Cup final tickets

[meast]

£54 for a cup final ticket, well, it's a cup final double header, so in reality that's £27 for a cup final, at the national stadium, when we've not been able to attend games for over 14 months.

Is that really too expensive? have RL fans really become that used to cheap tickets that they now believe £54 to watch  TWO cup finals is too expensive or extortionate?

I suppose you could be a football fan and pay £750 for one game at Wembley next week?

Really???

[meast]

14 hours ago, Spidey said:

And there lies the problem in RL people won’t pay more than £25 for a final. 

And then sit at home moaning that the empty seats look awful and is embarrassing for the sport etc

 

RL fans eh?

[meast]

13 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

And I never said I wouldn't pay more than £25....i said I wouldn't pay £54

My price point for jacking it off I'd say was about late £30s

It's £27 for each game though........but you'd be happy to pay £30 but not £27??

[Dave T]

Just now, meast said:

£54 for a cup final ticket, well, it's a cup final double header, so in reality that's £27 for a cup final, at the national stadium, when we've not been able to attend games for over 14 months.

Is that really too expensive? have RL fans really become that used to cheap tickets that they now believe £54 to watch  TWO cup finals is too expensive or extortionate?

I suppose you could be a football fan and pay £750 for one game at Wembley next week?

Really???

It's about your market. Some people would never consider paying £55 for a sporting event, so it matters not a jot what football charges. 

We can mock and deride people for being cheapskates, but some people literally can't afford to pay £165 for a family of four for sport, particularly for tickets that normally cost £60 for the family. 

As a sport that has built its fambase up for decades on being reasonably priced, to then set the price at one of your highest price points does alienate plenty of your fambase. 

Of course I understand why the RFL is in a tricky spot and has to balance the books, but we shouldn't be surprised if fans don't go because their tickets have been put up by 150%.

But it is funny times we are in and I expect they will get the 40k plus and the event will be a success so I suppose for this year some fans will have to suck it up. 

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, meast said:

It's £27 for each game though........but you'd be happy to pay £30 but not £27??

That's not how tickets work though. 

[The Frying Scotsman]

14 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I want to go and COULD pay but I'm not going to pay twice what I normally do

So you think you should get onto the Cup Final - one of the sport's marquee games - for about 26 quid??? 

Some Rugby League "fans" are utterly detached from reality. 

Up on Scotland 26 quid would get you a regular seat at an SPFL league game like Hibs v Ross County or whatever.

It's 2021 not 1997. 

[meast]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It's about your market. Some people would never consider paying £55 for a sporting event, so it matters not a jot what football charges. 

We can mock and deride people for being cheapskates, but some people literally can't afford to pay £165 for a family of four for sport, particularly for tickets that normally cost £60 for the family. 

As a sport that has built its fambase up for decades on being reasonably priced, to then set the price at one of your highest price points does alienate plenty of your fambase. 

Of course I understand why the RFL is in a tricky spot and has to balance the books, but we shouldn't be surprised if fans don't go because their tickets have been put up by 150%.

But it is funny times we are in and I expect they will get the 40k plus and the event will be a success so I suppose for this year some fans will have to suck it up. 

I totally understand that some people can't afford it, that's fine, if you can't afford it then you can't go, but don't just moan about it.

After everything that's happened this past 12-16 months, is it really that harmful to pay that little bit extra to cover costs?

And it is only £27 a game, you could pay that at Warrington or Hull for a league game.

If I can't afford a weekend away to Germany like I usually do twice a year, or a weekend in Perpignan because it's too expensive then that's life, I just don't go.

 

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, The Frying Scotsman said:

So you think you should get onto the Cup Final - one of the sport's marquee games - for about 26 quid??? 

Some Rugby League "fans" are utterly detached from reality. 

Up on Scotland 26 quid would get you a regular seat at an SPFL league game like Hibs v Ross County or whatever.

It's 2021 not 1997. 

That's the price though. 2019 (last publicly available final tickets) saw prices start at £20.

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, meast said:

£54 for a cup final ticket, well, it's a cup final double header, so in reality that's £27 for a cup final, at the national stadium, when we've not been able to attend games for over 14 months.

Is that really too expensive? have RL fans really become that used to cheap tickets that they now believe £54 to watch  TWO cup finals is too expensive or extortionate?

I suppose you could be a football fan and pay £750 for one game at Wembley next week?

Really???

Hopefully people have now learned their lesson and buy early and receive the best offers the next time. This locks in sales and builds sales for the final regardless of who gets there.

At the end of the day this is one of the RFL's primary revenue sources and they have to maximise their revenue. Our 2 premium events have been too cheap for too long in my opinion. I don't think adding a fiver to tickets would particularly affect ticket sales but it adds a lot to the coffers for the RFL. They aren't even too dissimilar from Challenge Cup final prices from 30 years ago after .

I have long criticised them for their cheap last minute deals, which encourage poor buyer behaviour, and behaviour that is completely at odds with what the RFL should want. Now thankfully they seem to be changing that.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, meast said:

I totally understand that some people can't afford it, that's fine, if you can't afford it then you can't go, but don't just moan about it.

After everything that's happened this past 12-16 months, is it really that harmful to pay that little bit extra to cover costs?

And it is only £27 a game, you could pay that at Warrington or Hull for a league game.

If I can't afford a weekend away to Germany like I usually do twice a year, or a weekend in Perpignan because it's too expensive then that's life, I just don't go.

 

It isn't £27 a game - you don't get the choice to pay for 1 game. 

People have the right to complain that tickets that normally have a price of £50 are now £160. Of course the RFL has the right to ignore those complaints. 

[meast]

But Dave, if you're a fan of rugby league, which presumable most people who buy cup final tickets are, why wouldn't you want to watch both games for £27 each?

If you only want to watch one game then that's your choice, but the ticket allows for 2 games, I'm sure York and Featherstone fans won't begrudge paying it, it might be the only time they'll see their teams at Wembley (even though Fev were there in '83) .

It is what it is, if you can't afford it then tough, I can't afford an Aston Martin but that's life.

Your example isn't really a true reflection

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It isn't £27 a game - you don't get the choice to pay for 1 game. 

People have the right to complain that tickets that normally have a price of £50 are now £160. Of course the RFL has the right to ignore those complaints. 

But tickets are only costing that now, they weren't only a few weeks ago. I'm guessing supply and demand comes into that and expect the RFL are pricing accordingly and don't need to do cheap, crazy offers. Your logic is akin to complaining of an EasyJet flight now costing £300 when 6 weeks ago it was £80.

[Dave T]

Just now, meast said:

But Dave, if you're a fan of rugby league, which presumable most people who buy cup final tickets are, why wouldn't you want to watch both games for £27 each?

If you only want to watch one game then that's your choice, but the ticket allows for 2 games, I'm sure York and Featherstone fans won't begrudge paying it, it might be the only time they'll see their teams at Wembley (even though Fev were there in '83) .

It is what it is, if you can't afford it then tough, I can't afford an Aston Martin but that's life.

Your example isn't really a true reflection

The ticket is £55 for two games. 

Last time the tickets were on sale that ticket was £20 for two games. 

It's simple, people have the right to be peeved at that, no matter how many people want to be angry at poor people. 

As I say though, the RFL have the right to charge what they want. 

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The ticket is £55 for two games. 

Last time the tickets were on sale that ticket was £20 for two games. 

It's simple, people have the right to be peeved at that, no matter how many people want to be angry at poor people. 

As I say though, the RFL have the right to charge what they want. 

That's very poor Dave and I cant believe you've wrote it. Its far from the truth and what has been said so far.

[Dave T]

Just now, Damien said:

But tickets are only costing that now, they weren't only a few weeks ago. I'm guessing supply and demand comes into that and expect the RFL are pricing accordingly and don't need to do cheap, crazy offers. Your logic is akin to complaining of an EasyJet flight now costing £300 when 6 weeks ago it was £80.

My comparison is versus pre-covid ticket prices. You could get £20 tickets once clubs were known. 

The Club Wembley tickets are great value at £55, that's what I paid two years ago. The upper tier cheap seats being sold at £55 less so. 

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

My comparison is versus pre-covid ticket prices. You could get £20 tickets once clubs were known. 

The Club Wembley tickets are great value at £55, that's what I paid two years ago. The upper tier cheap seats being sold at £55 less so. 

There were cheap tickets available. People could have bought cheap tickets. Now because they didn't buy the said cheap tickets people are moaning that they aren't available. That is no one elses fault but the people that didn't buy them.

[Dave T]

Just now, Damien said:

That's very poor Dave and I cant believe you've wrote it. Its far from the truth and what has been said so far.

People mock people for being cheapskates all the time on these threads. Often the people complaining are the ones who can't afford the higher prices. 

It's weird to not see that people can afford the normal price of £20 but not this price of £55.

Yet we still see comments about "those complaining are what is wrong with RL". 

[shaun mc]

The RFL have the right to charge what they want - that might be £150 to provide some cashflow, but that ain't going to sell the place out

They are the victims this year of their own poor marketing in previous years when they tried to almost make every ticket £20 except the fans who bought them every year at say £40 without waiting for offers

When I tell friends who watch football, cricket and other sports that I've paid £40 to £50 for a Club Wembley seat in the last three years, they say thats brilliant value. It is IMO, but its not for everyone though

The RLWC 2021 has been more imaginative with ticket pricing and promotions. Lets hope this carries on with the CC Final in future years

 

[Dave T]

Just now, Damien said:

There were cheap tickets available. People could have bought cheap tickets. Now because they didn't buy the said cheap tickets people are moaning that they aren't available.

If you don't want to do like for like comparisons, that's cool. 

In 2019 (and every other year) when Wire got to the final, it was possible for a fan to get a ticket for £20 or so. This year, a Cas or Saints fan in exactly the same situation has to pay £55.

If it sells out at 45k, the RFL have done the right thing, if not, perhaps not. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

People mock people for being cheapskates all the time on these threads. Often the people complaining are the ones who can't afford the higher prices. 

It's weird to not see that people can afford the normal price of £20 but not this price of £55.

Yet we still see comments about "those complaining are what is wrong with RL". 

There were cheap tickets available. Up until a few weeks ago you could certainly get them for £25. If you'd have bought early you could have got them for £15 and £3.75 for u16s, which is pretty incredible value:

A special Early Bird offer ahead of Black Friday has 25% off all tickets and prices – which start for a limited period only from £15 for adults and £3.75 for Under-16s.

https://www.rugby-league.com/article/57418/tickets-on-sale-for--challenge-cup-final-day

You seem to be ignoring these facts to have an argument. People didn't take advantage of all the various offers, and I know I got plenty of email offers this year, and that is entirely their fault. No one is being priced out and RL is still as cheap as it gets to watch a high quality, premium event. No one is being priced out.

[JonM]

18 hours ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

This is true I'm sure for many.  Four of us have attended every Challenge Cup Final for many many years but didn't ever consider going this year.  This was even before the finalist put the final nail in the coffin.

Me & one of my sons have gone every year since Wembley re-opened in 2007. Bought the usual 2 tickets back in 2019. Having had his first jab last week, he's pretty nervous about the tube and sitting with a bunch of random strangers shouting for a few hours, even outside, so I may well end up going alone.

The fact that thousands of Scotland fans went home with Covid isn't helping reassure people that it's going to be safe.

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, Damien said:

There were cheap tickets available. Up until a few weeks ago you could certainly get them for £25. If you'd have bought early you could have got them for £15 and £3.75 for u16s, which is pretty incredible value:

A special Early Bird offer ahead of Black Friday has 25% off all tickets and prices – which start for a limited period only from £15 for adults and £3.75 for Under-16s.

https://www.rugby-league.com/article/57418/tickets-on-sale-for--challenge-cup-final-day

You seem to be ignoring these facts to have an argument. People didn't take advantage of all the various offers, and I know I got plenty of email offers this year, and that is entirely their fault. No one is being priced out and RL is still as cheap as it gets to watch a high quality, premium event. No one is being priced out.

As i say, if you don't want to compare like-for like that's cool. 

You are trying to enforce behaviours on people. Plenty people have no desire to pay to go to London to watch neutral games. 

After the semi finals, club fans can always get a range of tickets that caters for the different levels of affluence in the fanbase. This year the RFL have changed that and made it more expensive. That is a simple fact. 

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, JonM said:

Me & one of my sons have gone every year since Wembley re-opened in 2007. Bought the usual 2 tickets back in 2019. Having had his first jab last week, he's pretty nervous about the tube and sitting with a bunch of random strangers shouting for a few hours, even outside, so I may well end up going alone.

The fact that thousands of Scotland fans went home with Covid isn't helping reassure people that it's going to be safe.

The England game on TV last week with a similar crowd put me off attending an event like this tbh, although I expect the cup final won't be as lively as that. 

[shaun mc]

Just skim read 9 pages of posts (129) on the Cas Fans Forum - only 1 negative comment on the pricing of tickets on 29th June, and that comment wasn't about the price they paid, but that they may be allocated a seat in the previous £20/£30 area that is now priced higher than that

 

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, Dave T said:

As i say, if you don't want to compare like-for like that's cool. 

You are trying to enforce behaviours on people. Plenty people have no desire to pay to go to London to watch neutral games. 

After the semi finals, club fans can always get a range of tickets that caters for the different levels of affluence in the fanbase. This year the RFL have changed that and made it more expensive. That is a simple fact. 

I am not trying to do anything.

Please stop the strawman arguments to argue nonsense points about people persecuting poor people, which hasn't happened, and is absolutely nothing to do with this thread or what people have said.

If the RFL maximise revenue and get a sellout, or close to a sellout, they will have done a damn fine job in my opinion and shown a lot more guts than I would have expected from them. 35,000 with a good percentage of the sales at £55 is a damn site better than 40,000 with a good percentage of the sales at £20. It is exactly what the RFL should do. On the one hand people moan about no money being in the game but when the game, i.e the RFL, try to generate revenue people still moan. Well people cant have it both ways.