1800 at Widnes last night

[Man of Kent]

4 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

I suspect it reflects the status of the Challenge Cup. It's done IMO. 

It’s not done but clearly the GF has usurped it as the main event.

The clubs could cut ticket prices for starters. I just looked up what Wire are charging for tomorrow and it looks normal prices.

[meast]

8 minutes ago, tim2 said:

If the Challenge Cup goes it's a serious nail in the coffin of RL in my opinion. It's the only competition that has free to air exposure and it produces great matches. If the fans aren't going, the RFL and the clubs need to do something to change that.

It seems to me that in the main, it's the home fans who are reluctant to pay for the games, away fans no so much as they pay to go to away games anyway.

Why not make it £10 across the board until the semi final stage? that way it might entice more people to part with their cash who would be reluctant to?

I would suspect if most clubs could get at least 5,000 then it's £50,000 in revenue rather than have 2500 paying £15?

[Padge]

Nobody has told us what happened at 6 O'Clock in Widnes last night yet, come on tell us, don't keep us in suspence.

[Angelic Cynic]

Poor attendances for the all Super League sides being matched together - one an all west Yorkshire derby game at the 'home' of rugby league,and another at the home of former world champions against a side winning lots of silverware in recent seasons.

Perhaps Messrs.Lenagan and Pearson have the answers.

Whatever the competition,people must consider the product is not so good,anymore.

Back to part time for the top division,perhaps.

Meanwhile the show goes on despite Messrs Woods and Draper leaving.

How has the void been covered after so well remunerated posts have been vacated?

Big mistake letting the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup falter when it receives the coverage it does at no cost to the viewer.

[fieldofclothofgold]

2 hours ago, langpark said:

Forgive me for posting something positive about last night, but.....

 

the reason for that is obvious ,It was TMFMISL effect Leythers are turning up to see this great man playing for them 

[Maximus Decimus]

36 minutes ago, tim2 said:

Any game with a league structure has, by definition, teams that win and teams that lose. Others are simply average. If fans only go when the team is winning the sport should just revert to being amateur and leave it to the Aussies.

My point is that the whole game is seeing a decline but it is those worse off teams that are feeling it more. It's no coincidence that Widnes, Hudds, Wakey and Salford all seem to be the ones struggling the most. 

[Maximus Decimus]

41 minutes ago, tim2 said:

If the Challenge Cup goes it's a serious nail in the coffin of RL in my opinion. It's the only competition that has free to air exposure and it produces great matches. If the fans aren't going, the RFL and the clubs need to do something to change that.

Like what exactly? 

It's one thing saying and a completely other thing doing. 

[Maximus Decimus]

33 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

It’s not done but clearly the GF has usurped it as the main event.

The clubs could cut ticket prices for starters. I just looked up what Wire are charging for tomorrow and it looks normal prices.

There was speculation about this many years ago when Widnes had a tie on TV. The then chairman went on the RL forums and pointed out that budgets are always tight and it all boils down to how much money they can bring in. 

Putting on significantly lower prices will almost certainly mean a loss in revenue. 

[DoubleD]

Well this is a cheerful thread 

[Maximus Decimus]

4 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

If the game is going to grow, there is almost certainly going to need to be investment. It costs money to grow.

The game has to get away from this idea that it will grow using the money brought in. It needs a catalyst. The expectation should be on the clubs to invest the money they need to grow.

But this just isn't happening and isn't likely to anytime soon. 

I honestly don't think the problems of the cup can be rectified before it is significantly downgraded. It has been reduced to a day out and even that is getting smaller every year. 

[chuffer]

3 hours ago, absentee thoughtlord said:

I doubt it. But it just goes to show how the core support for those two clubs has reached unsustainable low levels.

Hard as it might be, although RL will always have a presence in both Widnes and Huddersfield there seems little reason to be enthusiastic about them being in Super League any more.

 

Steve O'Connor said he would get us back into super league but it was up to the town/fans to keep us there. He did his bit...

Its heartbreaking to see our club dwindle away like this, like watching an old friend deteriorate...who knows how it will get better.....when we were kids the recent successes we'd had kept the town interested and inspired kids to play the game....now, perhaps due to a lack of on field success, not as many in the town are fussed anymore....kids are more into football etc, their dads cant be bothered, the stadium has a real lack of atmosphere....its a downward spiral true enough. 

I agree that betts has done a great job with the tools at his disposal but perhaps our only way forward now is a staff shake up....if we can get a bit more on field success, the stayaways may return....cant see it happening the other way around

[East Coast Tiger]

As long as it’s 1800 in a ground that’s up to “standard” the Wolfpack haters won’t be complaining. Don’t worry about having no fans but if you’re going to have an empty ground make sure it’s full of seats. 

[meast]

3 hours ago, dixiedean said:

Anybody know how many away fans? I fear the figures will look even worse with those subtracted.

918 from Wakefield, very good numbers, although contrary to RL public belief, it didn't help them win the game.

[meast]

Let's play all the games in Toronto, I'm sure they would find a suitable venue to accommodate the millions who would flock to see these games

[Ant]

7 minutes ago, meast said:

918 from Wakefield, very good numbers, although contrary to RL public belief, it didn't help them win the game.

And while people are having a pop at the Giants, as usual, they neglect to notice the Giants have better attendances than Wakey despite being in a much worse position for the last few years 

But I guess some people don't like facts

I'm curious. Where do we say the crowds are Good, and why?

Starting to remember why I took a sabbatical from RLforums.

[meast]

2 minutes ago, Ant said:

And while people are having a pop at the Giants, as usual, they neglect to notice the Giants have better attendances than Wakey despite being in a much worse position for the last few years 

But I guess some people don't like facts

I'm curious. Where do we say the crowds are Good, and why?

Starting to remember why I took a sabbatical from RLforums.

Huddersfield get judged on how many empty seats there are, not on actual attendances, so because of the fact we generally have 18,000 empty spaces, we have no fans and should be kicked out of SL.

If anyone posts a sub 5,000 crowd then there's usually a justifiable reason why, unless it's Huddersfield then there is no valid reasons

The irony of "Wake-bury" fans singing "your support is f****** s*** is hilarious!

[Ant]

Remember when we used to get told that it was mattered on the pitch not how shiny our stadium was.

Seems that's not the point now and it only matters how many bums are in our shiny stadium (that we frikken own) 

[langpark]

39 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

When we are celebrating a 4k crowd something is severely wrong.

Again, CONTEXT.

Did you make that ridiculous comment also when York got a 4k crowd at the start of the season?

[MADREDNIGE]

Fans aren't as interested now a days because it's the same teams getting to Wembley every year from about 6 teams, its boring and too predictable. 

[JonM]

15 minutes ago, MADREDNIGE said:

Fans aren't as interested now a days because it's the same teams getting to Wembley every year from about 6 teams, its boring and too predictable. 

Nine out of 12 current SL teams have been to Wembley since it re-opened - it's only Salford, Wakefield & Widnes who haven't made it. It's not like when Wigan won it 8 years running.

[MADREDNIGE]

Just now, JonM said:

Nine out of 12 current SL teams have been to Wembley since it re-opened - it's only Salford, Wakefield & Widnes who haven't made it. It's not like when Wigan won it 8 years running.

Fair comment but it doesn't alter the fact fans are tired of it, could be two games at Wembley give Championship teams a chance and plenty more would attend then, just an idea. 

[DEANO]

58 minutes ago, MADREDNIGE said:

Fans aren't as interested now a days because it's the same teams getting to Wembley every year from about 6 teams, its boring and too predictable. 

Err isn’t super League like that

[MADREDNIGE]

2 minutes ago, DEANO said:

Err isn’t super League like that

We were talking about the challenge Cup 

[MADREDNIGE]

Just now, MADREDNIGE said:

We were talking about the challenge Cup 

But yeah it is ? 

[damp squib]

2 hours ago, meast said:

Huddersfield get judged on how many empty seats there are, not on actual attendances, so because of the fact we generally have 18,000 empty spaces, we have no fans and should be kicked out of SL.

If anyone posts a sub 5,000 crowd then there's usually a justifiable reason why, unless it's Huddersfield then there is no valid reasons

The irony of "Wake-bury" fans singing "your support is f****** s*** is hilarious!

This attitude is endemic in the sport. Look at one of Blake Solly's objectives for last season - X number of "sell-outs", as if a "sell-out" is a meaningful measure of success. 5,000 in a 5,000 seater stadium is success. 20,000 in a 30,000 stadium is not apparently.