Jump to content

Whitehaven


Recommended Posts

Best of luck to Whitehaven, it's never good seeing any club struggling off the pitch.

Reading the article in the League Express, the consortium suggest if there's a big crowd against Bradford taking up the offer of £10/£5 entry they'll extend it for the rest of the season. I never think that works well, for one off games it's good for boosting crowds but long term it just devalues the product, people get used to the cheap tickets then once they are put back up to full price, you don't retain many extra fans and you're back at square 1 only this time you've cheapened your product somewhat. IMO it's not worked with the cheap season tickets at Huddersfield and Wakefield and remains to be seen if it will work at Doncaster.

Regardless should be a big crowd on Sunday and hopefully the consortium can bring new ideas off the pitch.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 110
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Red Star may well breathe much needed life into Whitehaven, as I understand it the reason for the investment is to give their current crop of good players a chance to play at a better level than the Balkan Super League which they have quickly outgrown

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Have to say from what I've read so far, this seems like an almost carbon copy of the first of the recent crisis-es at Bradford in 2012 and it absolutely stinks to high heaven, as that crisis did back then. Hope things don't go on too long for the Haven fans, and those fans who have forked out for an 18 month season ticket get to see all the rugby they are due on it. 

SQL Honours

Play off mini league winner - 2002. Bronze Medalist - 2003. Big Split Group Winner - 2006. Minor Stupidship - 2005, 2006. Cup Silver Medalist - 2008, 2009

CHAMPION - 2005, 2009, 2010

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

BBC Radio Cumbria Twitter stating the consortium has now withdrawn....or words to that effect.

Worrying times...

If the worst comes to the worst and Whitehaven go under, then isn't there 3 places up for grabs what with Oxford and Gloucestershire dropping out last year

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, West Leeds Riviera said:

If the worst comes to the worst and Whitehaven go under, then isn't there 3 places up for grabs what with Oxford and Gloucestershire dropping out last year

No there aren't

The reduction from 16 down to 14 teams this year made a full home and away programme possible. This replaced the much-derided system where you didn't play all the teams home and away, and led to an unbalanced fixture list.

There were suggestions at the time that the RFL pushed out Gloucester and Oxford to make this happen - or, to be charitable, weren't exactly filled with disappointment when it happened!

IF Whitehaven did disappear - and lets hope not - then there'd certainly be one space for next season

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, newbe said:

Nailed on New York, due to the publicity and potential TV deals. 

They wanted to join the Championship IIRC. 

Though they could move into League One, as they should do IMO and the league could operate with an odd number of teams, with teams getting a bye before or after the game in New York.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both west cumbrian clubs seem to be having a few problems recently , one in serious financial difficulty and the other having some kind internal strife  ie dismissal of assistant coach and a week later the chairman has quit sad times for the semi pro clubs in the area at the  moment , lets hope things iron themselves out for the good of the game in cumbria .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Koukash said in an interview at Odsal a few days ago that - on the subject of this potential West Cumbrian superclub, Town and Whitehaven would eventually have no choice but to participate. At this rate, and especially if both clubs face existential crises (Town may not...Derwent?) maybe that could happen sooner rather than later?  Did he know something...?

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts.

Bury your memories; bury your friends. Leave it alone for a year or two.  Till the stories grow hazy, and the legends come true.  Then do it again - some things never end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Adeybull said:

Koukash said in an interview at Odsal  on the subject of this potential West Cumbrian superclub

What is super about two very small clubs becoming one very small club? How do 700 died in the wool Town or 700 died in the wool Haven fans get their traditional chops around Cumbria RLFC? Great chance for many to call it a day. Who wants to back a new club in a backwater, when nobody wants to back  Salford or Widnes anymore? How do you shunt a club from one town to the other and back again every other match, who is going to pay for the players, where will they come from, why would they want to be travelling up and down to Cumbria? Koukash has twice tried to buy Bulls and is hanging around Odsal not Cumbria, suppose he has to spout off about something whilst he waits for his chance at Bradford.

On 6/26/2018 at 9:08 PM, newbe said:

Nailed on New York, due to the publicity and potential TV deals. 

Is it really?

On 6/26/2018 at 9:16 PM, Oliver Clothesoff said:

(New York) They wanted to join the Championship, though they could move into League One, as they should do IMO and the league could operate with an odd number of teams, with teams getting a bye before or after the game in New York.

A season in L1 and a season in CC will deplete their already inadequate investment plan........

"No one in New York City is talking about rugby league. A fair reflection of the local media attention the announcement created is to note there was no local media attention given to it at all. The reason is this proposed team will play in another country in a competition that no one knows about against teams that no one hates, the number one reason this venture is doomed is that only about 57 people care about rugby league in New York City. The rest don’t even know what rugby league is.

The application named Red Bulls stadium as the team’s home ground. New York Red Bulls average around 21,000 fans per game. That’s for a team with the might of Red Bull marketing behind it, for a team that is 23 years old, a team with a large marketing and sales department working every single day for it, competing in an established league, in a region that is a soccer hotbed, with positive media coverage and has boasted Premier League stars like Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill in its ranks.

In New York sports fans can choose between the Yankees, the Mets, the Red Bulls, New York City FC, the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Liberty, and Sky Blue FC. Not to mention the Giants and Jets.

Matthew Bailey knows rugby league in New York he is the CEO of Brooklyn Kings, an amateur team that plays in the USA Rugby League competition. He is a sponsorship manager for the NBA Brooklyn Nets (basketball). “There are some people who think rugby league is going to be the next big thing. The crowd numbers NYCRL are quoting are absolutely not attainable and unrealistic.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

If a bloke who runs an amateur team and has in no way ever worked in marketing a sports club says it, it must be true. 

The article says he is a sponsorhip manager for NBA New York Nets. (sic) shoild that be Mets ?

Just saying.

Ron Banks

Midlands Hurricanes and Barrow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Bearman said:

The article says he is a sponsorhip manager for NBA New York Nets. (sic) shoild that be Mets ?

Just saying.

Nope. The Mets are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. The Nets are one of the New York area's 2 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

It appears as though the summer of discontent continues in the Cumbrian heartland

https://barrowrlfc.com/2018/06/statement-from-david-sharpe-on-behalf-of-the-club/

Worrying times continue...

Oh dear, worrying indeed. When will clubs learn about spending beyond their needs. And that they went up on the back of almost breaking the salary cap........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Whitehaven board express disappointment at attendances

Whitehaven’s board of directors have issued another rallying call for fans to get behind them following the breakdown of a planned takeover last month.

News of financial strife at the Cumbrian club resulted in a plea to raise £60,000 to help support a takeover led by Stuart Harvey, though he and his consortium eventually pulled out of a bid for the club.

The League 1 side enjoyed a run to the last 16 of the Challenge Cup and a 22-14 win over North Wales at the weekend has them in the play-off places.

A statement read: “The Board of Directors of Whitehaven RLFC would like to thank fans for their patience shown so far while the club works on a new business case to take the club forward.

“The board are hopeful that not only will the plans to take the club forward be laid out in the near future but details of new commercial income streams, potential sponsors and a change in how the board operate on an organisational basis which will assist in enabling the club to survive and prosper.

“We need to ensure that sustainability be at the heart of the club’s plans.

“The board feel it is imperative to engage with shareholders and fans prior to the next home game to try and ease the current apathy which is believed to have played a part in the poor attendances received during the past two games.

“To not break the 1000 mark, of home fans, against Bradford was disappointing given the general good feeling that was around the club at that time, however that was not nearly as disappointing as there being less than 600 of those fans return for another big game, this time against Keighley, another club who are suffering from financial difficulties at present.

“The board cannot stress the importance of fans attending games if they want a club in the town to continue.

“The last home game had less than 350 paying spectators which clearly would not support any club in this league with hopes of challenging for promotion, let alone a club which is already suffering financially. The (approximately) 250 that didn’t pay on the day, 160 of these were season ticket holders with the remainder being pre-paid sponsors lounge tickets and mandatory complimentary tickets as laid down by the RFL

“The effort of the fans in raising what they did during the early stages of the appeal was humbling and is to be commended however, some pledges are still outstanding, the club needs fans to continue this effort through the turnstiles.

“The club will continue over the next couple of weeks to try and increase this total through targeting businesses in the local area and further afield. Some headway has been made on this and the club will release all details once things are finalised.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It must be so disheartening for owners, directors,  philanthropists, sponsors, hard core fans, players etc to see such low crowds and such poverty. Must make them wonder why they bother. 

No entirely convinced that an appeal to the better nature of potential attendees is the best way to go, though.   Maybe looking for a more positive reason to attend, to be attracted?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd be a bit worried as a Whitehaven fan hearing all of this. This statement suggests that fans (or lack of) are somehow partly responsible for this issue rather than overspending. The club needs to do everything it can to entice people to come to games. Not sure a statement like this will encourage many people who are on the fence. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

I'd be a bit worried as a Whitehaven fan hearing all of this. This statement suggests that fans (or lack of) are somehow partly responsible for this issue rather than overspending. The club needs to do everything it can to entice people to come to games. Not sure a statement like this will encourage many people who are on the fence. 

Exactly right! Through mis-management and subsequent over spending they're doing themselves no favours up here from people I speak to

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously it's great that they've secured this, but even if this deal is £15,000 per year (total value of £45,000, which is certainly well into five figures), that's only about 20% of their shortfall each year, and shirt sponsorship is the main sponsorship opportunity. Fingers crossed that they'll tighten their belt going forwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yet again though, a statement released which poses more questions than answers.

Why does it say the win over North Wales had them in the playoff places? Is it not positions 2 to 5 who will finish in the playoffs?

The need to point out that they are only getting x amount of paying fans, the rest being complimentary, pre paid sponsors and season tickets - well complimentary are obviously free, but pre paid sponsors and season tickets is still income, even if they did receive it at the start of the season.

Lastly, there's a statement in the League Express where the general manager acts surprised that having got 1,300 against Bradford they then only had 600 against Keighley. Where were the volunteers stood at the gates handing out flyers at the Bradford match with discounted entry to the Keighley match? Where are the mini season tickets? How about £1,000 gets you a season ticket for life?

I have nothing against Whiterhaven, had some great trips up there with Castleford in our NL days and I hope the board can pull through, they have some passionate fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.