Wrong people running and promoting our game...( who are the right people then?

[advantageous21]

We have Nigel wood at the top- who do we want to take over him?? Who else would improve our game and make the best decisions to take rugby league forward??

Sky team - who do we want instead of Barry and terry?? ( to me they are horrendous at commentating on rugby league)phil Clarke needs replacing ??? Jon wells??

Anymore to add ???

[Angelic Cynic]

Damian Irvine.

 

He's done it in the NRL and doing it in English soccer.

 

Always goes public with something sensible to say.

[Lobbygobbler]

Is Nige really that bad?

Getting shut of licensing was a good move and has reinvigorated the game. It has also allowed Toulouse and Toronto to have a clear pathway to the top from the bottom up, building momentum along the way

[Lobbygobbler]

The game might be many things but reinvigorated is not one of them. Unless you class retreat as reinvigorating. Standards on and off the pitch are being lowered.

Why/where have standards been lowered?

[Bob8]

We have Nigel wood at the top- who do we want to take over him?? Who else would improve our game and make the best decisions to take rugby league forward??

Sky team - who do we want instead of Barry and terry?? ( to me they are horrendous at commentating on rugby league)phil Clarke needs replacing ??? Jon wells??

Anymore to add ???

There are factions in the game.  Rather like being Prime Minister, you have to keep your power my keeping factions happy.  If the man in charge had the perfect vision for the future, it is very unlikely that they would be able to implement it, as it would disrupt those who are currently big in the sport.

[Derwent]

Damian Irvine.

He's done it in the NRL and doing it in English soccer.

Always goes public with something sensible to say.

The Damian Irvine that is working for a small football club in the 4th tier of the football league ? That Damian Irvine ?

[langpark]

Oh geez this thread is an armchair critic's paradise. 

 

The game is in the best shape it's ever been people, get over it already!

[Lobbygobbler]

For one thing, look at the quality of overseas players. Crowds aren't growing. Retreating to alleged heartlands. Not promoting or organising the 4N this year.

I honestly mean no disrespect but if after 20 years of SL, Leigh getting promoted is a sign of reinvigoration then I don't think the game is going anywhere.

Who cares about overseas players? I dont.

I dont think crowds are declining if you consider all pro clubs

Agree about the 4N though. Some poor decisions on timings etc

[Padge]

Who cares about overseas players? I dont.

I dont think crowds are declining if you consider all pro clubs

Agree about the 4N though. Some poor decisions on timings etc

 

 

"I don't think crowds are declining" is not the same as "crowds are not declining", just thinking it does not make it the truth.

[langpark]

Virtually everyone on this board goes to matches, what's armchair about it? I personally think RL is heading back to a local game for local people mentality.

 

Going to a game is easy .  Some of us coach/ref/administrate as volunteers on a daily basis.

 

Now as a lifelong RL fan, I am used to the moaning, but I just get fed up when I realise about 80% of the moaners are; 1) CONSTANTLY complaining, 2) Never giving credit for the positives 3) Never offering viable solutions to the problems that they are constantly moaning about.

[Dunbar]

All I've ever wanted to do is serve my sport. I've never sought office but if my colleagues persuaded me the best place to serve it from was Red Hall, I might perhaps reluctantly be persuaded to undertake the responsibility whatever my own private wishes might be.

[Lobbygobbler]

"I don't think crowds are declining" is not the same as "crowds are not declining", just thinking it does not make it the truth.

True - however I will be suprised if average crowds have declined this season across all three divisions. Are the stats available?

[nonbelievers]

"I don't think crowds are declining" is not the same as "crowds are not declining", just thinking it does not make it the truth.

Exactly. 

The same people are attending games and now, because there are more games, thew overall total might be slightly up, but the reality is as the older fans "move on" we're not replacing them with new fans.

Not sure who is the guardian of the wiki page for SL or where they get their stats from, but average attendances were down 9.7% when you compare 2016 to 2015...and if those stats are correct, then crowds are declining. 

This is one of the biggest concerns or at least should be for both those running the game and those running clubs.

[Adeybull]

The game is in the best shape it's ever been people, get over it already!

I would be interested to hear the reasoning behind that?  And compared with what time period?

[nonbelievers]

True - however I will be suprised if average crowds have declined this season across all three divisions. Are the stats available?

10% down in SL is about 1,000 per game so nearly 200,000 fewer fans. Bradford were the biggest draw-card outside SL and they dropped in 2016 as well and dropped quite a lot at that. I'd be happy to wager that a lot less fans paid to watch RL in the top 3 tiers in 2016 than 2015. Unless you think that the lower tiers had an extra 200,000 through their doors and if that had happened, you can be sure we'd have been spun that line more than once by Red Hall.

Attendances were down and if they drop again in 2017, I expect a new new new system will be rolled out in an attempt to screw yet more cash from the ever shrinking group of regular fans.

[Padge]

Exactly. 

The same people are attending games and now, because there are more games, thew overall total might be slightly up, but the reality is as the older fans "move on" we're not replacing them with new fans.

Not sure who is the guardian of the wiki page for SL or where they get their stats from, but average attendances were down 9.7% when you compare 2016 to 2015...and if those stats are correct, then crowds are declining. 

This is one of the biggest concerns or at least should be for both those running the game and those running clubs.

 

From the position you state Woods will claim the aggregate attendance is up, which is good because the aggregate is more through the door. However the average will tell another tale, and that is one of actual numbers of individuals on the decline.

[Padge]

I would be interested to hear the reasoning behind that?  And compared with what time period?

 

So would I, but as usually the soggy spud muncher will have zero to back up his ridiculous claims.

[Angelic Cynic]

The Damian Irvine that is working for a small football club in the 4th tier of the football league ? That Damian Irvine ?

 

   Yes.As you well know.

 

   https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/sep/30/forgotten-shark-former-cronulla-boss-damian-irvine-cheering-from-afar

 

 

   http://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/article/damian-irvine-joins-as-head-of-commercial-activities-2546919.aspx

 

 

   Perhaps you think the prior positions of Messrs Wood and Rimmer are/were better.

 

   Not to forget the ' book of contacts ' of he who appointed the ' wally with the brolly '.

 

    '' Accomplished - Best Club Marketing Campaign ''   - Not bad for a little football club

 

      https://uk.linkedin.com/in/damianirvine

[Lobbygobbler]

10% down in SL is about 1,000 per game so nearly 200,000 fewer fans. Bradford were the biggest draw-card outside SL and they dropped in 2016 as well and dropped quite a lot at that. I'd be happy to wager that a lot less fans paid to watch RL in the top 3 tiers in 2016 than 2015. Unless you think that the lower tiers had an extra 200,000 through their doors and if that had happened, you can be sure we'd have been spun that line more than once by Red Hall.

Attendances were down and if they drop again in 2017, I expect a new new new system will be rolled out in an attempt to screw yet more cash from the ever shrinking group of regular fans.

Where do you get 10% from?

[nonbelievers]

Where do you get 10% from?

wikipedia.....as I said, I don't manage the page and don't know where they get their figures from, but it's a pretty concise page offering plenty of statistics, so I am not going to doubt it.

 

10,019 in 2015 and 9,134 in 2016.....9.689% DOWN

 

Splitting the difference, I'll give you 9.5%....the important word being DOWN.

[nonbelievers]

wikipedia.....as I said, I don't manage the page and don't know where they get their figures from, but it's a pretty concise page offering plenty of statistics, so I am not going to doubt it.

 

10,019 in 2015 and 9,134 in 2016.....9.689% DOWN

 

Splitting the difference, I'll give you 9.5%....the important word being DOWN.

ALSO.....the lowest gate last year was lower than the lowest gate in 2015, whilst the highest gate in 2016 was less than the highest gate of 2015.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

LPL's Rugby League Yearbook has Super League Crowds up by 40 in aggregate in 2016 (8,751 up to 8,791 in 2016) with championship clubs down by 136 (1,773 down to 1,637 in 2016) and Championship 1 up by 5 (528 up to 533 in 2016).

 

At best Rugby League crowds are flatlining even as more games are played. More worryingly only one League attendance was over 20,000 in 2016 (Wigan v St Helens in July).

[The Parksider]

Going to a game is easy .  Some of us coach/ref/administrate as volunteers on a daily basis.

 

Now as a lifelong RL fan, I am used to the moaning, but I just get fed up when I realise about 80% of the moaners are; 1) CONSTANTLY complaining, 2) Never giving credit for the positives 3) Never offering viable solutions to the problems that they are constantly moaning about.

 

The positive is that we are still here running a Superleague off a decent contract despite tremendous pressures on the game.  

 

You do get solutions, but these are usually the name of some bloke who is then credited with being the new messiah, who will come in make a few decisions from his desk and playing numbers crowds and sponsorship contracts will all start rising.

 

It's a lot of hard work just to stand still. Good post post more!

[Dave T]

wikipedia.....as I said, I don't manage the page and don't know where they get their figures from, but it's a pretty concise page offering plenty of statistics, so I am not going to doubt it.

10,019 in 2015 and 9,134 in 2016.....9.689% DOWN

Splitting the difference, I'll give you 9.5%....the important word being DOWN.

as RR has shown, those numbers are massively wrong.

Were they for just regular rounds perhaps?

[longboard]

Going to a game is easy .  Some of us coach/ref/administrate as volunteers on a daily basis.

 

Now as a lifelong RL fan, I am used to the moaning, but I just get fed up when I realise about 80% of the moaners are; 1) CONSTANTLY complaining, 2) Never giving credit for the positives 3) Never offering viable solutions to the problems that they are constantly moaning about.

 

Agreed. In my experience the biggest moaners are the people who have never run a damned thing in their lives.