Challenge Cup - An opportunity to promote beyond heartland.

[EssexRL]

So I’m watching Wigan v Hull on BBC2 and seeing the club banners draped on the stands (Leigh, Bradford, Castleford...). Given that the BBC audience is national is this an opportunity to highlight non-heartland clubs too? People from Midlands noticing a Coventry Bears banner might just be curious enough to find more out for instance. They might not even know there’s a club in the area. Ditto for London and Wales. 

[Leyther_Matt]

21 minutes ago, EssexRL said:

So I’m watching Wigan v Hull on BBC2 and seeing the club banners draped on the stands (Leigh, Bradford, Castleford...). Given that the BBC audience is national is this an opportunity to highlight non-heartland clubs too? People from Midlands noticing a Coventry Bears banner might just be curious enough to find more out for instance. They might not even know there’s a club in the area. Ditto for London and Wales. 

The banners were made during the Super 8s era so there will be a London one knocking about somewhere 

[Big Picture]

1 hour ago, EssexRL said:

So I’m watching Wigan v Hull on BBC2 and seeing the club banners draped on the stands (Leigh, Bradford, Castleford...). Given that the BBC audience is national is this an opportunity to highlight non-heartland clubs too? People from Midlands noticing a Coventry Bears banner might just be curious enough to find more out for instance. They might not even know there’s a club in the area. Ditto for London and Wales. 

Other than northerners and displaced northerners living down south, who else is tuning in though?  And if anyone tunes tunes in, is a match between teams from two towns up north going to impress them any?

[Eddie]

19 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Other than northerners and displaced northerners living down south, who else is tuning in though?  And if anyone tunes tunes in, is a match between teams from two towns up north going to impress them any?

Actually people from other places do watch rugby league on tv, certainly a fair few people in Norfolk that I know do, they’re just sports fans and think it’s a good watch (which of course it is).

[BJW]

20 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Other than northerners and displaced northerners living down south, who else is tuning in though?  And if anyone tunes tunes in, is a match between teams from two towns up north going to impress them any?

Years ago when Rugby League Raw was shown on TVS (franchise covering south coast of England) it got highest rating for the time slot ever. It also sparked interest as I was club secretary for a club in London League and was taking calls from people interested in either coming to see a live game or trying the sport. Majority of people had never seen the game in such depth and were impressed by what they saw. Very few of them were displaced northerners.

[EssexRL]

41 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Other than northerners and displaced northerners living down south, who else is tuning in though?  And if anyone tunes tunes in, is a match between teams from two towns up north going to impress them any?

I’ve just bumped into my neighbour who fits none of those stereotypes (He’s a southerner who lives in London). He watched it. 

[Man of Kent]

Good idea.

[Spidey]

2 hours ago, EssexRL said:

So I’m watching Wigan v Hull on BBC2 and seeing the club banners draped on the stands (Leigh, Bradford, Castleford...). Given that the BBC audience is national is this an opportunity to highlight non-heartland clubs too? People from Midlands noticing a Coventry Bears banner might just be curious enough to find more out for instance. They might not even know there’s a club in the area. Ditto for London and Wales. 

All the banners belong to ex winners of the cup. They were on display at Wembley last year

[EssexRL]

35 minutes ago, Spidey said:

All the banners belong to ex winners of the cup. They were on display at Wembley last year

....but in the absence of a crowd the banners get more notice and create an opportunity to promote/sign post/inform a TV audience of our game. 

[17 stone giant]

4 hours ago, BJW said:

Years ago when Rugby League Raw was shown on TVS (franchise covering south coast of England) it got highest rating for the time slot ever.

I remember TVS very well (lost franchise in 1992/3 and replaced by Meridian) but I can't recall that particular show. What years was it on?

[17 stone giant]

As for viewers outside of traditional RL areas, I think there will always be some - in the same way that people watch the NFL. I do think unfortunately that one of the problems RL has it that not enough people have a stake in the game (apart from when England/GB play). It's a game that is played 'elsewhere', even if it's on their TV sometimes. It's very difficult to change that though.

[Oldbear]

I have a question which I hope someone can answer. Let’s say a Challenge Cup game is watched by a non heartland teenager who likes it so much he (or she) is interested in taking up the sport. Does the RFL have a department who can put that teenager in touch with their nearest amateur club or is that potentially another lost opportunity?

[unapologetic pedant]

5 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I remember TVS very well (lost franchise in 1992/3 and replaced by Meridian) but I can't recall that particular show. What years was it on?

Nothing to do with RL, but I have a nostalgic fondness for TVS. They were one of the ITV companies who took children`s TV seriously. Like other franchises who valued their commitment to public service broadcasting, they got precious little thanks for it when auction time came round. Such is capitalism.

[The Rocket]

5 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

As for viewers outside of traditional RL areas, I think there will always be some - in the same way that people watch the NFL. I do think unfortunately that one of the problems RL has it that not enough people have a stake in the game (apart from when England/GB play). It's a game that is played 'elsewhere', even if it's on their TV sometimes. It's very difficult to change that though.

This is why the RFL and RL clubs in general must forge closer ties with all people that play the non- contact versions of the code and bring them into the fold. There are thousands of people who play Touch/Tag Rugby who associate that sport more with union than league , which it clearly is not.

 

3 hours ago, Oldbear said:

I have a question which I hope someone can answer. Let’s say a Challenge Cup game is watched by a non heartland teenager who likes it so much he (or she) is interested in taking up the sport. Does the RFL have a department who can put that teenager in touch with their nearest amateur club or is that potentially another lost opportunity?

The RFL had a club map and locator for the whole of England, when I recently revived it( Maps of Rugby League Clubs In England thread) the first person who posted was like you said, someone who had moved and was looking for a club to play in near his new residence, through that map he linked up with a new club. Some one said that the map could be found on the RFL site however said that it may not have been updated as regularly as possible and that the post code locator may not be working. IT SHOULD BE WORKING PROPERLY, with contact details form every club listed.

The map was created by the blokes from LoveRugbyLeague team and I think they have a properly functioning one.

[Spidey]

10 hours ago, EssexRL said:

....but in the absence of a crowd the banners get more notice and create an opportunity to promote/sign post/inform a TV audience of our game. 

I was just putting it into context. They weren’t random clubs just past winners

[BJW]

7 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I remember TVS very well (lost franchise in 1992/3 and replaced by Meridian) but I can't recall that particular show. What years was it on?

IIRC it was around 1991-2. (Might not have been Rugby League Raw but was programme featuring lower league clubs, certainly pre SL but can't remember title)

Plus managed to get mention of our fixtures quite a few times on 'Late Night Late' though how many were watching at 3am is another matter !

[17 stone giant]

13 hours ago, The Rocket said:

This is why the RFL and RL clubs in general must forge closer ties with all people that play the non- contact versions of the code and bring them into the fold. There are thousands of people who play Touch/Tag Rugby who associate that sport more with union than league , which it clearly is not.

I'm sure that will help, but I was meaning more that all of the top clubs (apart from London) are from one part of the country and therefore most people don't have a team from their area competing in the league structure or in the Challenge Cup (at least not at a high level or in the latter stages).

There will only ever be so much interest when you're relying on neutrals watching Warrington vs St Helens. Rugby league is far from alone with that problem - probably only football and cricket are truly 'national' sports in England - but the other major sport that people will often want to compare RL with is rugby union.

The difference being that rugby union has a much larger number of international matches/events, so most of the country can get their fix of RU simply by watching 10 or so England games every year.

When you watch a quality game like Warrington vs St Helens yesterday, you'd have to hope that there is some untapped interest for the sport out there in the country. The challenge is how you access and promote that interest.

[EssexRL]

20 hours ago, Oldbear said:

I have a question which I hope someone can answer. Let’s say a Challenge Cup game is watched by a non heartland teenager who likes it so much he (or she) is interested in taking up the sport. Does the RFL have a department who can put that teenager in touch with their nearest amateur club or is that potentially another lost opportunity?

I’m sure there was/is an online “find your nearest club” tool, but that might be the BBC or I might be totally wrong. 

[The Rocket]

14 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

The difference being that rugby union has a much larger number of international matches/events, so most of the country can get their fix of RU simply by watching 10 or so England games every year.

When you watch a quality game like Warrington vs St Helens yesterday, you'd have to hope that there is some untapped interest for the sport out there in the country. The challenge is how you access and promote that interest.

There was a debate on one of these threads recently about why League doesn`t stage more event matches( like the game you mentioned ) in London, for example, like the Union does with some club matches. 

In OZ we have the annual Roosters vs. St. George match held every ANZAC day, which attracts ~40 000 year in, year out. The key being `annual` and `ANZAC`. That regularity and association with an important holiday is key.

I am sure there is no shortage of important dates to commemorate in your part of the world.

I can remember reading about a famous Test Match called the Battle of Rorke`s Drift. Because it was played 50 years after that famous battle. Having seen the movie ZULU,  one of my sons and my favourites, the action scenes are second to none, it really captured my imagination as a great name to call a Test Match.

Of course these days the name would have to be chosen carefully so as not to offend, but I`m sure there is something to celebrate or commemorate and associate itself with the game with all the respect and the appropriate paraphernalia and held annually.

[Hela Wigmen]

It would take a lot more than a flag in stand (I haven’t seen the Coventry badge, can you even clearly read it?) to get people interested.