CC final attendance

[whatmichaelsays]

1 hour ago, Marrafan said:

Why do league fans always find something to whinge about? The fact that the RFL have got it on the website shows they are being proactive. Maybe the website chose the image from some stock photos. They are listening to fans with the e-mails from Pitchero. People should stop looking for negatives in everything and knocking everything. there is a seven page thread on here obsessing about the attendance at the Challenge Cup Final. Come next week we will have another long thread whinging that there was only x number of seats sold etc. Looked terrible on TV etc etc. Do the people that obsess about these things actually go there? 

Because this is really basic stuff.

This isn't the first time that the RFL have shown that they don't give nearly enough consideration into the image that they are conveying. 

This year they have proudly released photos like this one of a press conference, where the players looked like they'd rather be anywhere else:

 

One of a press conference that basically looks like a Phoenix Club committee meeting in front of a vending machine...

And then one of a Cup Final that is designed to sell it as a "must not miss" event with a picture that suggests that lots of people are quite happy to miss it. 

It's not "finding something to whinge about" to point out that image matters. Particuarly in a world of social media, first impressions count and the sad fact about all of this is that it's basic stuff - literally Branding 101. It doesn't need an expensive branding agency, a marketing guru or Eddie Hearn to realise that those photos should never have seen the light of day, never mind been tweeted proudly across social media. 

Promoting the game isn't the RFL "being proactive", it's the RFL "doing it's job". Unfortunately, it isn't doing that job properly. 

 

 

[cookey]

I've seen that second one before on a rugby union site,where basically they took the mickey. Frankly,cant blame them.

Whoever organised it and or authorised its release should be sacked immediately. Shambolic,amateurish,embarrassing. I wouldn't use that to promore a junior school sports day.

[Odsal Outlaw]

On 14/08/2019 at 13:12, Odsal Outlaw said:

Current status of the sales ... altho we know not all of the sold out have sold out.

We seem to have moved some people about and then refused some people entry since last week

[saintspete83]

4 hours ago, Moove said:

Still available online with Saints. Would be disappointing not to get back into 70k+ but you'd think the vast majority who wanted a ticket would have one by now

Out of interest, does anyone know if the RFL are doing anything specifically with the London amateur game and/or the schools with links to the Broncos and RL? Would be interesting to know how many tickets we sell to the London area generally but you'd think that would be an area to target with longer term benefits

Anything lower then 70k is a fail in my opinion. 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

We seem to have moved some people about and then refused some people entry since last week

This is one of the points I made last week. For weeks now you havent been able to buy £55 Club Wembley tickets from the RFL. I'm sure that would deter some people from buying. Suddenly less than a week to go there are hundreds which have obviously been returned from sources. 

By stating these areas are sold out they are just lying and putting people off. 

[saintspete83]

4 hours ago, Dave T said:

It looks like tickets are no longer available from the clubs, with tickets returned to the RFL.

On the RFL site it now looks like around 150 tickets left in the lower tier.

733 in the middle tier (Club Wembley in the Wire end). 

244 in the Saints half upper tier.

850 in the Wire half upper tier.

1,997 tickets available for sale on the RFL site.

And now for the caveat - it looks like some blocks are still using the technique of alternative rows. Obviously we don't know if we are still in the first phase of that, or we are now on the released rows to fill in, so it could be far more empty seats. There is also the possibility that there are still blocks out with sponsors and clubs that are unsold/unused.

Best case, this could mean that we have c62-65k sold so far.

If the RFL site is anything to go by the lower bowl and CW are 95%+ capacity. Hopefully sales go well in the upper tier. Image wise as long as the cameras face at what's sold it should look good. Wasn't the world Cup 13 semi about 65k from memory that looked pretty decent. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

This is one of the points I made last week. For weeks now you havent been able to buy £55 Club Wembley tickets from the RFL. I'm sure that would deter some people from buying. Suddenly less than a week to go there are hundreds which have obviously been returned from sources. 

By stating these areas are sold out they are just lying and putting people off. 

Is that The RFL’s issue though? Or is it the company that runs Wembley Stadium making it known that certain Club Wembley ST holders (I’m not sure on the proper name for it) are not going at such a late stage?

 

[saintspete83]

1 minute ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Is that The RFL’s issue though? Or is it the company that runs Wembley Stadium making it known that certain Club Wembley ST holders (I’m not sure on the proper name for it) are not going at such a late stage?

 

I may be wrong but I don't think Wembley is in the club Wembley season ticket like it was a few years back hence why the last 2 years have not included a full club Wembley 16.5k  in the announced attendance. 

[saintspete83]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

This is one of the points I made last week. For weeks now you havent been able to buy £55 Club Wembley tickets from the RFL. I'm sure that would deter some people from buying. Suddenly less than a week to go there are hundreds which have obviously been returned from sources. 

By stating these areas are sold out they are just lying and putting people off. 

To obtain tickets it should be all done through 1 host site, if other clubs/ organisations are selling then there should be a link to the host website through the organisations/ clubs sites with any offers or discounts already tagged on. 

[Cumbrian Fanatic]

12 minutes ago, saintspete83 said:

I may be wrong but I don't think Wembley is in the club Wembley season ticket like it was a few years back hence why the last 2 years have not included a full club Wembley 16.5k  in the announced attendance. 

You are not wrong, Club Wembley seats have been available since the tickets went on sale, we bought ours last October

[Dave T]

53 minutes ago, saintspete83 said:

To obtain tickets it should be all done through 1 host site, if other clubs/ organisations are selling then there should be a link to the host website through the organisations/ clubs sites with any offers or discounts already tagged on. 

Spot on.

[Chris22]

If ticket sales are around the 62,000 mark I'd be quite disappointed. Especially with the two extra clubs in the 1895 cup final. You would think that Widnes have shifted a few thousand too.

Clearly, we have a ceiling of 70,000 with half of the upper tier closed. In some respects, 70,000 would be ok considering that's what the Grand Final gets, but it's not a brilliant look have 20,000 seats covered up.

Tottenham always did a good job of making Wembley look more full than it was by selling from the front of the upper tier and working backwards all the way around that tier. Maybe that's something to consider for future years?

[saintspete83]

18 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

If ticket sales are around the 62,000 mark I'd be quite disappointed. Especially with the two extra clubs in the 1895 cup final. You would think that Widnes have shifted a few thousand too.

Clearly, we have a ceiling of 70,000 with half of the upper tier closed. In some respects, 70,000 would be ok considering that's what the Grand Final gets, but it's not a brilliant look have 20,000 seats covered up.

Tottenham always did a good job of making Wembley look more full than it was by selling from the front of the upper tier and working backwards all the way around that tier. Maybe that's something to consider for future years?

It's not an solution to the attendance issue but maybe the RFL could cover lower tier seats first few rows with sponsorship. I see NFL at Wembley place logos in these seats. This way it may force more into other areas whilst still giving a look of a fuller stadium. As I said it's not ideal but it could boost revenue from sponsership and create a better look. 

[Saintslass]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

This is one of the points I made last week. For weeks now you havent been able to buy £55 Club Wembley tickets from the RFL. I'm sure that would deter some people from buying. Suddenly less than a week to go there are hundreds which have obviously been returned from sources. 

By stating these areas are sold out they are just lying and putting people off. 

That almost did for me.  Thankfully I got through on the phone to the RFL and managed to buy some sold out $50 tickets!  Not along the side where I wanted them - on the phone I was told they were all sold out - but in the corner at the Saints end, which I think will do.

[Mr Frisky]

I can see 67k which isn't the best but will be ok.

Market and play the minor cup final next year before the final and they could really build on this years double header.

[kev p]

3 hours ago, saintspete83 said:

Anything lower then 70k is a fail in my opinion. 

Expect a fail then.  65k max

[yipyee]

2 hours ago, Chris22 said:

If ticket sales are around the 62,000 mark I'd be quite disappointed. Especially with the two extra clubs in the 1895 cup final. You would think that Widnes have shifted a few thousand too.

Clearly, we have a ceiling of 70,000 with half of the upper tier closed. In some respects, 70,000 would be ok considering that's what the Grand Final gets, but it's not a brilliant look have 20,000 seats covered up.

Tottenham always did a good job of making Wembley look more full than it was by selling from the front of the upper tier and working backwards all the way around that tier. Maybe that's something to consider for future years?

I know fans who can't get tickets in the saints end so are not going even though the RFL are not opening any more sections in the saints end. If indeed it is sold out why not open another section?

If the logic was to never open these 20k seats why not run trips for interested schools in London?

[yipyee]

23 minutes ago, kev p said:

Expect a fail then.  65k max

Looking at the ticket sales 70k is nearly sold out.

Would be surprised if any less than 68k announced

[Odsal Outlaw]

7 hours ago, yipyee said:

I know fans who can't get tickets in the saints end so are not going even though the RFL are not opening any more sections in the saints end. If indeed it is sold out why not open another section?

If the logic was to never open these 20k seats why not run trips for interested schools in London?

I think once that Saints end sold out it would have made sense to just open one section at a time on upper bowl immediately next to the Saints tickets. 

[Dave T]

12 minutes ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I think once that Saints end sold out it would have made sense to just open one section at a time on upper bowl immediately next to the Saints tickets. 

Yes, it seems odd not to do so.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

Time to move the Challenge Cup Final away from Wembley IMO.

The 1895 Cup Final should be held at Halliwell Jones, Langtree Park or Headingley. 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

1 hour ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I think once that Saints end sold out it would have made sense to just open one section at a time on upper bowl immediately next to the Saints tickets. 

Saints end isn’t sold out, plenty of Cat 5 tickets available 

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

I wonder if a perception (wrongly in my opinion) that with the current form of the two teams we're heading for another one sided game is putting some people off going.

[Gray1967]

14 hours ago, Dave T said:

Spot on.

Thats far to sensible though isnt it?

[Dave T]

If anybody is still thinking of going, you can get 25% off tickets by using the code CUPREWARDS4 in the rewards for rugby league box at checkout. Club Wembley tickets at around £41.