Hows ticket sales going for CCF

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

 

By my definition, a true fan of Rugby League is a person who wants the sport to prosper, has an interest in the whole game and enjoys a great spectacle no matter who's playing and whose curiosity and good will isn't confined to the archaic, village bounds and the neanderthal tribe they kowtow to.

That's me out then 

[GUBRATS]

47 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

My dear chap, you can do whatever you want.

What I'm saying is that if all we had was the type of ''fans'' that are only interested in own team then we need to get some others.

I'm reminded of times when whole towns right across the North were evacuated on Wembley weekend in order to celebrate Rugby League's great occasion.

They weren't there for the village team, they were there for Rugby League.

And for many of them it was the only game they watched all year 

[fighting irish]

6 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

And for many of them it was the only game they watched all year 

Any idea how we can get them back? 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

Any idea how we can get them back? 

Need to check.

Would these one game a year freeloaders count as true fans?

[GUBRATS]

Just now, fighting irish said:

Any idea how we can get them back? 

No , most of them are dead 

And as I put earlier , I'm done with this one , but got confused with the other thread 

I will ask you though , by your reckoning , I'm not a ' real ' RL fan , and yet I spend hundreds if not thousands a year at my club and others , but would not attend a CC final as a neutral , but somebody who would attend one game a year as a neutral is a ' real ' fan

[fighting irish]

Just now, gingerjon said:

Need to check.

Would these one game a year freeloaders count as true fans?

Well, first of all let me say that the accusation that it's the only game they watched each year is mere conjecture.

But let's say it's true. 

I believe that if we had an extra 25,000 first time viewers, it's reasonable to expect that some of them would be so impressed (like me) they'd probably come back for more.

Oh by the way, thanks for taking me off your ''blocked'' list. 

[The Great Dane]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

By my definition, a true fan of Rugby League is a person who wants the sport to prosper, has an interest in the whole game and enjoys a great spectacle no matter who's playing and whose curiosity and good will isn't confined to the archaic, village bounds and the neanderthal tribe they kowtow to.

By that definition 95%+ of all sports fans aren't 'true fans' of their chosen sport.

[gingerjon]

Just now, fighting irish said:

Well, first of all let me say that the accusation that it's the only game they watched each year is mere conjecture.

But let's say it's true. 

I believe that if we had an extra 25,000 first time viewers, it's reasonable to expect that some of them would be so impressed (like me) they'd probably come back for more.

Oh by the way, thanks for taking me off your ''blocked'' list. 

I'm not sure you were ever on it.

Most of the idea that the crowd was exclusively made up of northern towns being emptied for their residents' one trip a year to either a rugby match or somewhere using decimal currency is conjecture. By which I mean: it's wrong.

Which is one fairly major block to getting those crowds back.

They didn't exist in that sense.

[fighting irish]

5 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

No , most of them are dead 

And as I put earlier , I'm done with this one , but got confused with the other thread 

I will ask you though , by your reckoning , I'm not a ' real ' RL fan , and yet I spend hundreds if not thousands a year at my club and others , but would not attend a CC final as a neutral , but somebody who would attend one game a year as a neutral is a ' real ' fan

So do you mean, you are going to leave the ground after watching Fev beat Leigh, and not stay for the main event?

[Leyther_Matt]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

What I'm saying is that if all we had was the type of ''fans'' that are only interested in own team then we need to get some others.

And it was the existence of those fans that brought the gate receipts in the 1880s. Without those gate receipts there’d be no professionalism. No professionalism, no rugby league. The same rings true today - the Challenge Cup Final might have a significant dependence on neutrals, but discard those week in, week out fans that are the target of your disdain and there’s no game full stop, never mind a cup final.

In years gone by I would go to probably 10-15 games a season as a neutral. These days, work, cost and family dictate that I just watch Leigh (only missed two games home and away this season, one through Covid and one because of work - not bad when three of those have been Monday night away games) and internationals with only the occasional neutral foray. But because I can’t justify shelling out the equivalent of a holiday on watching two (or four) teams I don’t support then I suppose I mustn’t be a true fan eh. 

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, fighting irish said:

So do you mean, you are going to leave the ground after watching Fev beat Leigh, and not stay for the main event?

No , I have never insinuated that on any post I've made 

[fighting irish]

2 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I'm not sure you were ever on it.

Most of the idea that the crowd was exclusively made up of northern towns being emptied for their residents' one trip a year to either a rugby match or somewhere using decimal currency is conjecture. By which I mean: it's wrong.

Which is one fairly major block to getting those crowds back.

They didn't exist in that sense.

I'm sorry mate, I'm trying but I can't understand what you meant by that second paragraph. Are you saying that there were never significant numbers of neutral fans (not previously connected with the finalists) in the past?

I've been at Wembley more than a few times when there were thousands of flags and scarves and replica shirts (in other than the finalists colours) being waved and worn by fans, who in my opinion were having a pretty good time, just happy to be there.

I'd just like to have some more fans like that, not just the knuckle dragging type. 

Perhaps they were ultimately put off, by sitting next to Gubrats on his thousands of visits to Leigh and other clubs they played against over the years. 

[Leyther_Matt]

7 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

So do you mean, you are going to leave the ground after watching Fev beat Leigh, and not stay for the main event?

A little disrespectful to suggest that people aren’t allowed to treat the 1895 as the main event 

[fighting irish]

7 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

No , I have never insinuated that on any post I've made 

I'm glad mate. 

[wiganermike]

4 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

So do you mean, you are going to leave the ground after watching Fev beat Leigh, and not stay for the main event?

The Challenge Cup is the higher profile competition but I would expect that for the fans of Fev and Leigh that the 1895 final is the main event given that their clubs are in it and most of them would not be going to Tottenham without it being held there on the same day. It's their prerogative if some, most or all of the fans of those two clubs choose to leave after it has been played. As others have said it simply shows the shortcomings in the approach of simply putting on two games with little else happening along with them to encourage people to stay for the day.

[fighting irish]

10 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

And it was the existence of those fans that brought the gate receipts in the 1880s. Without those gate receipts there’d be no professionalism. No professionalism, no rugby league. The same rings true today - the Challenge Cup Final might have a significant dependence on neutrals, but discard those week in, week out fans that are the target of your disdain and there’s no game full stop, never mind a cup final.

In years gone by I would go to probably 10-15 games a season as a neutral. These days, work, cost and family dictate that I just watch Leigh (only missed two games home and away this season, one through Covid and one because of work - not bad when three of those have been Monday night away games) and internationals with only the occasional neutral foray. But because I can’t justify shelling out the equivalent of a holiday on watching two (or four) teams I don’t support then I suppose I mustn’t be a true fan eh. 

Well your post isn't a lot to go on.

I'd say though that given your story, you qualify as someone who is interested in seeing the whole game prosper, who does have some interest in the game beyond his local area (even if he can't afford to indulge that interest, with actual attendance).

So in my estimate, you are not typical of the group that are the target of my disdain.

Please enlighten me?

Here's the acid test - 

You may have forgotten the post that prompted my intervention into this thread but let me ask you, will you be leaving WHL before the main event begins?

If your not going to the cup final this time, let's just ask, if you were going, would you leave the ground immediately after the 1895 final?

[fighting irish]

12 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

A little disrespectful to suggest that people aren’t allowed to treat the 1895 as the main event 

Forgive me? 

[fighting irish]

15 minutes ago, wiganermike said:

The Challenge Cup is the higher profile competition but I would expect that for the fans of Fev and Leigh that the 1895 final is the main event given that their clubs are in it and most of them would not be going to Tottenham without it being held there on the same day. It's their prerogative if some, most or all of the fans of those two clubs choose to leave after it has been played. As others have said it simply shows the shortcomings in the approach of simply putting on two games with little else happening along with them to encourage people to stay for the day.

If they consider the 1895 to be the main event and choose to leave straight after it then that is the prerogative of course.

For the record, I'm not one for ''shaming'' anyone into doing what they don't want to do.

I merely expressing my opinions and questioning their level of concern for and interest in the game as a whole. I suspect however, that a decision to do that (leave early) is motivated by some latent resentment towards the game outside the confines of their own locality.

I'm also expressing, my own heartfelt desire for more ''neutral'' fans who couldn't care less who was playing in one of the games premier occasions as long as they can get there and be a part of it.

Edited May 20, 2022 by fighting irish

[Ullman]

17 hours ago, daz39 said:

Out of interest what blocks/areas have Leigh and Fev got?

Out of interest do you know which section cowbell bloke will be in?

Asking for a friend.

[Ullman]

7 hours ago, Scubby said:

Immediately started getting Blast related ads following me around after seeing this post. I am on RL stuff all day, working in London atm and nothing.

I'm getting something for a 50p ballot. Now that is bloody clever targetted advertising.

[David Shepherd]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

So do you mean, you are going to leave the ground after watching Fev beat Leigh, and not stay for the main event?

The main event is at 12pm 

[David Shepherd]

10 minutes ago, Ullman said:

Out of interest do you know which section cowbell bloke will be in?

Asking for a friend.

Stop reminding me that it's at our end of the stadium

[wiganermike]

18 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

If they consider the 1895 to be the main event and choose to leave straight after it then that is the prerogative of course.

For the record, I'm not one for ''shaming'' anyone into doing what they don't want to do.

I merely expressing my opinions and questioning their level of concern for and interest in the game as a whole. I suspect however, that a decision to do that (leave early) is motivated by some latent resentment towards the game outside the confines of their own locality.

I'm also expressing, my own heartfelt desire for more ''neutral'' fans who couldn't care less who was playing in one of the games premier occasions as long as they can get there and be a part of it.

I think that the decision (for some) to leave once the 1895 final has taken place is likely more connected with the outcome of that final. For the victors there are surely going to be better places for them to gather in numbers socially to celebrate, where they aren't held by stadium regulations (likely with more affordable or greater choice of food/drink available too) than stood/sat in rows in the stadium as the CC final takes place. For the fans of the beaten team they are hardly likely to be in the mood to stick around to watch another club win a cup having seen their own hopes dashed. I suspect they would rather get away ASAP and drown their sorrows. Regardless of how it goes for their respective teams I suspect many Fev and Leigh fans will already know they would rather be celebrating/commiserating away from the stadium and will have planned the day accordingly.

[GUBRATS]

7 minutes ago, wiganermike said:

I think that the decision (for some) to leave once the 1895 final has taken place is likely more connected with the outcome of that final. For the victors there are surely going to be better places for them to gather in numbers socially to celebrate, where they aren't held by stadium regulations (likely with more affordable or greater choice of food/drink available too) than stood/sat in rows in the stadium as the CC final takes place. For the fans of the beaten team they are hardly likely to be in the mood to stick around to watch another club win a cup having seen their own hopes dashed. I suspect they would rather get away ASAP and drown their sorrows. Regardless of how it goes for their respective teams I suspect many Fev and Leigh fans will already know they would rather be celebrating/commiserating away from the stadium and will have planned the day accordingly.

From the interest shown in leaving after the curtain raiser from a providing transport POV , the numbers aren't huge , I'd say 5-10% at max , however if Wigan are running away with the cup , I'd think the Leyth contingent will start to disappear early second half 

Much like the Wigan fans will be doing if the Giants are giving them a ' wupping '

[GUBRATS]

23 minutes ago, wiganermike said:

I think that the decision (for some) to leave once the 1895 final has taken place is likely more connected with the outcome of that final. For the victors there are surely going to be better places for them to gather in numbers socially to celebrate, where they aren't held by stadium regulations (likely with more affordable or greater choice of food/drink available too) than stood/sat in rows in the stadium as the CC final takes place. For the fans of the beaten team they are hardly likely to be in the mood to stick around to watch another club win a cup having seen their own hopes dashed. I suspect they would rather get away ASAP and drown their sorrows. Regardless of how it goes for their respective teams I suspect many Fev and Leigh fans will already know they would rather be celebrating/commiserating away from the stadium and will have planned the day accordingly.

Will you be in the stadium early supporting your local ' Bus Stop ' ? 

Edited May 20, 2022 by GUBRATS