Rugby League's cheap seats problems

iangidds · November 20, 2017

2 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Please tell me this is not true? So depressing

I promise it is , i spent several hours with him and that was his straight answer , he did not want to even think about how it could be better

Scubby · November 20, 2017

Just now, iangidds said:

I promise it is , i spent several hours with him and that was his straight answer , he did not want to even think about how it could be better

Does he realise that every punter who experiences this probably works for a company or organisation - or maybe owns a business themselves? Had you had a wonderful experience you would be straight back to the workplace telling anyone who would listen.

This is the most demoralising thing I have read on this forum for a long time. Thanks for the insight.

Scubby · November 20, 2017

1 hour ago, Shadow said:

There's a thread on the cross code forum ridiculing prices for hospitality parties and tickets at Twickenham, and then we have a thread complaining RL can't offer more expensive prices. Surely this is a case of "if you build it they will come"

Offer a better experience and some people will take it, but as a sport RL has to get away from the attitude of ridiculing people who want to pay more.

It is the envy (and exasperation) more than the ridiculing. The whole attitude of the RFU is to present an event and stand by it in terms of quality. To the outsider it seems ridiculous to pay £50+ to stand in a ###### wet car park. They probably have a waiting list for spaces.

We haven't even got enough gumption to run the England operation 12 months a year. It will get packaged up on December 3 and mothballed for 6 months+

Ian's post on here has literally gobsmacked me.

Damien · November 20, 2017

I actually think I could get about 5 people together from this board and we could run the RFL far better than those in charge at the moment.

Shadow · November 20, 2017

11 minutes ago, Scubby said:

It is the envy (and exasperation) more than the ridiculing. The whole attitude of the RFU is to present an event and stand by it in terms of quality. To the outsider it seems ridiculous to pay £50+ to stand in a ###### wet car park. They probably have a waiting list for spaces.

We haven't even got enough gumption to run the England operation 12 months a year. It will get packaged up on December 3 and mothballed for 6 months+

Ian's post on here has literally gobsmacked me.

There are a number of posts on this thread that I struggle to comprehend.
There seems to be a type of RL fan that revels in small horizons, who has an idealised view of League and would almost prefer to see it fail rather than dilute it's working class purity.

Shadow · November 20, 2017

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

I actually think I could get about 5 people together from this board and we could run the RFL far better than those in charge at the moment.

I think any 5 random people could not do a worse job!

Scubby · November 20, 2017

12 minutes ago, Shadow said:

There are a number of posts on this thread that I struggle to comprehend.
There seems to be a type of RL fan that revels in small horizons, who has an idealised view of League and would almost prefer to see it fail rather than dilute it's working class purity.

Interestingly there is a thread I was just reading on an Australian forum highlighting how the NRL has allowed Ch9 and Fox (who have a $2b TV deal with them) to ignore the World Cup in its coverage this year. It went along the lines of the game's determination to hurt itself and to marginalise anything which poses an expansive threat on the current localised bubble.

I mentioned before about this strange obsession with some to return the GB brand - yet there is no compelling growth or commercial reason to do so. GB (supposedly the home nations) has never even played a test outside Yorkshire/Lancashire and London never mind in Wales and Scotland.

We are at a point now where we can't shift top priced seats for internationals (even when they are only £40 or so). Meanwhile RU is busy laying 3G pitches all over the country as part of a dormant long term plan. I wish we had a plan as to where we are actually going. When you find out you supposedly can't make money on corporate hospitality at major internationals then you know you are small time.

Mattrhino · November 20, 2017

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Not really got a clue what 1976 or booking tickets years in advance has to do with anything.

If someone has booked a year in advance I would certainly argue that they should get a better deal than the cheapskate hoping for a promo code at the last minute. Loyalty should be rewarded, as should booking early. The only time I would ever use promo codes is for those booking 6+ months in advance and for those who bought tickets the previous year. The RFL year after year have failed, and indeed have punished people for doing this, to the extent that people don't bother now. It is in the RFL's interests that events are sold out as early as possible and before the teams are even known (so they aren't left to the whim of fans and unattractive finals). The RFL's strategy over the last decade is completely counter productive to achieving this.

People can look for promo codes, it doesn't mean we have to offer them for blue riband events. The RFL using promo tech, as you describe it, is pure laziness and lazy marketing. People moan about the game having no money and players going to the NRL and RU but then some moan about paying another fiver for a ticket.

But it is the market. Flash sales and promo codes are used by blue chip companies down to your local chip shop.

I went to LA with Thomas Cook recently with tickets advertised through facebook at £239rtn Im sure some people on that flight paid 12 months in advance at £500-600. I had no intention of going to LA but was attracted by the affordable price.

I think marketing is the RFL's biggest issue, not offering discount codes. Once they get the marketing right you can then drive up prices.

You can't just artifically create interest by increasing your prices.

iangidds · November 20, 2017

50 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Does he realise that every punter who experiences this probably works for a company or organisation - or maybe owns a business themselves? Had you had a wonderful experience you would be straight back to the workplace telling anyone who would listen.

This is the most demoralising thing I have read on this forum for a long time. Thanks for the insight.

Im sorry to share the news i really am and i probably should not have done so, it was a real hammerblow to see how RL match day experience was simply dismissed by the top man of the game. It depresses me so much that people who are k

In charge of something we love desperately can not see how they are damaging and endangering our sport for future players and supporters ; many seem stuck in the past or simply not interested in growing and developing our wonderful game.

iangidds · November 20, 2017

8 minutes ago, Mattrhino said:

But it is the market. Flash sales and promo codes are used by blue chip companies down to your local chip shop.

I went to LA with Thomas Cook recently with tickets advertised through facebook at £239rtn Im sure some people on that flight paid 12 months in advance at £500-600. I had no intention of going to LA but was attracted by the affordable price.

I think marketing is the RFL's biggest issue, not offering discount codes. Once they get the marketing right you can then drive up prices.

You can't just artifically create interest by increasing your prices.

It might just be me but i would like to invest in RL , I would like the RL to invest in me too! There are so many of us who love RL but we have no voice , no connection ; i would more often buy higher priced tickets but it has to be a two way street

iangidds · November 20, 2017

They could maybe tell us 20% of the ticket sales are going to grass roots for example. With Wood paying himself 317k a year plus pension whilst development officers lose their jobs! Come on this cant be right surely?

Route66 · November 20, 2017

For whatever reason rl seems to have a problem selling out events at the moment,problem is people see small crowds and are discouraged from attending future events,conversely if people see crowds coming in it makes them want to attend,maybe employ Peter Kay who seems to have started a stampede run on his tour and is now selling out for 2019!

Just Browny · November 20, 2017

1 hour ago, Shadow said:

There are a number of posts on this thread that I struggle to comprehend.
There seems to be a type of RL fan that revels in small horizons, who has an idealised view of League and would almost prefer to see it fail rather than dilute it's working class purity.

This is one of the painful truths of RL.

GUBRATS · November 20, 2017

2 hours ago, deluded pom? said:

What about people who aren't totally committed? The kind of people we need to attract. I don't think many people would pay the same price for a seat behind the posts as one on the half way.

Then buy it earlier , or dont and get a different view of the game , do cinema's charge differently for different seats ?