Hows ticket sales going for CCF

[Tommygilf]

Just saw the first advertisement of the game in central Huddersfield yesterday (the train station digital display boards to be precise). Not much else otherwise and obviously now Huddersfield Town are going to Wembley...

[Toby Chopra]

13 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Hahahahaha and right on cue....we're back to blaming the stadium choice. You couldn't make it up 

It makes a difference. It would be higher at Wembley, all other things being equal. That Wembley crowd might still have been the lowest ever at Wembley because at an underlying level the event is struggling.

All of these things can be true at the same time. 

[Dave T]

The opportunity we have here is around schools and youth groups - we are not in holiday season, hopefully the schools in London in particular are getting loads of promotion and ticket offers to fill seats. 

[Eddie]

22 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Moving back to Wembley will boost the crowd, both due to its inate attraction and the fact that past CCF attenders are familiar with getting there. Spurs may be a great stadium - and it is - but most potential ticket buyers haven't been there before and dont underestimate how this will put many off. Especially if they look into it and realise it IS a pain to get to (compared to other venues). 

All that still doesn't rule out that 2023 could still see a declining Wembley crowd due to underlying factors. 

I’d have thought more people would go as a one off game at one of if not the best stadium in the country. That said I’ll have my two young kids with me that day and I don’t know if I’m going yet due to the pain of getting there (if they weren’t with me it wouldn’t bother me). Its that or the Anglian Vipers home game that day, and I’d be more than happy with the latter without the ball ache of travel. 

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The opportunity we have here is around schools and youth groups - we are not in holiday season, hopefully the schools in London in particular are getting loads of promotion and ticket offers to fill seats. 

I assume that was said tongue in cheek! The RFL won’t have even thought about that. 

[Man of Kent]

No excuses for a poor crowd this year. As Dave suggests, it's not a ridiculous time of year like August bank holiday weekend, and it's a brand new ground for RL with four sets of supporters of sizable clubs.

Anything less than 50k is failure. Really, it should sell out or near as dammit. 

[Dave T]

Just now, Eddie said:

I assume that was said tongue in cheek! The RFL won’t have even thought about that. 

Whenever you attend an international in London it is clear they have engaged with schools, they do more than some give credit for here. Summer has been a challenge reaching these groups. 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Man of Kent said:

No excuses for a poor crowd this year. As Dave suggests, it's not a ridiculous time of year like August bank holiday weekend, and it's a brand new ground for RL with four sets of supporters of sizable clubs.

Anything less than 50k is failure. Really, it should sell out or near as dammit. 

Yep. 55k is acceptable, below 50k not at all. 

What I would say is that there aren't huge sections available on the RFL site, but who knows whether that is because they are not on sale or not. 

Tbh, we just have to wait and see on this one, there is little to go off. 

[Toby Chopra]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

I’d have thought more people would go as a one off game at one of if not the best stadium in the country. That said I’ll have my two young kids with me that day and I don’t know if I’m going yet due to the pain of getting there (if they weren’t with me it wouldn’t bother me). Its that or the Anglian Vipers home game that day, and I’d be more than happy with the latter without the ball ache of travel. 

The second part of your post answers your first part! 

A cheese room and an onsite craft brewery are great... but no one wants a 30 minute walk from the tube station or a massive crush on the train with kids! 

[Toby Chopra]

7 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The opportunity we have here is around schools and youth groups - we are not in holiday season, hopefully the schools in London in particular are getting loads of promotion and ticket offers to fill seats. 

They could target Haringey schools but they'd have to massively discount the prices to get any interest - we're talkling £15 adults/£5 for kids I reckon. So I doubt they'll bother just to pad the numbers. 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Toby Chopra said:

They could target Haringey schools but they'd have to massively discount the prices to get any interest - we're talkling £15 adults/£5 for kids I reckon. So I doubt they'll bother just to pad the numbers. 

They'd take those prices in a heartbeat. They are letting soldiers and nhs workers in at those prices anyway. 

[Man of Kent]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Yep. 55k is acceptable, below 50k not at all. 

I'll go with that. Hope it isn't 40K, that would be an embarrassment.

Anyway, I have my ticket in the South Stand bang behind the sticks and looking forward to it v much.  

[Scubby]

40 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Moving back to Wembley will boost the crowd, both due to its inate attraction and the fact that past CCF attenders are familiar with getting there. Spurs may be a great stadium - and it is - but most potential ticket buyers haven't been there before and dont underestimate how this will put many off. Especially if they look into it and realise it IS a pain to get to (compared to other venues). 

All that still doesn't rule out that 2023 could still see a declining Wembley crowd due to underlying factors. 

Spurs was seen as a must see stadium that would give the cup a boost - we can't have it both ways.

How many 'new' fans are coming because there is a consolation cup at 12pm? Wembley was empty last year but for the competing team's supporters. How many are coming for the event items and attractions? There are none. 

I suggested a decade ago that one idea worth exploring is extending the half time interval to 30 minutes and creating an NFL-style half time show (obviously a micro version) - which beams live on the BBC. That is an investment that is within the RFL's control and can be solely targeted at event goers and neutrals. I work a lot in London now and get bombarded with event stuff for everything and anything. It is noisy down here - but good events well positioned will get people to go.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Scubby

[meast]

12 hours ago, IM2 said:

anyone got any insights. its a super stadium and at 63k capacity we should fill it

It would be filled in no time if all the people who moan it won't be full and look bad etc actually bought tickets and attended ( not that I'm suggesting you're one of them by the way.) 

I'm sick of so called RL fans moaning about empty stadiums, lack of money, ###### teams, how the game is dying etc while sat on their backsides doing absolutely sweet FA to help.

From what I can tell, Huddersfield have sold around 5,000 to date which is around 125% up on their core home support, wonder if Wigan are any better?

[meast]

4 hours ago, Jughead said:

Wigan sold 8,000 as of three days ago. 

Huddersfield might be helped by Huddersfield Town playing across London twenty-four hours later. 

Or hindered!

[meast]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

My guess is that we are looking at a 40,000 crowd tops. The pandemic and RFL strategy around creating an event for the Challenge Cup final has seen general sales fall off a cliff.

Saying that, Alex Simmonds is in charge of the pre match entertainment so those thinking the RFL are doing everything on the cheap are way off the mark!

It could also be that people just can't afford or justify paying out nigh on £200, as much as I would love to attend a packed out final, we have to be realistic, it's not cheap and the cost of living has gone through the roof.

There's still plenty of people who will criticise but who can probably afford it, they just choose not to so they can slag the sport off.

[Scubby]

5 minutes ago, meast said:

It would be filled in no time if all the people who moan it won't be full and look bad etc actually bought tickets and attended ( not that I'm suggesting you're one of them by the way.) 

I'm sick of so called RL fans moaning about empty stadiums, lack of money, ###### teams, how the game is dying etc while sat on their backsides doing absolutely sweet FA to help.

From what I can tell, Huddersfield have sold around 5,000 to date which is around 125% up on their core home support, wonder if Wigan are any better?

Sorry, that is such a lazy answer mate. It should be a great day for Giants and their supporters (and will be). But blaming those people who supported the game for decades for not getting off their backsides is the reason the sport is where it is.

My Dad is infirm now and can't go and I am not a twenty-something anymore - he took me to my first final 30+ years ago. Where are the next two or three generations (or new event attendees) who were suppose to replace me and my dad? That is the root of the problem.

Do we just keep going back to the same well until we are all dead and buried?

Edited May 17, 2022 by Scubby

[Toby Chopra]

Looking at online availability, my guess is were heading for most of the lower bowl and the awesome south stand being sold out, but maybe only half sold in the upper tiers. 

If we do some decent business in the premium seats, we could just top 50k, which would be OK and should be enough for an good atmosphere in the stadium. 

Pain to get there, but once you're in you'll love it, especially how close you'll feel to the action for such a large stadium. 

 

[Ant]

Anecdotal information I've gathered so far is plenty of soccer fans also at least considering going to both games - a few I know have said they've got tickets for both now

Some because they support the towns sporting events, some because it's a shiny new stadium.

 

As Meast said though, if the seat counters spent as much effort going to games as counting seats, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

Also - seat prices ramp up damn quickly if you want to sit along the sides, very quickly makes it unaffordable imo. 

Giants too decent numbers in 2009 I seem to remember.

[Toby Chopra]

5 minutes ago, meast said:

It could also be that people just can't afford or justify paying out nigh on £200, as much as I would love to attend a packed out final, we have to be realistic, it's not cheap and the cost of living has gone through the roof.

There's still plenty of people who will criticise but who can probably afford it, they just choose not to so they can slag the sport off.

If people who could afford to go choose not too, then that's a serious problem for the sport, not a failing of those fans. 

Whether those fans also choose to slag off the RFL or whoever is neither here nor there really. 

[Man of Kent]

11 minutes ago, Scubby said:

I work a lot in London now and get bombarded with event stuff for everything and anything. It is noisy down here - but good events well positioned will get people to go.

This is the key point. London is the biggest city in Europe and people will fill up big events.

The Challenge Cup final really ought to be a big event on the London sporting calendar. Londoners (or those on the periphery like me) should be filling up Tottenham. That it's still seen nearly 100 years on as Northeners having their day out in t'smoke is a fail.

[meast]

3 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Sorry, that is such a lazy answer mate. It should be a great day for Giants and their supporters (and will be). But blaming those people who supported the game for decades for not getting off their backsides is the reason the sport is where it is.

My Dad is infirm now and can't go and I am not a twenty-something anymore - he took me to my first final 30+ years ago. We are the next two or three generations (or new event attendees) who were suppose to replace me and my dad? That is the root of the problem.

Do we just keep going back to the same well until we are all dead and buried?

I'm not blaming anyone or anything, merely suggesting if people who moan about how bad things are actually tried to help, the sport would be in a far better position to attract new fans, new investors, better coverage, better marketing and so on.

It's the same with Huddersfield, there's a fans group on Facebook with around 2500 members but yet majority of them are negative and just slaughter the club for everything and stamp their feet when things don't go well, rather than actually try and help and support the team and the club, they close ranks against them.

That's kind of my point, the example of yourself and your dad is a good example, the same people who should be replacing you are the ones sat on Facebook and forums like this criticising everything and offering no solution.

 

[meast]

3 minutes ago, Ant said:

Anecdotal information I've gathered so far is plenty of soccer fans also at least considering going to both games - a few I know have said they've got tickets for both now

Some because they support the towns sporting events, some because it's a shiny new stadium.

 

As Meast said though, if the seat counters spent as much effort going to games as counting seats, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

Also - seat prices ramp up damn quickly if you want to sit along the sides, very quickly makes it unaffordable imo. 

Giants too decent numbers in 2009 I seem to remember.

18-20,000 in 2009 around 14,000 in 2006, we have a hardcore fan base around 4,000 so not too shabby.

[Ant]

That was my memory, thanks.

If we get even the 2007 figures I'll take it as a win, and it looks like we will. Fwiw I got mine from the RFL weeks ago

 

Also, Facebuk is an absolute sewer, sports pages doubly so. The Giants fan page is a burning sewer of awfulness.

[Dave T]

22 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Spurs was seen as a must see stadium that would give the cup a boost - we can't have it both ways.

How many 'new' fans are coming because there is a consolation cup at 12pm? Wembley was empty last year but for the competing team's supporters. How many are coming for the event items and attractions? There are none. 

I suggested a decade ago that one idea worth exploring is extending the half time interval to 30 minutes and creating an NFL-style half time show (obviously a micro version) - which beams live on the BBC. That is an investment that is within the RFL's control and can be solely targeted at event goers and neutrals. I work a lot in London now and get bombarded with event stuff for everything and anything. It is noisy down here - but good events well positioned will get people to go.

Yep, I like your last para - ultimately we can do it however we want, we control this. we can be bold if we want to be.