Attendances (Multiple Merged Threads)

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I still think the Womens Cup Final being at a marquee stadium live on the beeb as part of a 3 match festival is better than being at a relatively low key RL ground as a prelude to a mens semi final with 10k in.

Ask the women’s players where they’d be more excited to have their game - Elland Road before a double header or LSV before Salford v Catalans (which could easily have been a SF). 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

Agreed. Headingley for example would be better for this (easier to move around, more comfortable seating etc.) 

Given the current picks for "marquee games" I wonder if the strategy of the RFL is related to strengthening relationships with future partners ie LUFC and Tottenham, on the basis of games that were kiboshed by the Pandemic.

I'm not sure - Headingly has two problems - terracing, and some of it uncovered. But it does have the advantage of space and flexibility. 

I do think for triple headers it needs to be all seaters and a bit f luxury. I'm interested to see how Summer Bash goes at Headingly, I expect anyone on terracing will only be there for their game

[Damien]

14 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Ok fair enough, I don’t know why Doncaster, Hudds or Hull would be better than Elland Road for Saints v Wigan, and they may all have football fixtures on that day, but you’re right they may be available. 

Dont be obtuse and start with the strawman stuff. You asked for Yorkshire stadiums so I told you them. Not sure why you are now trying to shift the goalposts to Wigan and Saints when its quite clear that match wouldn't be played in Yorkshire at all.

[Damien]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I still think the Womens Cup Final being at a marquee stadium live on the beeb as part of a 3 match festival is better than being at a relatively low key RL ground as a prelude to a mens semi final with 10k in.

Would it be better than before Wigan v Saints at Bolton with 15k in?

In fact we've already had the Women's Cup Final at Bolton, I'm not sure why Elland Road would be any better for it.

[meast]

6 hours ago, Josef K said:

I’m going to the SF’s and will be watching both mens games. The seating i have sat in for test matches behind the sticks at Leeds Utd has been poor with hardly any legroom. I put it on a par with LFC’s ground for being uncomfortable. Football fans must love paying good money and not sitting in comfort. 

They may be iconic, a bit like my old stomping ground of Hillsborough but Anfield an Elland road are dreadful, but most British grounds are just seats bolted on to old terracing, those steps were built for people to stand up on not sit down on 

Regardless, the RFL seem to like Elland road and I'm sure the Giants fans along with everyone else will enjoy themselves.

However, I do believe that a semi final should be a stand alone event where the day belongs to the 2 semi finalists and not a mini magic weekend.

Imagine if 2 real outsiders made the semi final, I know Huddersfield and Hull KR aren't exactly the biggest but although purely speculative, imagine if say, Leigh and Barrow got to a semi final, surely the fans of those teams would want the day and the ground to be about them, imagine then that they had to to share the day with say, Warrington or Leeds, it would take away the magic and sense of occasion for me.

[meast]

5 hours ago, Eddie said:

Further devaluing the competition. Why is a double header poor, if everyone who wants to go can get on and have the option of seeing two games? 

Personally, I would like to have a smaller venue packed out and make tickets scarce than make sure there are lots of empty spaces just so anyone can get one if they fancy it.

We should be making cup semi finals sell outs and trying to enhance the cup again, playing it amidst loads of empty seats for me doesn't show the game and cup in particular in a good light.

Imagine if there's less than 10,000 for the Giants game, after the Lancastrians have gone back through passport control, wouldn't it look better in a smaller, fuller ground like, say, Doncaster or Rotherham etc than having 30,000 empty spaces at Elland road?

[meast]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

I'm not really sure why that should be an issue and couldn't be played at one of the other venues if there were separate semi finals. Indeed its a whole different debate whether the Women's Cup Final deserves its own centrepiece event rather than being tagged on to a double header men's semi final.

I agree with this, how many people apart from real hardcore fans or friends and families are going to rock up at 12.00 and sit through 6-7 hours of rugby?

The womens final should be maximising the attendance and TV viewing figures, I'd love to watch it but I'm not going to Elland road that early, why not play it as a stand alone fixture and maximise the event?

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I'm not sure - Headingly has two problems - terracing, and some of it uncovered. But it does have the advantage of space and flexibility. 

I do think for triple headers it needs to be all seaters and a bit f luxury. I'm interested to see how Summer Bash goes at Headingly, I expect anyone on terracing will only be there for their game

True, it was only a suggestion of a ground with the newer more comfort focused seating rather than the traditional plastic on old terraces approach.

I suppose we have the old Lower League finals day for reference.

[GUBRATS]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

I'm not sure - Headingly has two problems - terracing, and some of it uncovered. But it does have the advantage of space and flexibility. 

I do think for triple headers it needs to be all seaters and a bit f luxury. I'm interested to see how Summer Bash goes at Headingly, I expect anyone on terracing will only be there for their game

We'll be arriving just prior to the Bulls-Fax game , probably catch the second half of that before Leyth-Fev 

Guess what our problem will be ? 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, meast said:

Personally, I would like to have a smaller venue packed out and make tickets scarce than make sure there are lots of empty spaces just so anyone can get one if they fancy it.

We should be making cup semi finals sell outs and trying to enhance the cup again, playing it amidst loads of empty seats for me doesn't show the game and cup in particular in a good light.

Imagine if there's less than 10,000 for the Giants game, after the Lancastrians have gone back through passport control, wouldn't it look better in a smaller, fuller ground like, say, Doncaster or Rotherham etc than having 30,000 empty spaces at Elland road?

How small? 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

We'll be arriving just prior to the Bulls-Fax game , probably catch the second half of that before Leyth-Fev 

Guess what our problem will be ? 

No trains? 

[Damien]

Just now, Dave T said:

No trains? 

I was just waiting for it

[GUBRATS]

11 minutes ago, Dave T said:

No trains? 

No , coach parking at Headingley 

We'll be the last to arrive , with 4 other teams from Yorkshire , Batley,Dewsbury,Fax and the Bulls then the Fev ' massive ' getting there before us and probably going out on the lash round Headingley 

Unless those 5 all go by train there'll be no room left for us

[daz39]

10 hours ago, idrewthehaggis said:

I am sure the similar branches of the RL family like KR, Cas, Wakey and us Reds would heartedly embrace repetitive games against Saints and the Pies if they were Finals, Semi Finals or title deciders.

The relentless dominance of the few has clearly dulled the support of the big clubs. 

They sound bored, act bored and are so sedated by success that only the core bothers with games like this.

This is what having a rigged system does. Time for RL to grasp this issue and revive the sport. 

I still feel the most enthusiastic and buzzing crowd will emerge from east Hull. 

What i have to query is the venue. There is nothing wrong with Elland Road. I once saw the Happy Mondays there back in the day. But is that a right call? 

 

 

 

I've said for years i don't get how fans of the successful clubs can just sit and politely applaud when they score in a semi final or final, if that was me, and most of our fans we'd be going absolutely ballistic, it must be awful to go to another big game when to them it's just another game with no more excitement than a pre season friendly and be so nonchelant about it.

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

How small? 

Indeed. The smaller the ground the fewer people would go too. 

[Jughead]

45 minutes ago, daz39 said:

I've said for years i don't get how fans of the successful clubs can just sit and politely applaud when they score in a semi final or final, if that was me, and most of our fans we'd be going absolutely ballistic, it must be awful to go to another big game when to them it's just another game with no more excitement than a pre season friendly and be so nonchelant about it.

As someone whose club is deemed successful, a final or semi-final leaves me with the same mix of emotion, ranging from feeling sick to immense pride, regardless of how many times I’ve seen it before and I don’t think they’re “just another game”. Tries and wins are celebrated as if they’re a special thing (hint: they are) and having also seen barren periods (relatively speaking), it’s easy to remember those periods and to celebrate just a little bit more. It’s a strange premise that some believe this is how some think or act. 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

No , coach parking at Headingley 

We'll be the last to arrive , with 4 other teams from Yorkshire , Batley,Dewsbury,Fax and the Bulls then the Fev ' massive ' getting there before us and probably going out on the lash round Headingley 

Unless those 5 all go by train there'll be no room left for us

Considering all 5 of those are within roughly half an hour direct train to Leeds, and all bar Fax are in regular taxi range of a Leeds night out, they probably will go on the train yes

[GUBRATS]

10 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Considering all 5 of those are within roughly half an hour direct train to Leeds, and all bar Fax are in regular taxi range of a Leeds night out, they probably will go on the train yes

Except last time , when they didn't 

[Tommygilf]

11 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Except last time , when they didn't 

Last time there was a Summer Bash at Headingley?

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Last time there was a Summer Bash at Headingley?

Last time we played Fev at Headingley 

So unless Leeds have more coach parking available than they had in 2014 ( something I'm sure you'd know ) then there will be problems , much like last time 

[Tommygilf]

9 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Last time we played Fev at Headingley 

So unless Leeds have more coach parking available than they had in 2014 ( something I'm sure you'd know ) then there will be problems , much like last time 

Mad how they manage for the Cricket!

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Mad how they manage for the Cricket!

True , just pointing out the facts mate , Headingley isn't set up for multi team games , we had loads of aggravation last time , expect similar at the Bash 

[Josef K]

10 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Tbf, the reality is that in the end you were in, not many fans do "sit" for football. I had similar to you at LFC in the Kop for the 4 Nations. Because they aren't brand new grounds many have just had seating placed on old terraces. 

I believe there is now an area of safe standing at the back of the kop at Elland Road too now, not sure what seating would be like there.

I have seen them standing up at games, but what happens if you can’t stand for 45mins or you’re a child. You have your match ticket waiting too watch your heroes and then everyone stands up ?. 

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Josef K said:

I have seen them standing up at games, but what happens if you can’t stand for 45mins or you’re a child. You have your match ticket waiting too watch your heroes and then everyone stands up ?. 

One of the reasons I stopped watching footy , sit down , stand up , sit down , stand up , etc , etc , etc 

[Tommygilf]

9 minutes ago, Josef K said:

I have seen them standing up at games, but what happens if you can’t stand for 45mins or you’re a child. You have your match ticket waiting too watch your heroes and then everyone stands up ?. 

Often clubs will forwarn ticket buyers of areas of "persistent standing". Generally these areas are dominated by season ticket holders anyway so they know what to expect. 

For those you describe there are other areas of the ground.