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Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)


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4 hours ago, Big Picture said:

They might have a to hit a certain ticket revenue target to get the full amount for example, or they might have been given the money on the basis that this will be a major world class sporting event with the tickets priced accordingly (though they're only just in the ballpark compared to the prices which other such events charge).  Those are only two possible reasons why they can't lower the prices.

And as you can read here, Jon Dutton did reveal that the 25 million £ was given on the basis of discussions revolving around their target of getting 750,000 spectators and the government is pressuring them to "do all the right things".  Having the tickets priced at the level of major world class sporting events could well be one of those things in the government's eyes.

I'd be very surprised if the government are insisting on high prices for the world cup. There wouldn't appear to be any reason for them to do so. 

Their targets will be about reach,  which will be reduced with high prices. 

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38 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Where there might be any kind of point to it - and it's too wrapped up in the usual nonsense of putting the £ sign in the wrong place and deciding that the reason rugby league can't be popular in the UK is because Leeds is too small - is that there may have been an element that "we're giving you X million and this will be X % of your overall income". It is possible, though how likely I don't know, that some portion of that X million may be held back until it can be shown that RL itself has raised enough of its own income (or generated enough local benefits, or some other metric).

I know you are just spitballing here,  but the logic doesn't really follow on any kind of price requirement from the Government.  They are underwriting many costs and investing in the legacy project.  As long as they are delivered,  they will be less bothered about whether the RFL and IRL make their Commercial income. 

High prices makes it less likely that the sport will have the reach they have told the government they will.  Ticket sales numbers are likely to be interesting to the government. 

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5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I'd be very surprised if the government are insisting on high prices for the world cup. There wouldn't appear to be any reason for them to do so. 

Their targets will be about reach,  which will be reduced with high prices. 

The only possible target I can see, and I still don't think it's the case, would be bums on seats to justify funding based on economic benefits that may have been promised, through associated spend in pubs, shops, hotels etc, to an area. As I said I don't see that either though because if its was a key, important target then tickets wouldn't have been set at the price they were.

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13 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I know you are just spitballing here,  but the logic doesn't really follow on any kind of price requirement from the Government.  They are underwriting many costs and investing in the legacy project.  As long as they are delivered,  they will be less bothered about whether the RFL and IRL make their Commercial income. 

High prices makes it less likely that the sport will have the reach they have told the government they will.  Ticket sales numbers are likely to be interesting to the government. 

Like I was saying, literally the only way I think it can matter to the government is on a percentage of income thing and I really doubt that's an issue.

As you say, they will care far more about attendance numbers and activity than pretty much anything else.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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16 minutes ago, Damien said:

The only possible target I can see, and I still don't think it's the case, would be bums on seats to justify funding based on economic benefits that may have been promised, through associated spend in pubs, shops, hotels etc, to an area. As I said I don't see that either though because if its was a key, important target then tickets wouldn't have been set at the price they were.

I think there will be an expectation on how many people attend,  watch,  are affected by the legacy projects,  and I expect that's the bit of pressure that they will be getting.  

I think the high prices was misguided arrogance. I really worry about the TV coverage for some games where tickets facing the cameras are £70 to £110 each. 

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4 hours ago, Damien said:

Why would the Government want that and why would it be embarrassing? There has been zero indication that either is the case and you are creating nothing but strawman arguments in your posts on this.

Because governments often like to get a lot of political mileage out of their projects and announcements, and the less their share of the costs for such things the more political mileage they get for their money and the better they generally like it.  In view of the negative perception of RL in certain quarters of British society, they might cop a lot of political flack if they've invested more money than the sum of the ticket sales.

3 hours ago, Dave T said:

I'd be very surprised if the government are insisting on high prices for the world cup. There wouldn't appear to be any reason for them to do so. 

Their targets will be about reach,  which will be reduced with high prices. 

They aren't high prices though, not in comparison to similar events in other sports.  Compared to those prices they're not high at all.

The government wouldn't necessarily have insisted on specific prices, but in the event that expect or require that their support won't exceed a certain % of other revenues, then the organizers have to reach the requisite targets and for that they'd need to reach their sales targets at the sort of prices they've set.  Dividing 25 million £ by the total attendance of the biggest RL World Cup to date (2013) gives an average of just over 54.50 £.

And FYI @gingerjonthat pound sign is in the right place.  In speech units invariably come after the amount of those units, e.g. 25 million pounds, so I'm simply putting the pound sign where it belongs.

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14 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Because governments often like to get a lot of political mileage out of their projects and announcements, and the less their share of the costs for such things the more political mileage they get for their money and the better they generally like it.  In view of the negative perception of RL in certain quarters of British society, they might cop a lot of political flack if they've invested more money than the sum of the ticket sales.

They aren't high prices though, not in comparison to similar events in other sports.  Compared to those prices they're not high at all.

The government wouldn't necessarily have insisted on specific prices, but in the event that expect or require that their support won't exceed a certain % of other revenues, then the organizers have to reach the requisite targets and for that they'd need to reach their sales targets at the sort of prices they've set.  Dividing 25 million £ by the total attendance of the biggest RL World Cup to date (2013) gives an average of just over 54.50 £.

And FYI @gingerjonthat pound sign is in the right place.  In speech units invariably come after the amount of those units, e.g. 25 million pounds, so I'm simply putting the pound sign where it belongs.

You are always comparing to other sports,  or other countries,  and tbh it is nonsense. 

The price of the RUWC semi final is irrelevant to the price of the RLWC semi final. £110 is expensive. You are just ignoring all context. 

The women's euros (a similar sized tournament staged in the UK this year)  had their top price tickets at £50.

Your para on the £54 point is completely irrelevant.  Their investment is not just about spectators, if it was,  they wouldn't be investing in infrastructure.  Crowds for a tournament are probably relatively low. On the government's required outcomes -  the bigger picture here is inspiring people to participate in sports and the positive outcomes that come with that. 

There is no reason for a criteria to be % investment. 

Edited by Dave T
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It's obvious the organisers are trying to create a sense of urgency and that they are using some creative wording to do that. That makes some of the press releases essentially meaningless for the crowd-counting anoraks on here (that includes me btw) but I think that it is the right thing to be doing.

Moreover they are clearly reducing prices but they are doing so in a way which doesn't yet resemble a fire sale in the customary way, so I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt there too.

I've got tickets for 4 games now btw.

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I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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3 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

It's obvious the organisers are trying to create a sense of urgency and that they are using some creative wording to do that. That makes some of the press releases essentially meaningless for the crowd-counting anoraks on here (that includes me btw) but I think that it is the right thing to be doing.

Moreover they are clearly reducing prices but they are doing so in a way which doesn't yet resemble a fire sale in the customary way, so I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt there too.

I've got tickets for 4 games now btw.

You've probably noticed that they have tried to address the "wait for a Groupon"  crowd to by explicitly saying they won't discount and that people will have paid the same amount to sit in the same blocks. 

They should be commended for that. 

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3 hours ago, Dave T said:

You are always comparing to other sports,  or other countries,  and tbh it is nonsense. 

The price of the RUWC semi final is irrelevant to the price of the RLWC semi final. £110 is expensive. You are just ignoring all context. 

The women's euros (a similar sized tournament staged in the UK this year)  had their top price tickets at £50.

Your para on the £54 point is completely irrelevant.  Their investment is not just about spectators, if it was,  they wouldn't be investing in infrastructure.  Crowds for a tournament are probably relatively low. On the government's required outcomes -  the bigger picture here is inspiring people to participate in sports and the positive outcomes that come with that. 

There is no reason for a criteria to be % investment. 

Of course I'm comparing to other sports, because this a World Cup you know, and World Cups are supposed to be big things, not small things.  Many TotalRLers want to see the International game make a big impression on the public, how can it do that if the World Cup comes across to them as something much less than what they presume a World Cup is?

I'm not surprised that the prices for the women's Euros were lower, in the first place a continental championship is by definition smaller than a World Cup and in the second place women's sports don't get the same interest men's sports get.  Therefore I'd fully expect their prices to be lower than a World Cup's prices.

The organizers need to hit their targets and at those prices which you think are too high, because otherwise they'll be in the highly embarrassing position of having the government as their biggest source of revenue and maybe the even more embarrassing position of having more than half their revenue come from the government.  Just what sort of message would that give Sky about the game's value which they gave it two years to prove or else?

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1 hour ago, Big Picture said:

Of course I'm comparing to other sports, because this a World Cup you know, and World Cups are supposed to be big things, not small things.  Many TotalRLers want to see the International game make a big impression on the public, how can it do that if the World Cup comes across to them as something much less than what they presume a World Cup is?

I'm not surprised that the prices for the women's Euros were lower, in the first place a continental championship is by definition smaller than a World Cup and in the second place women's sports don't get the same interest men's sports get.  Therefore I'd fully expect their prices to be lower than a World Cup's prices.

The organizers need to hit their targets and at those prices which you think are too high, because otherwise they'll be in the highly embarrassing position of having the government as their biggest source of revenue and maybe the even more embarrassing position of having more than half their revenue come from the government.  Just what sort of message would that give Sky about the game's value which they gave it two years to prove or else?

Very,  very little of the above makes any sense. 

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Just now, Jughead said:

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Scotland’s shirts. The navy one looks good. Will be interesting to see how the shorts work with them both. 

They tend to go with tartan shlrts,  I wouldn't be surprised if the shorts are like the bottom of the shirts. 

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I’m so looking forward to this that when I think World Cup I’m thinking of our World Cup . The other one I’ve honestly barely thought of . I think part of that maybe the literally off the scale bonkers timing due to it being bought , sorry awarded on merit , by Qatar 

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There was nothing in the RLWC2021 bid document that required the organisers to generate a certain amount of ticket sales revenue in order to qualify for the full amount of Government investment. 

The requirements were all based upon reach and exposure of the tour, volumes of travelling fans, community investment, etc. Now maybe that changed when the government handed out more money late last year, though I'd be surprised. 

Generally governments are more concerned around how much economic activity you generate around an event and couldn't care less if you sell tickets for GBP 1 or 100 so long as people spend in the town, in the ground and on their way to and from.

On pricing, the fact Cat Ds and Es are selling out quickly, whilst arguably the best seats on the halfway line are not, does indicate some pricing issues.  I'm sure this drove the recategorisation at many venues, which is like discounting, but allows the organisers to save face and continue to say there will be no last minute discounts. 

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PACIFIQUE TREIZE: Join the team by registering as a fan today at pacifique13.com

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19 hours ago, Dave T said:

You've probably noticed that they have tried to address the "wait for a Groupon"  crowd to by explicitly saying they won't discount and that people will have paid the same amount to sit in the same blocks. 

They should be commended for that. 

I'm 99.9% sure there will be Groupons popping up soon. 

I'm pretty certain no one has bought the Cat A tickets for any of the games bar maybe the England games.

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2 minutes ago, Mattrhino said:

I'm 99.9% sure there will be Groupons popping up soon. 

I'm pretty certain no one has bought the Cat A tickets for any of the games bar maybe the England games.

The fact Dutton keeps explicitly saying they won't suggests a different approach. 

I'm hoping that many of these tickets will be used for corporates -  in effect showing good value for them as they get grade A tickets included. 

And if that isn't the case,  I think they need to get creative and offer these tickets discounted or free but behind the scenes I. E.  Through schools and community groups. 

The big challenge is that the prominent seats are the expensive ones in every ground. There are a lot to offload. 

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9 minutes ago, Mattrhino said:

Just noticed they have all but eliminated all the CAT A seats for the Headingley games.

I think your hypothesis that they have sold very few of these categories will be right.  It is no coincidence that every sold out block they announce is at the lower ends. 

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Australia Rugby League World Cup train-on squad (so far)

Bulldogs: Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr
Dragons: Ben Hunt
Titans: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita
Storm: Cameron Munster, Harry Grant
Roosters: Joseph Suaalii, James Tedesco, Angus Crichton, Lindsay Collins
Sea Eagles: Jake Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans
Broncos: Patrick Carrigan, Payne Haas

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2 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:

Australia Rugby League World Cup train-on squad (so far)

Bulldogs: Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr
Dragons: Ben Hunt
Titans: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita
Storm: Cameron Munster, Harry Grant
Roosters: Joseph Suaalii, James Tedesco, Angus Crichton, Lindsay Collins
Sea Eagles: Jake Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans
Broncos: Patrick Carrigan, Payne Haas

Seriously Ben Hunt. 

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30 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:

Australia Rugby League World Cup train-on squad (so far)

Bulldogs: Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr
Dragons: Ben Hunt
Titans: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita
Storm: Cameron Munster, Harry Grant
Roosters: Joseph Suaalii, James Tedesco, Angus Crichton, Lindsay Collins
Sea Eagles: Jake Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans
Broncos: Patrick Carrigan, Payne Haas

Interesting.

I really like Coates as a winger, but fair enough he's not there. I'm glad, though.

 

Running the Rob Burrow marathon to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie foundation:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-dyas

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NZ Squad is in. Shows some real strength, but also some lack of depth in certain areas.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CihBxAAvPDh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Newham Dockers - Champions 2013. Rugby League For East London. 100% Cockney Rugby League!

Twitter: @NewhamDockersRL - Get following!

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