JohnM Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Here are the crowds at GB vs Aus games. Make of them what you will. GB v Aus crowds 2 | Five By Five | Flickr GB v Aus crowds | Five By Five | Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 3 minutes ago, JohnM said: Here are the crowds at GB vs Aus games. Make of them what you will. GB v Aus crowds 2 | Five By Five | Flickr GB v Aus crowds | Five By Five | Flickr Crowds at the 80s and 90s games in England are probably a little lower than I’d expect test matches against the Aussies to draw now. But the game is definitely dying..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Crowds increased for GB v Australia matches when the game started to think big. The moment they began to be seen as big events played in large stadiums and major cities things changed. The old Wembley, Old Trafford and Elland Road combo was fantastic and this years proposed Ashes was getting back towards that. This has been proven time and again to be effective. Playing in small venues at Hull, Wigan etc is not and you get the results you deserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 10 minutes ago, Damien said: Crowds increased for GB v Australia matches when the game started to think big. The moment they began to be seen as big events played in large stadiums and major cities things changed. The old Wembley, Old Trafford and Elland Road combo was fantastic and this years proposed Ashes was getting back towards that. This has been proven time and again to be effective. Playing in small venues at Hull, Wigan etc is not and you get the results you deserve. Absolutely. Rugby League fans enjoy going to Rugby League games and the wider public enjoy going to events. Hold a match at Wigan or Bolton and you are only fishing in one pond. Hold a game at Wembley or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and you are appealing to much much wider audience. As you say. A proven formula. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian Fanatic Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Damien said: Crowds increased for GB v Australia matches when the game started to think big. The moment they began to be seen as big events played in large stadiums and major cities things changed. The old Wembley, Old Trafford and Elland Road combo was fantastic and this years proposed Ashes was getting back towards that. This has been proven time and again to be effective. Playing in small venues at Hull, Wigan etc is not and you get the results you deserve. Very similar to my thoughts. I've mentioned it a few times, but in every 3 match series there should be a game in London, one east of the Pennines and one West. In London there are now a few grounds we could look to use and in Manchester I'd happily swap Old Trafford for The Etihad. Yorkshire maybe offers less scope for change but crowds have been consistently good at Elland Road so the approach would still hold. We just need some consistency on getting the Aussies, New Zealanders and now Pacific Islanders over on a regular rotational basis and to implement it 100% League 0% Union Just because I don't know doesn't mean I don't understand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 15 minutes ago, Cumbrian Fanatic said: Very similar to my thoughts. I've mentioned it a few times, but in every 3 match series there should be a game in London, one east of the Pennines and one West. In London there are now a few grounds we could look to use and in Manchester I'd happily swap Old Trafford for The Etihad. Yorkshire maybe offers less scope for change but crowds have been consistently good at Elland Road so the approach would still hold. We just need some consistency on getting the Aussies, New Zealanders and now Pacific Islanders over on a regular rotational basis and to implement it Newcastle is a viable venue now as well, if you’d consider that to be East of the Pennines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian Fanatic Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Eddie said: Newcastle is a viable venue now as well, if you’d consider that to be East of the Pennines. I did think about putting Newcastle in that post but generally the crowds in Leeds have generally been good over the years and gives a good catchment area from north east, Hull, Sheffield and the East Midlands. Newcastle is certainly a viable option (and actually easier for me personally) so lets hope for a great crowd at the Samoa world cup game so it can become a more regular venue for internationals 100% League 0% Union Just because I don't know doesn't mean I don't understand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 November 1973. Wembley. Fewer than 10, 000 turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 31 minutes ago, Celt said: 4300 packed into Salford for this game v Italy in 2013. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/sport/amp/rugby-league/24565586 Imagine the pride the English lads must have felt running out before that crowd. The buzz must have been incredible. It wasn't enough though... 13th ranked Italy beat you with a late drop goal. Topic is GB vs Aus crowds. Presumably you are a GB rugby league fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 So why did you say Italy beat YOU, nor Italy beat US, as proper fans would. Any why the laughing smiley? You glad our country lost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Watt Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnM said: November 1973. Wembley. Fewer than 10, 000 turned out. Just over 10 years earlier I was at the first Ashes test played at Wembley. Game 1 played mid-week under lights before just under 14,000. We were hammered by the likes of Gasnier and Langlands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Frisky Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Celt said: I don't think anyone is stupid enough to think GB and England aren't the same thing. It is exactly the same players FFS. GB doesn't really exist anyway - it made a temporary comeback in humiliating circumstances last year, and will not resurface again. England, is the modern day GB. Still babbling on about this Kelt.... let it go lad. We are all part of the British Isles so be proud of the British isles 13. If you hate England so much maybe stick to a RL forum that only deals with Celtic nations.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 9 hours ago, Celt said: Because I am not English, and don't support them! But this is about GB v Aus. You ARE British, right? Answer yes or no. You are a rugby league fan,right? Answer yes or no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Frisky Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 35 minutes ago, JohnM said: But this is about GB v Aus. You ARE British, right? Answer yes or no. You are a rugby league fan,right? Answer yes or no. Dont think he is - every thing he posts is just a dig at England for some reason. Dont think we will see GB for a long time and GB playing in the UK ever again. For me the shirt is iconic but as the other nations in the British Isles haven't progressed it's probably not worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 My purpose in starting this topic was to show the crowd levels at GB v Aus games over the years. It wasn't meant provide an opportunity for anti-British sentiment from an anti-league troll . I was more concerned to show that these games were not always as popular as some thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigan Riversider Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 From memory GB v Australia crowds were at their best in the UK from 1986-1994. Granted I don't remember the 1970s or earlier. 1992 WC final at Wembley had 72000. Can't see anything similar happening again in all honesty. Crowds were not huge for the 1982 tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, Wigan Riversider said: From memory GB v Australia crowds were at their best in the UK from 1986-1994. Granted I don't remember the 1970s or earlier. 1992 WC final at Wembley had 72000. Can't see anything similar happening again in all honesty. Crowds were not huge for the 1982 tests. Well in the last world Cup here that crowd was beaten for the final involving Aus and NZ, and we got 67k for the semi versus NZ. That is at least similar. I expect the World Cup Final next year to sell out Old Trafford and some huge crowds for England games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigan Riversider Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, Dave T said: Well in the last world Cup here that crowd was beaten for the final involving Aus and NZ, and we got 67k for the semi versus NZ. That is at least similar. I expect the World Cup Final next year to sell out Old Trafford and some huge crowds for England games. Fair points indeed Perhaps there will be massive crowds when the pandemic restrictions are lifted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 My original post should have taken us to images from my Rothmans from 1990 so won't show crowds after then. In the golden years when 17 million squeezed into Odsal for the cup final replay, these were the GB vs Aus attendances 1952: Leeds/ Bradford/Swinton approx 31k at each 1954: In Australia, 65k/46k, 67k 1956: in UK, 22k/23k/17k ......................................... 1982: Hull/Wigan/Leeds: 26k/23k/17k 1984: Australia 30k/26k/18k 1986: UK, Old Trafford 50k, Elland Road 31k, Central Park 20k 1990; UK , Wembley 50k, Old Trafford 46k, Elland Road 32K 1966 and 1990 really was a golden year when so many of us thought we were in with a chance of winning the series. These were the days of star Aussies guesting over here, Mo at the peak of his powers, and no doubt other factors. Clearly, to me at least, Aussie intertest in playing GB was high but waning, possibly because of lack of competitiveness. Just wishing and hoping that the World Cup might just revive interest in fans to support the international game, something they dont seem to have done recently. Look, too, at the stadiums used. Wembley, Old Trafford and Elland Rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Frisky Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 3 hours ago, Wigan Riversider said: From memory GB v Australia crowds were at their best in the UK from 1986-1994. Granted I don't remember the 1970s or earlier. 1992 WC final at Wembley had 72000. Can't see anything similar happening again in all honesty. Crowds were not huge for the 1982 tests. Didnt the 2013 final crowd at OT beat that crowd? We even got about 63,000 for the Wembley Semi final that year - ok that was for England but basically the same fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep The Faith Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 24 minutes ago, JohnM said: My original post should have taken us to images from my Rothmans from 1990 so won't show crowds after then. In the golden years when 17 million squeezed into Odsal for the cup final replay, these were the GB vs Aus attendances 1952: Leeds/ Bradford/Swinton approx 31k at each 1954: In Australia, 65k/46k, 67k 1956: in UK, 22k/23k/17k ......................................... 1982: Hull/Wigan/Leeds: 26k/23k/17k 1984: Australia 30k/26k/18k 1986: UK, Old Trafford 50k, Elland Road 31k, Central Park 20k 1990; UK , Wembley 50k, Old Trafford 46k, Elland Road 32K 1966 and 1990 really was a golden year when so many of us thought we were in with a chance of winning the series. These were the days of star Aussies guesting over here, Mo at the peak of his powers, and no doubt other factors. Clearly, to me at least, Aussie intertest in playing GB was high but waning, possibly because of lack of competitiveness. Just wishing and hoping that the World Cup might just revive interest in fans to support the international game, something they dont seem to have done recently. Look, too, at the stadiums used. Wembley, Old Trafford and Elland Rd. Interest in international rl in the uk doesn’t help when we haven’t played a home test since 2018... wales vs England - 1992 10k in Swansea 95 & 96 both over 5k in Cardiff we then didn’t play wales until 2001 in Wrexham which got 6k We need to play home test too as well as the Aussies & kiwis etc http://tombatley.wordpress.com/ Give it a read.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 Quite so, but its crowds at GB ( or currently- England) vs Australia that are my indictors of the health of our game; There was general excitement in the population around the period 1986 to around 1992 and its starting to look like the World Cup is going to generate the same, not with fingers crossed but with confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Stottle Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 17 hours ago, Celt said: I don't think anyone is stupid enough to think GB and England aren't the same thing. It is exactly the same players FFS. GB doesn't really exist anyway - it made a temporary comeback in humiliating circumstances last year, and will not resurface again. England, is the modern day GB. GB is still scheduled to tour Aus, I have yet to see that retracted, you most obviously have done with that statement, please direct me to it? I love to go on these tours and was looking forward to the next one, wearing that iconic shirt, the locals don't make any judgement on the name of the team that comes from these isles be it GB or England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M j M Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 2 hours ago, JohnM said: Quite so, but its crowds at GB ( or currently- England) vs Australia that are my indictors of the health of our game; There was general excitement in the population around the period 1986 to around 1992 You need to extend that to '94 at least given that series was the record attendance for a test series. Even in '97 after all we'd learned from the WCC the test series crowds were robust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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