Post Season International Promotion and Attendances

[Sports Prophet]

As I don’t live in a location where either the RFL or NRL will be marketing me ticket sales for the post season internationals, I am interested to know if there has been much promotion of the NH test series or the Pacific Championship in the SH?

Any examples people can share? 

I first saw Fox advertising the internationals when the Pacific series was announced and there have been limited fox promos since.

I am hopeful Eden Park will get close to a sellout. I still think a trick has been missed by not having Samoa play Tonga at Eden Park before Tonga head off to England, I am confident that would have been a sell out.

As to the other headline fixtures, are we seeing any evidence of the NRL and RFL marketing these games and making an effort to shift tickets?

[Barley Mow]

11 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

As I don’t live in a location where either the RFL or NRL will be marketing me ticket sales for the post season internationals, I am interested to know if there has been much promotion of the NH test series or the Pacific Championship in the SH?

Any examples people can share? 

I first saw Fox advertising the internationals when the Pacific series was announced and there have been limited fox promos since.

I am hopeful Eden Park will get close to a sellout. I still think a trick has been missed by not having Samoa play Tonga at Eden Park before Tonga head off to England, I am confident that would have been a sell out.

As to the other headline fixtures, are we seeing any evidence of the NRL and RFL marketing these games and making an effort to shift tickets?

I don't recall seeing anything advertising them to the general public to date.

I've had emails from the RFL advertising them, but you obviously have to already by on a mailing list for that. I've also seen adverts on/via OuRLeague (their app) - but again, that's advertising to an existing audience.

[gingerjon]

I get regular promo ads in my social media feeds for the Grand Final. Nothing else RL related for a while.

[Leyther_Matt]

They were a few big screen adverts at the Saints v Leigh game the other week so presumably replicated at the other venues 

[fighting irish]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

I get regular promo ads in my social media feeds for the Grand Final. Nothing else RL related for a while.

I bought Grand Final tickets from the RFL about a year ago. Not heard anything since. Has anyone had their tickets yet? I'm starting to get anxious, since the hotel, travel arrangements are all made.

[Archie Gordon]

Crashmon said it on another thread but worth re-stating here: there needs to be a London test every year.

Echoing his point, this is what happens when we ask members/players/parents at our community club if they are interested in tickets:

Free tickets for London Broncos - 0

Discounted CCF tickets - 10-15 takers

England RLWC semi tickets - ~40 takers

Granted that not every year is an RLWC year but when people say the Broncos/Skolars crowds show that there's no demand to watch RL down South, ponder the above.

As for promotion of the ENG-TON series, it was officially launched last week - did that pass everyone by?

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

Crashmon said it on another thread but worth re-stating here: there needs to be a London test every year.

Echoing his point, this is what happens when we ask members/players/parents at our community club if they are interested in tickets:

Free tickets for London Broncos - 0

Discounted CCF tickets - 10-15 takers

England RLWC semi tickets - ~40 takers

Granted that not every year is an RLWC year but when people say the Broncos/Skolars crowds show that there's no demand to watch RL down South, ponder the above.

As for promotion of the ENG-TON series, it was officially launched last week - did that pass everyone by?

Have you got any links to video promotions? We’re there any video promo’s at the launch?

[OriginalMrC]

I thought the tests were next year? Think I got an email about it a while ago. Saying that am not English so don't tend to pay much attention 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

I thought the tests were next year? Think I got an email about it a while ago. Saying that am not English so don't tend to pay much attention 

Next month.

[Archie Gordon]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Have you got any links to video promotions? We’re there any video promo’s at the launch?

Nothing like that unless I've missed it. Seems to have been a damp squib.

[sam4731]

Last 3 total attendances for 3 match test series/ 3 England group matches in 4 nations, in England:

vs NZ (2018) 76,069

4N (2016) 80,648

vs NZ (2015) 92,390

Total possible attendance for this Autumn's test series if we sell every seat in every stadium:

61,821

Why promote matches when you can just decrease capacity?

[Sports Prophet]

3 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Last 3 total attendances for 3 match test series/ 3 England group matches in 4 nations, in England:

vs NZ (2018) 76,069

4N (2016) 80,648

vs NZ (2015) 92,390

Total possible attendance for this Autumn's test series if we sell every seat in every stadium:

61,821

Why promote matches when you can just decrease capacity?

Lol, yeah that’s some interesting figures. 

For those calling on a match in London, there is no way to the casual fan that Tonga are as big a draw as NZ. Especially in RWC time. I can understand why they kept this one to the heartlands. Would have been good though to see game one somewhere big like Etihad though.

[Big Picture]

3 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Last 3 total attendances for 3 match test series/ 3 England group matches in 4 nations, in England:

vs NZ (2018) 76,069

4N (2016) 80,648

vs NZ (2015) 92,390

Total possible attendance for this Autumn's test series if we sell every seat in every stadium:

61,821

Why promote matches when you can just decrease capacity?

That 2016 4N total is down almost 13% on the 2015 Kiwi tour, and the 2018 Kiwi tour total was down that.

If one factors in a cumulative decline from the 2018 total at the same rate as the decline from the 2015 to 2016 totals and applies that to the 2018 total, the result is 38,573.  Will they get more than that total?  Time will tell.

[Hopie]

There should have been an England match in North London, there should be one there every year.

When we played there last year there was a decent crowd, but it still felt like one of those games that locals wouldn't know it was on until fans were walking past them to get to the ground. Imagine if at that game they were already promoting the next England game in North London. The atmosphere really built in the second half, I'm sure plenty would have come back for more. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Hopie

[crashmon]

11 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Lol, yeah that’s some interesting figures. 

For those calling on a match in London, there is no way to the casual fan that Tonga are as big a draw as NZ. Especially in RWC time. I can understand why they kept this one to the heartlands. Would have been good though to see game one somewhere big like Etihad though.

The point is that the opposition is irrelevent. You make a big play of England RL in London, you make england the attraction not who they are playing.

You fix dates and venues three years in advance, as you will find the 72 hours after the game will be the time most people still buzzing from the experience is when they buy tickets.

about 20 ish years ago I went to see 49ers vs Broncos at Wembley for the NFL London game.  The game was ###### (both teams where weak at the time and both having bad seasons), but the game was a sellout, and every NFL top was represented, around us was sat Bears fans, Dolphins fans, Rams fans (not Dewsbury sadly) etc.   And most people we sat with went to the game every year, regardless of who was actually playing.   Come forward 20 years and we have 3 games now in London every year.

People come to the event.  You make the England games in London an event and people will come.

Edited September 20, 2023 by crashmon

[crashmon]

Netball is a good example here.  England netball games are sell outs, but could you name the top 5 netball teams in the world. People go to see England, not who they are playing.  RL is closer to netball in peoples consciousness outside of M62 than it is to sports teams like Union, Cricket, Soccer for instance.  Your average Punter in the south would be no more aware of Tonga being a top 4 team, as say South Africa or Jamaica.

Edited September 20, 2023 by crashmon

[Big Picture]

51 minutes ago, crashmon said:

Netball is a good example here.  England netball games are sell outs, but could you name the top 5 netball teams in the world. People go to see England, not who they are playing.  RL is closer to netball in peoples consciousness outside of M62 than it is to sports teams like Union, Cricket, Soccer for instance.  Your average Punter in the south would be no more aware of Tonga being a top 4 team, as say South Africa or Jamaica.

Netball is played in arenas though, not stadiums.  Arenas are easier to sell out because their capacities are lower, e.g. Wembley Arena 12,500 and Copper Box Arena just 6,000.  Consequently not a reliable guide. 

You're right that the average punter in the south won't think of Tonga being a top team.  When he or she learns that, the response will likely be the same as that of the person @pahars mentioned on the Fiji thread, a distinct lack of interest.

[Eddie]

44 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Netball is played in arenas though, not stadiums.  Arenas are easier to sell out because their capacities are lower, e.g. Wembley Arena 12,500 and Copper Box Arena just 6,000.  Consequently not a reliable guide. 

You're right that the average punter in the south won't think of Tonga being a top team.  When he or she learns that, the response will likely be the same as that of the person @pahars mentioned on the Fiji thread, a distinct lack of interest.

Who will the average punter think of as top RL teams then? Do you think we’d get better crowds against South Africa or Scotland just because they play Union, or Brazil because they’re good at football? 

[JM2010]

Maybe that needs to be part of the promotion. Don’t just tell people we’re playing Tonga, let them know how good they are and how intense the tests will be 

[Big Picture]

58 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Who will the average punter think of as top RL teams then? Do you think we’d get better crowds against South Africa or Scotland just because they play Union, or Brazil because they’re good at football? 

The average punter won't know at all because apparently most of the public don't even know that a different version of rugby exists and most of the remainder look down on it because they see it as a small time regional sport with limited appeal.

If Brazil, South Africa or even  Scotland had strong, credible RL national teams then playing one of them would help break down that barrier in a way playing (and maybe losing to) "plucky little Tonga" can never do.  Unfortunately those credible teams from credible countries would have to exist first.

[crashmon]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Who will the average punter think of as top RL teams then? Do you think we’d get better crowds against South Africa or Scotland just because they play Union, or Brazil because they’re good at football? 

In the people I work with, talk to, go drinking with have as much interest in RL as they do in knitting, (but a lot went to the SF vs Samoa go figure) basically think that a country which is a top team in Union, must also be a top team in League (as League is rugby for people who like a british version of american football).   SO they would expect England to struggle vs South Africa in League, but annihilate PNG, as there reference would be union.

But they would go to both games as they enjoy going to the big occassion and seeing England live. It really would not matter who the opposition was, as long as it was a genuine test (they would not go to an Enfland A vs Ireland for instance, would need to be the full England team).

My reference to netball was not on the attendance, but more on the fact that who the opposition are does not really matter if you know nothing of the sport, and are going because its england playing

Edited September 20, 2023 by crashmon

[Eddie]

23 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

The average punter won't know at all because apparently most of the public don't even know that a different version of rugby exists and most of the remainder look down on it because they see it as a small time regional sport with limited appeal.

If Brazil, South Africa or even  Scotland had strong, credible RL national teams then playing one of them would help break down that barrier in a way playing (and maybe losing to) "plucky little Tonga" can never do.  Unfortunately those credible teams from credible countries would have to exist first.

Most people in England who are interested in sport (and would contemplate going to a rugby match if either code) know full well there are two types of rugby. Also living in East Anglia I don’t think many people look down in League either, they know it’s ferocious, it’s just there are no teams for them to watch so hence no interest. 

[crashmon]

5 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Most people in England who are interested in sport (and would contemplate going to a rugby match if either code) know full well there are two types of rugby. Also living in East Anglia I don’t think many people look down in League either, they know it’s ferocious, it’s just there are no teams for them to watch so hence no interest. 

This is true, where I am, for your Union fans, football is much more looked down upon than league  They don't have much interest in League (but would watch an england game in London as long as it did not clash with an England Union game), but you would never get them inside a football stadium even if you gave them free tickets.

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, crashmon said:

This is true, where I am, for your Union fans, football is much more looked down upon than league  They don't have much interest in League (but would watch an england game in London as long as it did not clash with an England Union game), but you would never get them inside a football stadium even if you gave them free tickets.

I don't really think it's universal among union fans but because a fair number of my friends are union regulars (who all like and watch league but it's not their sport) I get those annoying 'recommended' things on Facebook and a lot of them are union banter accounts.

Number of times I've noticed it's a joke about how union is better than league: 0

Number of times I've noticed it's a joke about how union is better than soccer (often, morally better): ∞

[Wellsy4HullFC]

So we play France down south then?