Challenge Cup final 2022

[Southerner]

I’ve been to both a packed out Wembley and new spurs stadium and there’s no competition, the spurs stadium is a far better experience. 

[Tommygilf]

16 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Oh fair enough if that was the case, didn’t realise that. 

Yeah I think that figure massaged earlier finals attendances, hence the near 10k drop off for no apparent reason.

[ShropshireBull]

1 hour ago, Chris22 said:

Torn about this. I like the prestige of Wembley but it is far too big for us. A prestigious final should not be in a half or 66% full stadium.

I know our hand has been forced but think this is worth a test run anyway. If Tottenham is more suitable, then maybe we can look there longer term.

If we stay at Wembley, we need a big push for bigger crowds.

I don´t want the CC away from Wembley unless it´s a stadium of a similar size , Millenium Stadium again for example but for a year. A full house on TV will look great for the game and then use the world cup bounce to smash the tickets for 2023. 

[Man of Kent]

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Wembley and the Challenge Cup.

[Eddie]

19 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Wembley and the Challenge Cup.

Classic TRL comment that

[Wellsy4HullFC]

We've won at Wembley now (twice ) so it doesn't matter to me!

New stadium to visit. I'm good with this.

[17 stone giant]

24 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Wembley and the Challenge Cup.

Are you thinking that it will move permanently to the Spurs Stadium, or that it will perhaps rotate between several major stadiums? (Spurs, Arsenal, Cardiff, Newcastle, Manchester, etc.)

[FearTheVee]

I think for a match that is dependent upon neutral support to fill the stadium, moving around "showpiece" stadiums makes sense.  Maybe we should have Wembley every other year?

I completely understand the argument for sticking with Wembley though.

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

Are you thinking that it will move permanently to the Spurs Stadium, or that it will perhaps rotate between several major stadiums? (Spurs, Arsenal, Cardiff, Newcastle, Manchester, etc.)

Well, what is the rationale for this switch, to Spurs and to May?

Is it merely for financial expediency due to the cancelled Ashes tour? Or did that come under force majeure - ie a global pandemic - so there isn't a financial penalty? Is it about playing the final in May? Or is it about the RFL admitting that Wembley is too big and is testing the waters? 

[Damien]

29 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

I don´t want the CC away from Wembley unless it´s a stadium of a similar size , Millenium Stadium again for example but for a year. A full house on TV will look great for the game and then use the world cup bounce to smash the tickets for 2023. 

There's no stadium of a similar size to Wembley. Twickenham is the next closest but is nearly 10k less and would be unpopular. Old Trafford is then next at 75k. The likes of Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield are next but aren't greatly bigger than Tottenham. Tottenham is actually the 6th biggest in the UK so isn't a bad choice with Wembley unavailable. I do think it's important to keep the event in London, with the lack of RL events there generally. 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Well, what is the rationale for this switch, to Spurs and to May?

May is because the powers that be in rugby league are obsessed with nostalgia and have a vague thought that crowds were better 'back in the day' when the final was in May.

We're off to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because the FA have clearly already booked up every weekend that the RFL might have wanted to use.

[Leyther_Matt]

9 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

We've won at Wembley now (twice ) so it doesn't matter to me!

In a similar vein, I've been waiting a lifetime to see Leigh at Wembley, so stick your house on Leigh getting to one (sod it, both!) of the finals at Spurs.

I hurriedly booked all manner of combination of hotels so that CC/1895 can be combined with the play off finals at Wembley. And then discovered the League One final is the week before for whatever reason (so ironically Wembley won't actually be in use on Challenge Cup Final day) so then ended up cancelling a load of them and reserving for two consecutive weeks instead.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Damien said:

There's no stadium of a similar size to Wembley. Twickenham is the next closest but is nearly 10k less and would be unpopular. Old Trafford is then next at 75k. The likes of Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield are next but aren't greatly bigger than Tottenham. Tottenham is actually the 6th biggest in the UK so isn't a bad choice with Wembley unavailable. I do think it's important to keep the event in London, with the lack of RL events there generally. 

The Millennium Stadium got us around 72k for finals and it does benefit from being right in the city centre. The views and atmosphere are so much better than Wembley it's almost unbelievable that Wembley is the newer stadium.

[JonM]

Just now, Man of Kent said:

Well, what is the rationale for this switch, to Spurs and to May?

Be interesting to hear (if we ever do). I suspect it's just down to the lack of a suitable date when Wembley is available in May.

The original contract with the FA (which expired 3-4 years back) stipulated that we could have one event per year at Wembley at a certain price. It's not in the public domain whether the new contract has similar terms, but if it did, perhaps the implication is that Wembley might be used for a world cup game instead?

Be interesting to know how much Spurs are charging. Wembley is £750K for all tiers open - that's peanuts for Spurs, so I think it's a nice gesture by them to rent the stadium to the RFL for a game.

[ShropshireBull]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

There's no stadium of a similar size to Wembley. Twickenham is the next closest but is nearly 10k less and would be unpopular. Old Trafford is then next at 75k. The likes of Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield are next but aren't greatly bigger than Tottenham. Tottenham is actually the 6th biggest in the UK so isn't a bad choice with Wembley unavailable. I do think it's important to keep the event in London, with the lack of RL events there generally. 

Millenium holds 12,000 more which is significantly bigger but it´s a moot point as we´ll be back at Wembley in 2023. We need to be getting 70 at the next Wembley one. 

[JonM]

5 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

In a similar vein, I've been waiting a lifetime to see Leigh at Wembley, so stick your house on Leigh getting to one (sod it, both!) of the finals at Spurs.

LOL - my first thought on opening the RFL email was that we'd have a Swinton v Oldham final this year, as they famously missed out

Edited August 12, 2021 by JonM

[17 stone giant]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The Millennium Stadium got us around 72k for finals and it does benefit from being right in the city centre. The views and atmosphere are so much better than Wembley it's almost unbelievable that Wembley is the newer stadium.

I've only been to the Millennium Stadium once, and that was with the roof open. I'd love to go again with the roof closed. I can't understand why they didn't build Wembley with a fully closable roof. They could still have built an arch nearby or something, if it was that essential to have one.

[17 stone giant]

15 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

May is because the powers that be in rugby league are obsessed with nostalgia and have a vague thought that crowds were better 'back in the day' when the final was in May.

How did they fit it in at Wembley back in the day? Was it because there were less football matches at Wembley back then? Perhaps no play-off finals etc.?

[Leyther_Matt]

7 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I've only been to the Millennium Stadium once, and that was with the roof open. I'd love to go again with the roof closed. I can't understand why they didn't build Wembley with a fully closable roof. They could still have built an arch nearby or something, if it was that essential to have one.

I've done it with both and from memory it didn't make too much difference really other than obviously remaining dry. Certainly don't expect it to be any warmer as I recall there being a hell of a draught!

3 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

How did they fit it in at Wembley back in the day? Was it because there were less football matches at Wembley back then? Perhaps no play-off finals etc.?

Play-offs at Wembley since the late 80s and they always hosted the FA Trophy/FA Vase finals so the only addition would be the Women's FA Cup Final and I suppose more of an attitude of protecting the pitch these days along with a few days grace to 'dress' the stadium for marketing etc.

[EssexRL]

I will be able to get the 444 bus for the CC Final - the same one I get to watch Skolars! (I appreciate this is not the most thoughtful post ever but having the CC a 20min bus ride away is cool!)

Edited August 12, 2021 by EssexRL

[Eddie]

17 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I've only been to the Millennium Stadium once, and that was with the roof open. I'd love to go again with the roof closed. I can't understand why they didn't build Wembley with a fully closable roof. They could still have built an arch nearby or something, if it was that essential to have one.

The Norwich v Birmingham play off final in 2002 was iirc the first time they’d had the roof closed and you could barely hear yourself think, absolutely superb experience. When we went again to Wembley v Boro while the crowd was larger and well up for it the atmosphere was nowhere near as good in that dull bowl. 

[DimmestStar]

46 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

We've won at Wembley now (twice ) so it doesn't matter to me!

New stadium to visit. I'm good with this.

You never won at the Empire Stadium though.

[fieldofclothofgold]

I dont know wether it's just me but I've never been able to get used to the New Wembley . The atmosphere to seems lacking 

[Man of Kent]

36 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

May is because the powers that be in rugby league are obsessed with nostalgia and have a vague thought that crowds were better 'back in the day' when the final was in May.

We're off to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because the FA have clearly already booked up every weekend that the RFL might have wanted to use.

Would that be the case every May?

[gingerjon]

Just now, Man of Kent said:

Would that be the case every May?

Not sure.

When the final was in May before it was the very first weekend so occasionally would have a late April date. When they carried that on in SL it meant that opening rounds were basically pre season (and, for summer amateurs, completely off season). I suspect the late May date is designed to offer a 'best of both worlds' solution.

I know we were being flippant looking over the dates as FA/EFL matches for May were announced but that is always going to be an issue.

To an extent, like you, I think this is the start of the unmooring of the Challenge Cup from Wembley. Unlike you, I don't think that's planned. I think circumstances we react to will make it happen rather than our own planning.