it: 36588

[TheDuke]

44,894

[TheDuke]

there are lots of empties, but i am very pleased with the gate

[jannerboyuk]

What a great minutes silence, well done all

[JonNgog]

this game had 41,000 ... judging from that, there must be about 45,000 there today

[MaverickX111]

Crowd looks reasonable

[DoubleD]

There's no way there's more than 35k here today,.........just saying

[Saintslass]

There's no way there's more than 35k here today,.........just saying

Who cares.  The crowd looks a decent size on TV and if the people at the stadium think it feels like a decent size then that's all that is important IMO.  We can't expect to get a sell out if we only play an international once every blue moon.  These things need a tradition to build up a following.

[leagueman123]

Why are the first five rows in the middle of the pitch empty which the TV camara keeps on showing...

Surely it would make sense to get people in those seats to look better on TV. Lots of empty patches around the stadium on the telly.