Thu 23 Sept: Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos KO 19:45 (TV)

[overtheborder]

I think on the subject of gameday experience, you can for example have the best band in the world, but if they're playing to an empty ground then it won't feel like much of an experience. I think full stadiums really help the gameday experience whatever the pre-match program is. What I do like personally is a decent half-time feature - Wigan used to do a few competition-type things that were nice to watch while waiting for the second half.

[Chrispmartha]

26 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

There are certainly things Wigan need to improve, gameday experience might be one but if it is then that goes for every Super League club right? I mean unless every club has cancelled their fantastic gameday experience whenever I've visited the ground (which, admittedly, can't be ruled out) then every club needs to improve because it's pretty much the same wherever you go.

I think Hull KR are the only club that do anything different and they've just turned a big empty space they had in their ground (that most clubs don't have) into a convenient place to drink alcohol.

And really, everyone is there to watch the rugby, so what else do people really want from their gameday experience? I've been to football matches and their 'gameday experience' is exactly the same unless gameday experience improves with each post-match arrest.

I gave an example of a game I attended which was billed as a 90s retro round where they did literally sweet FA.

The topic seems to have really upset a few wigan fans, havng read the fand forum on another popular website it seems s lot of Wigan fans agree with the sentiment that they aren’t doing enough.

Many clubs do need to improve the experience, but it seems (admittedly as an outsider) that the match day experience isn’t the only issue st the Wigan club, the whole operation seems to have gone a bit stale.

[JohnM]

I've not been to a Wigan game since they played at Springfield Park but I can attest that the club has always relied on the happenings on the pitch to generate the match day experience. I've heard that during the degenerate years at Central Park, the pre-match build up comprised a religious guy who used to wander around the club car park with a banner declaring Jesus Saves Fallen Women (with the crowd responding "Tell him to save one for me!"). Crowds were good, games tense and in the main exciting, and atmosphere great.

The easiest thing for the club to do to generate crowds and income would be to get the team playing exciting, skillful,  fast, open rugby with a commanding captain on the pitch, fast and effective half backs,  decent props and someone who can kick,  and to have a proper antipodean star, e.g.Gene Miles, Pat Richards, Doc Murray......

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by JohnM

[unapologetic pedant]

5 hours ago, JohnM said:

 I've heard that during the degenerate years at Central Park, the pre-match build up comprised a religious guy who used to wander around the club car park with a banner declaring Jesus Saves Fallen Women (with the crowd responding "Tell him to save one for me!"). 

Best variation on that gag is in a Carry On film - "Save me the one with the big ear-rings".

[EagleEyePie]

15 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

I gave an example of a game I attended which was billed as a 90s retro round where they did literally sweet FA.

The topic seems to have really upset a few wigan fans, havng read the fand forum on another popular website it seems s lot of Wigan fans agree with the sentiment that they aren’t doing enough.

Many clubs do need to improve the experience, but it seems (admittedly as an outsider) that the match day experience isn’t the only issue st the Wigan club, the whole operation seems to have gone a bit stale.

I can see where you're coming from with the retro round. I saw fans wearing retro kits but not much else. And the Catalans game was 'Super Hero' round and not much happened there. But then I don't know what people expected the club to do that would improve things? I mean you go to rugby to watch the game. Maybe something like the Super Hero round should have involved entertainment for the kids in attendance but to be honest when I was a kid I couldn't care less what happened pre-match or at half time, I just wanted to watch the rugby.

Either way the point still stands. I've barely seen any club do anything different to what Wigan do and pretty much all teams could do more, but I'm not sure how much difference it would make.

[M j M]

For the retro round I'd expect ex players on the pitch, interviews, the team wearing a heritage shirt, retro focused programme (although I don't think wigan do them any more?) stuff on the screen to support the event etc.

None of it rocket science and something I want the entire league to be doing once a year. But if you're going to do it at least do it properly. As it was it was largely just the lower ticket price which was the lead which was a bit disappointing.

[Davo5]

I think at present the product on the field is so poor that no matter what they tried would fail to attract more fans,having said that the club in general is in a rut on & off the pitch which requires a major shakeup.

[EagleEyePie]

28 minutes ago, M j M said:

For the retro round I'd expect ex players on the pitch, interviews, the team wearing a heritage shirt, retro focused programme (although I don't think wigan do them any more?) stuff on the screen to support the event etc.

None of it rocket science and something I want the entire league to be doing once a year. But if you're going to do it at least do it properly. As it was it was largely just the lower ticket price which was the lead which was a bit disappointing.

They had ex players on the pitch and some interviews the last time they did a retro round but I wouldn't be in favour of them doing that while covid is still such an issue, and it would probably impact the number of people willing to take part in it anyway. Plus we don't have a marketing director at the moment so we weren't likely to be doing too much until that's sorted.

Either way some former players on the pitch and the players wearing a different shirt for one game isn't going to make me more willing to watch a game. I want to watch talented players on the pitch not people who used to be talented standing around talking for a bit.

[M j M]

Good news everyone.

I'll give it an hour and then check out Q-Vee for why Oledzki and Newman should have had five game bans each, just like "ahh Tommeh" got for something completely different. Leeds, RFL, Hetherington, crooked, blah blah blah.

[Davo5]

4 minutes ago, M j M said:

Good news everyone.

I'll give it an hour and then check out Q-Vee for why Oledzki and Newman should have had five game bans each, just like "ahh Tommeh" got for something completely different. Leeds, RFL, Hetherington, crooked, blah blah blah.

Oledzki can count himself lucky that Hardaker bounced back up.

[M j M]

14 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Oledzki can count himself lucky that Hardaker bounced back up.

More likely there's no evidence from the footage that he did anything illegal.

[Loiner]

1 hour ago, M j M said:

Good news everyone.

I'll give it an hour and then check out Q-Vee for why Oledzki and Newman should have had five game bans each, just like "ahh Tommeh" got for something completely different. Leeds, RFL, Hetherington, crooked, blah blah blah.

Cue Saint Toppy to come up with his usual anti Leeds bias, ahh tommie not that kind of player unlike Rhino thugs.

[M j M]

@Davo5 have you checked the footage? It's a bit hard to see which may have saved Mik but there is nothing to prove he made contact with the head which was what was being claimed.

[Davo5]

1 hour ago, M j M said:

More likely there's no evidence from the footage that he did anything illegal.

Must have mysteriously gone missing since the game then,

[sweaty craiq]

On 27/09/2021 at 02:33, JohnM said:

I've not been to a Wigan game since they played at Springfield Park but I can attest that the club has always relied on the happenings on the pitch to generate the match day experience. I've heard that during the degenerate years at Central Park, the pre-match build up comprised a religious guy who used to wander around the club car park with a banner declaring Jesus Saves Fallen Women (with the crowd responding "Tell him to save one for me!"). Crowds were good, games tense and in the main exciting, and atmosphere great.

The easiest thing for the club to do to generate crowds and income would be to get the team playing exciting, skillful,  fast, open rugby with a commanding captain on the pitch, fast and effective half backs,  decent props and someone who can kick,  and to have a proper antipodean star, e.g.Gene Miles, Pat Richards, Doc Murray......

 

We had the religious guy post game at Hilton Park - his banner was ''The end is nigh'' with the crowd responding '' you watched the game then''