The whining about the low GF attendance thread

[Rovers13]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Because it is still the best option and easily the biggest stadium in the North.

Anfield is as bad, and some stands are worse, and has a capacity smaller than the attendance we have got at the vast majority of our Grand Finals. Next up is the City of Manchester that has a capacity 20k less than Old Trafford and is barely big enough for a final even containing Catalans, never mind when other teams get there.

That’s a fair point tbf, I was thinking more of trying to branch out wider a field but when you put it as a capacity thing pretty impossible unless it’s Wembley tbh. 

[Rovers13]

Have we ever staged a game in Ireland? I know we have done Cardiff and Hampden. 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

32 minutes ago, Amber Avenger said:

Not sure about anywhere else, but for once in Manchester walking around town there are plenty of adverts up and the live electronic billboards updated to let everyone know it's Catalans vs Wigan. Can't recall seeing that in previous years. 

Yeah the problem is that needed to be done on the period 12-4 weeks out from the final. The general rule of thumb for major events is that what you’ve sold with 4 weeks to go will be >50% of total sales. So if you’ve not sold 50% of your target before then, you can’t reach it. The marketing volume needs to be much earlier.

We rely far too much on sales to the finalists in the 7 days before the match. 
 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Hull Kingston Bronco
Typo

[Archie Gordon]

52 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

It's based on models which project likely sales outcomes based on sales to-date. Alternate rows don't exactly limit choice - being one row back or forward from your "perfect" row is no difference at all. 

The issue is generating more interest and demand so that you don't need to dress the stadium for TV. Doing the latter doesn't stop you doing the former. It certainly doesn't reduce ticket site visitors propensity to buy if they come to the site and see those graphics. They've got the site visit data on that, and so would stop doing it if it did.  

It certainly does reduce propensity to buy. It's not the *precise* row I'm bothered about. The issue is when the first set of alternate rows have singles/doubles only or no aisle seats and I want to buy for 4 or want an aisle seat. If you delay my purchase completely unnecessarily, I just find something else to do.

[17 stone giant]

16 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

Have we ever staged a game in Ireland? I know we have done Cardiff and Hampden. 

I haven't looked back at the entire history of RL, but:

Since 1998 it's always been Old Trafford for the Grand Final, except for the Covid year 2020 when it was Hull.

Challenge Cup since 2000 (particularly when Wembley was unavailable for a bit) has sometimes been Murrayfield (think that's what you meant, rather than Hampden Park), Cardiff, Tottenham and Twickenham.

Not sure about all the Magic Weekends.

Where in Ireland are you thinking of? Croke Park?

[Rovers13]

1 minute ago, 17 stone giant said:

I haven't looked back at the entire history of RL, but:

Since 1998 it's always been Old Trafford for the Grand Final, except for the Covid year 2020 when it was Hull.

Challenge Cup since 2000 (particularly when Wembley was unavailable for a bit) has sometimes been Murrayfield (think that's what you meant, rather than Hampden Park), Cardiff, Tottenham and Twickenham.

Not sure about all the Magic Weekends.

Where in Ireland are you thinking of? Croke Park?

No where in Ireland specifically tbf. I’ve just always thought theirs a market their for expansion, you oook at their national sports not much to compete with, barring international level rugby union only Gaelic football I think that is quite big in Ireland tbh. 

[17 stone giant]

1 minute ago, Rovers13 said:

No where in Ireland specifically tbf. I’ve just always thought theirs a market their for expansion, you oook at their national sports not much to compete with, barring international level rugby union only Gaelic football I think that is quite big in Ireland tbh. 

Well, football is popular there. As you say rugby union and gaelic football. Hurling too. Bit of cricket these days. Horse racing, maybe. That's just a few, but I'm sure dere's more to Oireland den dis.

[Amber Avenger]

18 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

Yeah the problem is that needed to be done on the period 12-4 weeks out from the final. The general rule of thumb for major events is that what you’ve sold with 4 weeks to go will be >50% of total sales. So if you’ve not sold 50% of your target before then, you can’t reach it. The marketing volume needs to be much earlier.

We rely far too much on sales to the finalists in the 7 days before the match. 
 

I don't know about four weeks ago or more I haven't been keeping that close an eye, but there are also posters up from prior to the finalists being known that I have noticed in the past month maybe.

Not disagreeing, and there is obvious room for improvement, but just an answer to the observation that there is no marketing this week, that I have absolutely observed some 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Amber Avenger

[JDM]

7 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

No where in Ireland specifically tbf. I’ve just always thought theirs a market their for expansion, you oook at their national sports not much to compete with, barring international level rugby union only Gaelic football I think that is quite big in Ireland tbh. 

 

32 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

Have we ever staged a game in Ireland? I know we have done Cardiff and Hampden. 

The 95-96 Charity Shield between Leeds and Wigan was held in Dublin in August '95.

The game had also been played on the Isle of man in the '80s.

[Rovers13]

2 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

Well, football is popular there. As you say rugby union and gaelic football. Hurling too. Bit of cricket these days. Horse racing, maybe. That's just a few, but I'm sure dere's more to Oireland den dis.

When you put it like that maybe not then , forgot about horse curragh leopardstown are huge for punters. 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

12 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

It certainly does reduce propensity to buy. It's not the *precise* row I'm bothered about. The issue is when the first set of alternate rows have singles/doubles only or no aisle seats and I want to buy for 4 or want an aisle seat. If you delay my purchase completely unnecessarily, I just find something else to do.

That scenario should be rare as hen's teeth in a situation where capacity utilisation is such that we've decided to sell alternate rows. The intermediate rows can be switched on by AI as soon as that behavious is sensed, let alone seen.

The core issue is building demand, not how we convert that demand. 

[philipw]

37 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

Have we ever staged a game in Ireland? I know we have done Cardiff and Hampden. 

We’ve done Murrayfield for CC finals-don’t think we’ve been to Hampden have we?

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

3 minutes ago, JDM said:

 

The 95-96 Charity Shield between Leeds and Wigan was held in Dublin in August '95.

The game had also been played on the Isle of man in the '80s.

The 1985 Charity Shield between Hull KR and Wigan was, bizarrely, held on the Isle of Man. 4,000 were there, including yours truly... let's go there instead!! 

...amusingly, it was a family trip and 9 months later my cousin was born. They named him Douglas!! 

[Rovers13]

Just now, philipw said:

We’ve done Murrayfield for CC finals-don’t think we’ve been to Hampden have we?

Yeah you’re right I get the 2 Scottish national stadiums mixed up. 

[WN83]

1 hour ago, Amber Avenger said:

Not sure about anywhere else, but for once in Manchester walking around town there are plenty of adverts up and the live electronic billboards updated to let everyone know it's Catalans vs Wigan. Can't recall seeing that in previous years. 

They had the Grand Final Trophy on display in Victoria station yesterday as well. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, JDM said:

 

The 95-96 Charity Shield between Leeds and Wigan was held in Dublin in August '95.

The game had also been played on the Isle of man in the '80s.

You learn something new everyday!

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

You learn something new everyday!

That game is currently on sky catchup!

[The Hallucinating Goose]

10 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

That game is currently on sky catchup!

Unfortunately I don't have sky mate or I would give it a watch! 

Edit. Just found it on YouTube! 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by The Hallucinating Goose

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

The Ethiad is light years ahead as a stadium 

A big factor that stops me going each year is the fact OT is such a dump with rubbish leg room and rubbish facilities (I do go more times than not in fairness but can't face it for a two thirds fulm stadium after doing the last Cats OT final)

If it was a full 53000 at Ethiad it would probably be enough to draw me up to watch ....I'd probably go every year if it was 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 hours ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

Yeah the problem is that needed to be done on the period 12-4 weeks out from the final. The general rule of thumb for major events is that what you’ve sold with 4 weeks to go will be >50% of total sales. So if you’ve not sold 50% of your target before then, you can’t reach it. The marketing volume needs to be much earlier.

We rely far too much on sales to the finalists in the 7 days before the match. 
 

For many (most) fans I'm not sure it's that attractive to watch another two teams you don't support play 

I mean I go to the CC as it's 40 minute drive for me .....I probably would go to every OT final if I was near it but not sure I am typical 

[Chrispmartha]

When is Evertons stadium due to be finished? Could that be an option for the GF

old trafford is a dump IMO

[Dave T]

8 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

When is Evertons stadium due to be finished? Could that be an option for the GF

old trafford is a dump IMO

Old Trafford is a dump, and I would seriously consider Man City if they expand it and we can get an agreement, but Old Trafford does look very good on TV and even with a lower crowd it can look good, far better than Wembley tbh. Now part of the reason for that is that it is so cramped that empty seats are hidden, but still.

[Gomersall]

19 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

When is Evertons stadium due to be finished? Could that be an option for the GF

old trafford is a dump IMO

Ready for the start of 2024/25 season. Isn’t capacity just over 50,000?

[Dave W]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

For many (most) fans I'm not sure it's that attractive to watch another two teams you don't support play 

I mean I go to the CC as it's 40 minute drive for me .....I probably would go to every OT final if I was near it but not sure I am typical 

You've made a very good point. People make the point about club chairmen only having their own club's interest at heart, to the detriment of RL itself. I think a lot of fans are guilty of the same thing, tbh. If it isn't their team, they aren't interested.

RL *needs* fans of other clubs to turn up to the showpiece games and put parochialism aside for a few hours and celebrate the sport itself. Be a Frenchman for the day! Support whoever it is you dislike the least!

A lot do that anyway, otherwise the Challenge Cup and Grand Final would only have 30000 people there each time.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Dave W

[Chrispmartha]

30 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Old Trafford is a dump, and I would seriously consider Man City if they expand it and we can get an agreement, but Old Trafford does look very good on TV and even with a lower crowd it can look good, far better than Wembley tbh. Now part of the reason for that is that it is so cramped that empty seats are hidden, but still.

The pitch is also not big enough the in goals are way too small and dangerous imo