The potential of Sheffield Eagles is enormous

[Pie tries]

15 hours ago, Griff said:

One of the things that has been limiting crowd promotion is the state of the stadium. You don't want folk turning up for the first time, thinking "this is carp" and never coming ever again. With an 800 limit, we're not quite there yet  but that should change before the end of the season.

It’s a start….it’s in Sheffield….it’s home.

this is true good news

[meast]

9 hours ago, RP London said:

3,000 would be amazing. Its been a long hard struggle since being sold down the river. 9 years without a proper home where you can do some of the things mentioned on here and without a set up that has been able to support junior development has meant almost a missed generation of people. Building from where we are to 3,000 would be a job very well done and should be congratulated.. of course you then put down the champagne and work out your next target after that (keeping the 3,000 and building). 

One thing I really dont like at the moment is this need to be in much larger stadiums than you need, 30,000 seater stadiums when you only get 6,000 crowds etc. Its not about the size of the stadium its the quality and atmosphere in it, if you cant fill it then what the hell is the point, its just money spent on building a ground too big and keeping it going that could be spent elsewhere (or rental costs higher than they need to be). If you get 6,000 then get a 15,000 stadium tops maybe a 10k.. if you sell out a big game then thats great, sell it out, have a great atmosphere and make people want to get tickets (you can even put the price up as supply is outstripping demand). But that is 1 or 2 games a season, for the rest of the time you are rattling around the ground and the ground looks empty, it also costs more to maintain if its larger etc etc.  A really nice 10-15k stadium with 6-8k of people in for the majority of the matches and 2-3 lock outs a year would be fab.

Good post, and as I said, I really do hope the Eagles carry on rebuilding, I always had a bit of a soft spot for them, Ironically, being a Huddersfield fan, as well as a Wednesday fan and spending many Saturday afternoons, and midweek nights in the city.

But be careful about building crowds up etc, Huddersfield have built their crowds up from a few hundred to over 5,000 and still get hammered for, I suspect Sheffield will be afforded more grace though, as every other club is.

As for the stadium, spot on, big, empty stadiums do nothing for sport, I will use Berlin's 2 major football clubs, Hertha and Union, Union is my team but I have nothing against Hertha at all, Hertha play in the 74,000 seat Olympiastadion, in front of 30,000-40,000, decent crowds, but totally lost in the truly magnificent, but vast stadium, complete with running track and big open Olympic gate end.

Union, meanwhile play in a magnificent, compact, 22,000 stadium with 3 sides made up of terracing close to the pitch, that close that one can't even see the touchline!, the atmosphere is absolutely rocking, for 90 minutes plus another 20 minutes after the game has ended before the crowds disperse into the forest.

I look at that and I see both Huddersfield, and Sheffield in the DVS as Hertha, the crowds and atmosphere's aren't that bad but are just lost in big stadiums, yet the smaller, compact ground, like, say, Castleford or Hull KR will always get praised regardless of how many people are in it.

[Marauder]

40 minutes ago, meast said:

Good post, and as I said, I really do hope the Eagles carry on rebuilding, I always had a bit of a soft spot for them, Ironically, being a Huddersfield fan, as well as a Wednesday fan and spending many Saturday afternoons, and midweek nights in the city.

But be careful about building crowds up etc, Huddersfield have built their crowds up from a few hundred to over 5,000 and still get hammered for, I suspect Sheffield will be afforded more grace though, as every other club is.

As for the stadium, spot on, big, empty stadiums do nothing for sport, I will use Berlin's 2 major football clubs, Hertha and Union, Union is my team but I have nothing against Hertha at all, Hertha play in the 74,000 seat Olympiastadion, in front of 30,000-40,000, decent crowds, but totally lost in the truly magnificent, but vast stadium, complete with running track and big open Olympic gate end.

Union, meanwhile play in a magnificent, compact, 22,000 stadium with 3 sides made up of terracing close to the pitch, that close that one can't even see the touchline!, the atmosphere is absolutely rocking, for 90 minutes plus another 20 minutes after the game has ended before the crowds disperse into the forest.

I look at that and I see both Huddersfield, and Sheffield in the DVS as Hertha, the crowds and atmosphere's aren't that bad but are just lost in big stadiums, yet the smaller, compact ground, like, say, Castleford or Hull KR will always get praised regardless of how many people are in it.

Doncaster IMO suffer from playing in a 15,000 goldfish bowl, it's a shame they couldn't develop the old Tattersfield ground with a 5 or 6 thousand ground with the potential to expand it if required. 

[Big Picture]

On 25/05/2022 at 08:34, Martyn Sadler said:

It's worth recalling that when the Eagles played Widnes at Bramall Lane in 1989, a week after Widnes had beaten Canberra in the World Club Challenge, they had a crowd of around 8,000 and it was a great event. So they have a lot of lost ground to recover.

It turns out that match was shown on Scrum Down and their coverage of it is on YouTube:

 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

6 hours ago, Big Picture said:

It turns out that match was shown on Scrum Down and their coverage of it is on YouTube:

 

Rugby League and synthesisers... what a time to be alive!

[Nate90]

Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield home of Sheffield Eagles rugby league club. 

A club I have had a soft spot for since my student days in the city. 

However with the new ground it's easy to see the pitch for free from the mound without having to enter the stadium so I'm just concerned as to how Sheffield Eagles make money.

[Eddie]

26 minutes ago, Nate90 said:

Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield home of Sheffield Eagles rugby league club. 

A club I have had a soft spot for since my student days in the city. 

However with the new ground it's easy to see the pitch for free from the mound without having to enter the stadium so I'm just concerned as to how Sheffield Eagles make money.

I haven’t been to see them since 1998, when I was also a student there. Is there anyone on this mound during matches? 

[Tommygilf]

32 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I haven’t been to see them since 1998, when I was also a student there. Is there anyone on this mound during matches? 

In the games that I've been to I've seen in person this year I've seen 1, and they were a ball boy. Its not a particularly comfortable spot.

[Tommygilf]

A problem Sheffield have currently is that the next stage of major development from Scarborough Group/Mr McCabe is unclear. They can't put a digital scoreboard up (which they own), until Scarborough Group confirm which stand they will be building next. 

[tim2]

15 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

A problem Sheffield have currently is that the next stage of major development from Scarborough Group/Mr McCabe is unclear. They can't put a digital scoreboard up (which they own), until Scarborough Group confirm which stand they will be building next. 

There was a scoreboard up at the game v Workington. I'm expecting some uncovered seating on the same side as the stand next. A cover over the standing area behind the sticks might appeal to some fans.

I was impressed withthe facility and its potential, for the level the Eagles are at. If they have SL ambitions, it needs to be a lot better. If that did happen, I really would prefer not to have to hire Bramall Lane.

The double headers with the women's team have been very effective in building a wider "club" feel.

[Guest]

On 25/05/2022 at 17:34, meast said:

I'd love to see a strong Sheffield club competing at the top of rugby league, just like I'd love to see a strong London club, but neither has happened and probably won't but we can hope?

Incidentally, would Sheffield playing in front of say, 3,000 be acceptable?

And would Sheffield playing in front of, say 6,000 in a 30,000 seat stadium also be acceptable?

Good luck to them.

Capacity in their stadium is 3,900 and they aren't planning on moving anywhere else.

[Griff]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

I haven’t been to see them since 1998, when I was also a student there. Is there anyone on this mound during matches? 

A few curious dogwalkers.

[sentoffagain2]

7 minutes ago, NW10LDN said:

Capacity in their stadium is 3,900 and they aren't planning on moving anywhere else.

 I would be surprised if the current capacity is 3900.However given sufficient investment there is space in the stadium to develop a ground with a capacity of about 7000/8000 spectators.I have lived in Sheffield nearly 30 years and Mark Aston deserves a medal for keeping the club going after the merger fiasco.They should as a Championship club aim for an average attendance of about 2000 but it will not be easy  too much to do in Sheffield.

[sweaty craiq]

There's more interest in that shop selling blokes 8'' stiletto's size 13 than Sheffield Eagles in Sheffield - Cricket and Hockey follow Soccer.

[yipyee]

The championship is full of clubs that could add to SL the issue is that focus will not be put into growth until licensing is brought back.

So let's say Sheffield, the only thing they need to do to play in SL currently is to win the million pound game.

Why would they employ development officers on the ground, invest in marketing to grow their attendances/fan base, improve their stadium or academy systems?! 

Licensing would unlock growth of RL across the country if done properly and failing clubs were removed from SL / replaced with a better prospect.

[Rene_Artois]

Sheffield is not the be all and end all in South Yorkshire. There's another club with bigger attendances and more successful community clubs.

[Kirmonds pouch]

On 24/05/2022 at 22:17, The Daddy said:

First off, it's great to see Sheffield Eagles playing in front of a crowd in their home city. This is what the club has been missing for many years. 

Before they 'merged' with Huddersfield, their crowds weren't too bad. They got crowds of up to 8,000 so there is potential there. It will take time to develop the ground to anywhere near SL level but with IMG on board anything is possible, perhaps investment could be sourced to put into the stadium and team. We are talking about a city with a population of nearly 600,000, anything is possible. 

In the short term, now that they can get matchday revenues it should increase the amount of money they can spend on players and make them more competitive on the field. 

My family come from Sheffield and I can tell you that even by your standards this is utter fantasy. There is little interest in RL in Sheffield, never has been never will be. It is the epitome of a soccer city. How you come to your ludicrous assumptions is beyond me. The UK is not Australia, there are no Melbourne Storms to be had. London failed despite a Challenge Cup appearance, Sheffield failed despite an actual win. Yet neither have a support even close to that of say Dewsbury or even Doncaster.

The word potential should be banned from RL in my opinion and it's a pure nonsense, but to add the word 'enormous' is hysterical, get real. I can name a dozen clubs with far more potential than Sheffield.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Kirmonds pouch

[Eddie]

4 minutes ago, Kirmonds pouch said:

My family come from Sheffield and I can tell you that even by your standards this is utter fantasy. There is little interest in RL in Sheffield, never has been never will be. It is the epitome of a soccer city. How you come to your ludicrous assumptions is beyond me. The UK is not Australia, there are no Melbourne Storms to be had. London failed despite a Challenge Cup appearance, Sheffield failed despite an actual win. Yet neither have a support even close to that of say Dewsbury or even Doncaster.

The word potential should be banned from RL in my opinion and it's a pure nonsense, but to add the word 'enormous' is hysterical, get real. I can name a dozen clubs with far more potential than Sheffield.

I agree with a lot of what you’ve said, but in the mid 90s when the Eagles were in their pomp there was a fair amount of interest in the city, obviously it would never have got close to Utd or Wednesday but if that club had continued as it was I think they could have averaged 4-5k in the long term and become the third club of the city. 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

11 hours ago, NW10LDN said:

Capacity in their stadium is 3,900 and they aren't planning on moving anywhere else.

Current capacity is 1320. The figure of 3900ish is for the fully developed stadium.

[Eddie]

Sheffield could do with sorting out their online shop, which has been ‘Page not found’ for months. 

[Griff]

11 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

There's more interest in that shop selling blokes 8'' stiletto's size 13 than Sheffield Eagles in Sheffield - Cricket and Hockey follow Soccer.

Hockey ?

[sweaty craiq]

8 minutes ago, Griff said:

Hockey ?

On ice

[The Daddy]

37 minutes ago, Kirmonds pouch said:

My family come from Sheffield and I can tell you that even by your standards this is utter fantasy. There is little interest in RL in Sheffield, never has been never will be. It is the epitome of a soccer city. How you come to your ludicrous assumptions is beyond me. The UK is not Australia, there are no Melbourne Storms to be had. London failed despite a Challenge Cup appearance, Sheffield failed despite an actual win. Yet neither have a support even close to that of say Dewsbury or even Doncaster.

The word potential should be banned from RL in my opinion and it's a pure nonsense, but to add the word 'enormous' is hysterical, get real. I can name a dozen clubs with far more potential than Sheffield.

Your so predictable and small minded. It really made you mad that I said Sheffield Eagles have potential. Oh sorry....enormous potential.

Sheffield Eagles got 8,000 against Wigan when they previously played at the Don valley stadium, they also got some very good attendances there during the SL era. That is based on playing out of a secure and regular stadium in the top flight. A lot of SL Clubs in the past few years couldn't even get to 8,000 crowd, they are in a major city with people that love sport. So it's reasonable to say that they have potential and have achieved some success through being challenge cup winners. 

Just wind your neck in

[gingerjon]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

Sheffield could do with sorting out their online shop, which has been ‘Page not found’ for months. 

That's not great.

[Kirmonds pouch]

7 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

Your so predictable and small minded. It really made you mad that I said Sheffield Eagles have potential. Oh sorry....enormous potential.

Sheffield Eagles got 8,000 against Wigan when they previously played at the Don valley stadium, they also got some very good attendances there during the SL era. That is based on playing out of a secure and regular stadium in the top flight. A lot of SL Clubs in the past few years couldn't even get to 8,000 crowd, they are in a major city with people that love sport. So it's reasonable to say that they have potential and have achieved some success through being challenge cup winners. 

Just wind your neck in

What do you mean wind my neck in, what a silly comment, surely it's you who should do that.

I'm telling you how it is so you don't continue to look foolish. My history with Sheffield and the Eagles goes back to the Owlerton days so I do actually know what I'm on about. I was there when Kath was providing the sandwiches and washing the kit whilst hubby did the rest. They were brilliant people and brilliant days but ultimately Sheffield was and is a failure or certainly in the way you are talking about. It always will be, there simply is no appetite. It's far too close to the RL heartland to compete on players and fans. Sure it picks up a few players but any who prove to be any good soon move 20 miles up the road, even the handful who actually from Sheffield.

I know what people like you always think - it's not just the size of the place but look the two soccer teams are ######. Well they are ###### most of the time but that just doesn't seem to matter. Sheffield Eagles could win SL five times in a row but it would barely register against one derby game, even one in the third division. I can't explain it, but I know it's the truth.

It's exactly the same case in London, surely you've worked that out by now. RL is tribal but football is super tribal, it's the British way, you simply can't break that. Even the mega rich NFL can't.

What Sheffield do well though is present a community presence for the game and as they improve they will produce more players and more fans which is great. If they can be on a par with say Featherstone they will have done astonishingly well. Not forgetting of course that Featherstone has a population of 14,000 I believe which probably makes them the best supported club in the world in relative terms!

Yes they did get 8,000, once, Trinity got 38,000, once, so what! In the end the old Sheffield went under because they couldn't get the crowds and the interest, in the end they were sacrificed to help another club that was very nearly as bad. However ask anybody at the time, it was going to fold anyway.

So stop the silly talk and let Sheffield become the club they were always destined to be, a well run semi-pro outfit in the lower leagues pushing the game outside it's heartland to a limited degree. Nothing wrong with that, if London and a few others had been allowed to do just that the game would be a lot stronger. RL is a Northern game, always will be, the point of expansion clubs is not to change that but to open it up to those who are interested who don't live near the M62. It's a small number and always will be but it serves a purpose.

I'm afraid your London goggles seem to obscure reality.