Stop holding RL events in Huddersfield, the people there aren't interested

[The Daddy]

 

[Sports Prophet]

I wonder if people feel the same way about London Broncos hosting games?

[Archie Gordon]

Watching Australia belt another national team hasn't been popular anywhere around the world for quite some time. It's a bit of a problem.

[dboy]

28 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I wonder if people feel the same way about London Broncos hosting games?

Which games are London Broncos hosting?

[dboy]

Huddersfield is NOT a Rugby League town and never will be.

[Ragingbull]

How many posts before this thread gets locked

[north yorks trinity]

33 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Watching Australia belt another national team hasn't been popular anywhere around the world for quite some time. It's a bit of a problem.

This!

Very few people in the UK have any interest in watching Australia win a game of rugby league. I know...best team on the planet, blah blah, sublime skills, blah blah, if you don't enjoy watching them you don't like RL, blah blah, but seriously we're just fed up of seeing them win.

[The Daddy]

11 minutes ago, Ragingbull said:

How many posts before this thread gets locked

No reason for it to get locked 

[Rioman]

People from outside of Huddersfield were allowed to go as well. 

[Josef K]

43 minutes ago, north yorks trinity said:

This!

Very few people in the UK have any interest in watching Australia win a game of rugby league. I know...best team on the planet, blah blah, sublime skills, blah blah, if you don't enjoy watching them you don't like RL, blah blah, but seriously we're just fed up of seeing them win.

I told a mate last Saturday after we had been to the Australian/Italy match that i owed him one and as a revenge i might get us tickets for a Joe Pasquale Night of Jokes & Laughter. Or a Gary & Robbie In Concert (Tribute) night at the St Helens Theatre. That’d teach him. 

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, dboy said:

Which games are London Broncos hosting?

They host their home games. Much like Huddersfield, no one goes to London Broncos games either, so I’m not surprised you didn’t know.

[Skinnywinger]

I'm huddersfield born and bred and agree. Why on earth would you pick this stadium for aus v some made up reserve team? The stadium holds 24k it belongs to huddersfield town and even they don't fill it unless they are in the prem. 

 

[Anita Bath]

5 hours ago, Rioman said:

People from outside of Huddersfield were allowed to go as well. 

Some of us did….despite major disruptions to train service from Manchester to Huddersfield…both to and from the game and that was on a non-strike day.

[Tommygilf]

Huddersfield got a higher attendance for England vs Ireland in 2013 than all but 1 game in this world cup so far (the opener). 

The problem isn't just Huddersfield, and isn't solved by saying its their fault exclusively.

[Tommygilf]

Also to add, I expect there to be similar threads for Hull and Warrington in the coming days, dare I even say Wigan too?

[Hopping Mad]

6 hours ago, Skinnywinger said:

I'm huddersfield born and bred and agree. Why on earth would you pick this stadium for aus v some made up reserve team? The stadium holds 24k it belongs to huddersfield town and even they don't fill it unless they are in the prem. 

 

Accompanying my dad, I used to go to Fartown regularly - 1974-1986 - when I was at school (and also when home from university). Loved it. Problem is, Huddersfield RLFC turned off rugby league an entire generation of local youngsters by being pretty hopeless for 20 years.

I remember ex-Fartown forward Paul Dixon, late in his playing career, responding to the match programme staple player Q&A poser 'What is your biggest disappointment in rugby league?' He said: "Huddersfield Rugby League Club."

Edited November 5, 2022 by Hopping Mad

[Anita Bath]

30 minutes ago, Hopping Mad said:

Accompanying my dad, I used to go to Fartown regularly - 1974-1986 - when I was at school (and also when home from university). Loved it. Problem is, Huddersfield RLFC turned off rugby league an entire generation of local youngsters by being pretty hopeless for 20 years.

I remember ex-Fartown forward Paul Dixon, late in his playing career, responding to the match programme staple player Q&A poser 'What is your biggest disappointment in rugby league?' He said: "Huddersfield Rugby League Club."

Jeez, those folks should move to Rochdale or swinton or Oldham. So finishing towards top of league , trips to challenge cup final, comfortably maintaining super league status is not enough? What exactly do they want? Its not as if the football club has been super successful, one year of weekly hidings in the premier league being their high point.

 

[Hopping Mad]

11 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

Jeez, those folks should move to Rochdale or swinton or Oldham. So finishing towards top of league , trips to challenge cup final, comfortably maintaining super league status is not enough? What exactly do they want? Its not as if the football club has been super successful, one year of weekly hidings in the premier league being their high point.

The point is, Anita, while Fartown were rubbish (and, frankly, something of a joke locally - as insider Paul Dixon's view tends to confirm), rugby league simply slipped off Huddersfield's sporting radar. No matter how much relative success Fartown have had during the Ken Davy era, too many potential customers had been 'encouraged' to become uninterested in rugby league and, clearly, can't now be enthused into being interested.

My family moved to the Calderdale/Kirklees area in 1973. In all that time, Huddersfield Town - even when they tumbled into Division Four - have been a much bigger deal than the rugby league club.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Hopping Mad

[Just Browny]

I'm very new to this area and don't profess to be an expert. I live in Elland, barely 10 minutes by car to the John Smith's and it's an easy journey by bus.

Everyone here knows RL. There's a healthy amateur scene and most people you speak to know about rugby - primarily as Huddersfield or Halifax fans, but plenty of Leeds shirts and the odd Bulls shirt too.

But for one reason or another there doesn't appear to be a widespread appetite attend games. When I went in the pub after the match last night (which had no telly so it hadn't been on), everyone knew there had been a game and was interested in how it was, but without any obvious sentiment they had thought about attending.

My sense is you could get people to attend RL in large numbers here, but they know the value of the product and what is likely to be competitive/not competitive, and you would need a far more aggressive promotional campaign than the usual 'build it and they will come' approach.

[Anita Bath]

4 minutes ago, Hopping Mad said:

The point is, Anita, while Fartown were rubbish (and, frankly, something of a joke locally - as insider Paul Dixon's view tends to confirm), rugby league simply slipped off Huddersfield's sporting radar. No matter how much relative success Fartown have had during the Ken Davy era, too many potential customers had been 'encouraged' to become uninterested in rugby league and, clearly, can't now be enthused into being interested.

My family moved to the Calderdale/Kirklees area in 1973. In all that time, Huddersfield Town - even when they tumbled into Division Four - have been a much bigger deal than the rugby league club.

I just find it odd that they are seen as a joke locally (your term) but not outside the town.

I always enjoy my trips there whether for internationals or super league games.

And last nights balti pie and bovril was worth the admission alone

[Hopping Mad]

4 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

I just find it odd that they are seen as a joke locally (your term) but not outside the town.

I always enjoy my trips there whether for internationals or super league games.

And last nights balti pie and bovril was worth the admission alone

Pretty sure Fartown aren't, locally, seen as a joke now.  The damage was done when they were.

Back in 1985, when crowds at Fartown dropped as low as 500 or less, I'd have laughed if somebody had predicted Huddersfield would become an established top-flight club with 4,000 or so regular fans.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Hopping Mad

[Madrileño]

Most people talking about them being known as "a joke" are referring to periods from the 1970s through the 80s to some time in the early 90s. 

That means that pretty much anyone under the age of 35 has not known them as a complete joke.

It is really only over 40s who know them as such, so how does that explain the lack of almost anyone under that age attending their games?

[David Shepherd]

8k for a forgone conclusion not involving England isn't bad. I mean you'd need to be a RL obsessive to actively want to watch Australia win and pay for the "privilege".

Hudds managed a pretty much full house for Eng v Irl at the last world cup.  Despite the walkover, the atmosphere was brilliant.

Edited November 5, 2022 by David Shepherd

[JM2010]

I'd say the opposite to the OP. Even though the crowd was a bit disappointing if they keep taking events to Huddersfield, with a bit better promotion I think they could build interest in the town.

There's enough fans in and around Huddersfield to draw big crowds to events they've just got to engage with the population better. As well as Huddersfield there's Batley, Dewsbury, Halifax, Brighouse, Elland all within 20 minutes of the stadium. So plenty of RL fans nearby.

How much promotion was there for the RL QF?

Did they take the trophy around the schools? Visit local community clubs, town centres?

Once the Quarter Finalists were known did any Australian or Lebanese players visit schools?

Has anyone been a guest on the live matches promoting ticket sales for upcoming games?

I'm sure if this game had been pushed in the local community it could have sold a lot more tickets 

[Hopping Mad]

41 minutes ago, Madrileño said:

Most people talking about them being known as "a joke" are referring to periods from the 1970s through the 80s to some time in the early 90s. 

That means that pretty much anyone under the age of 35 has not known them as a complete joke.

It is really only over 40s who know them as such, so how does that explain the lack of almost anyone under that age attending their games?

You don't think fathers and grandfathers (and, come to that, mothers and grandmothers) play a role in shaping the sport (or sports) their children and grandchildren become interested in?

Edited November 5, 2022 by Hopping Mad