England vs Samoa Series

[Odsal Outlaw]

20 hours ago, Dave T said:

The frustrating thing with all of this is how difficult we make it for ourselves. 

When anything gets announced we will be starting from scratch, just as we do every year. We have no ongoing sponsors (England RL's main sponsors are SL sponsors who get a bolt on), we have no England fanbase to speak of, no supporters club, we have no 'home' - we are making it almost impossible for this to succeed. 

We need regularity, to build an engaged Base, partners who help us deliver. I do think this is the closest we've been to killing Eng/GB in the 35+ years I've watched. It's a slow motion car crash. 

I work for a company who were involved with England RL in the World Cup, the coverage was great with plenty of shots of the logo on socials and TV for men’s, women’s and wheelchair and some good use of players with the brands. At the end of the WC there was no future plans to be involved in, no fixtures and so nothing to sign up to. Companies budget and plan ahead so the brand in question moved on to RU.

Edited April 28 by Odsal Outlaw

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I work for a company who were involved with England RL in the World Cup, the coverage was great with plenty of shots of the logo on socials and TV for men’s, women’s and wheelchair and some good use of players with the brands. At the end of the WC there was no future plans to be involved in, no fixtures and so nothing to sign up to. Companies budget and plan ahead so the brand in question moved on to RU.

This unfortunately is a reoccurring theme.

[Odsal Outlaw]

3 minutes ago, Damien said:

This unfortunately is a reoccurring theme.

It is. And we can blame the IRL and NRL all we like, and there is some merit in that. But some of it is completely within our own hands. 

We could have a mid season game against France locked in every year as an annual event and sell that.

We had a wheelchair WC which had great impact and actually the best two teams are in Europe. I attended one of the games in London (with the brand in question from the WC) and it was a great event. We did nothing to capitalise on it.

Edited April 28 by Odsal Outlaw

[Yorky]

I'm guessing this series isn't happening now then? Personally I was looking forward to it, especially with the 'world cup semi final revenge ' angle adding to the occasion.

 

[Archie Gordon]

22 minutes ago, Yorky said:

I'm guessing this series isn't happening now then? Personally I was looking forward to it, especially with the 'world cup semi final revenge ' angle adding to the occasion.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if it still happened but two M62 venues with 11k in will mean a financial and reputational hit. And that will be the end of the England team aspiring to play anyone but Aus and NZ.

Along the same lines, we have a test match coming up against France which doesn't seem to be selling tickets.

[tiffers]

The whole thing is utterly depressing.

If only 'we' could get our house in order (globally) and organise ourselves with a little bit of commitment in advance. We might be able to sell the international game to the point it becomes an exciting product that you can make cash from.

I used to be really excited by the international game. It was the pinnacle. These days I struggle to muster up any energy for it because it's so volatile and plans (10 year wish lists) always fall apart for one reason or another.

Do I think we will have an ashes series... No.

Will the Samoa series happen... Probably not.

Will the world cup be an NRL/internal Aussie affair... Almost certainly.

Is it any surprise that tickets are not selling for the mid season test... Not in the slightest. 

[Leyther_Matt]

29 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

It wouldn't surprise me if it still happened but two M62 venues with 11k in will mean a financial and reputational hit. And that will be the end of the England team aspiring to play anyone but Aus and NZ.

Along the same lines, we have a test match coming up against France which doesn't seem to be selling tickets.

That’s not entirely unusual. I went to the game at Stade Francais in Paris in 2009 and tickets didn’t go on sale until about 10 days before.

Doesn’t make it any less bonkers, mind. 

[gingerjon]

31 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Along the same lines, we have a test match coming up against France which doesn't seem to be selling tickets.

Are they on sale somewhere other than here (where they are not on sale)?

https://www.ffr13.fr/billetterie/

[Archie Gordon]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Are they on sale somewhere other than here (where they are not on sale)?

https://www.ffr13.fr/billetterie/

I was on that page earlier and there were no 29 June tickets on sale. Now it seems to display a come back later message.

TO billetterie doesn't seem to be selling tickets for 29 June yet.

[Archie Gordon]

8 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

That’s not entirely unusual. I went to the game at Stade Francais in Paris in 2009 and tickets didn’t go on sale until about 10 days before.

Doesn’t make it any less bonkers, mind. 

It just seems set up to be a mediocre event and nobody at the FFR13 or RFL seems bothered in the slightest. 

Every other sport on the rise is pushing international and women's competitions whilst we treat those parts of the game as a chore. 

[Hopie]

The contrast between the potential and the reality is heartbreaking.

[ATLANTISMAN]

On 17/05/2024 at 08:39, Archie Gordon said:

It just seems set up to be a mediocre event and nobody at the FFR13 or RFL seems bothered in the slightest. 

Every other sport on the rise is pushing international and women's competitions whilst we treat those parts of the game as a chore. 

Your not the only one banging ones head against the wall.

Luc Lacoste had a business background now many have good intentions however their heads are buried in the sand alongside living in a fantasy world.

[BristolDevonCharlie]

On 17/05/2024 at 06:23, Yorky said:

I'm guessing this series isn't happening now then? Personally I was looking forward to it, especially with the 'world cup semi final revenge ' angle adding to the occasion.

 

Phil Caplan and Steve Mascord both reported last week that it is still in the pipeline. Samoa were still keen to play Tonga before coming here, but it seems they are getting over that hurdle now. There is also the Samoa owing the RFL money thing which they will have needed to overcome. Bizarre. 

[JM2010]

51 minutes ago, BristolDevonCharlie said:

Phil Caplan and Steve Mascord both reported last week that it is still in the pipeline. Samoa were still keen to play Tonga before coming here, but it seems they are getting over that hurdle now. There is also the Samoa owing the RFL money thing which they will have needed to overcome. Bizarre. 

Still in the pipeline! That’s why they can’t take it to big stadiums and get good crowds. They’ll announce it a few months before at average sized heartlands stadiums with little or no build up.

Tickets should be on sale now with professional and community clubs being incentivised to sell them, speculation about who might make the squads etc

[Gomersall]

54 minutes ago, BristolDevonCharlie said:

Phil Caplan and Steve Mascord both reported last week that it is still in the pipeline. Samoa were still keen to play Tonga before coming here, but it seems they are getting over that hurdle now. There is also the Samoa owing the RFL money thing which they will have needed to overcome. Bizarre. 

Any idea why Samoa owe the RFL money?

[Gomersall]

Just now, JM2010 said:

Still in the pipeline! That’s why they can’t take it to big stadiums and get good crowds. They’ll announce it a few months before at average sized heartlands stadiums with little or no build up.

Tickets should be on sale now with professional and community clubs being incentivised to sell them, speculation about who might make the squads etc

Too much common sense there JM. Have they learned nothing from last year?

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Any idea why Samoa owe the RFL money?

Something to do with the World Cup iirc.

[Gomersall]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Something to do with the World Cup iirc.

Surely any money Samoa owe the RFL would be taken from the profits we are told the WC made? Then again, this IS Rugby League.

[Archie Gordon]

6 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

Still in the pipeline! That’s why they can’t take it to big stadiums and get good crowds. They’ll announce it a few months before at average sized heartlands stadiums with little or no build up.

Tickets should be on sale now with professional and community clubs being incentivised to sell them, speculation about who might make the squads etc

Precisely this.

Any professional organisarion would have had a deadline ages ago and activated Plan B. We have a dude in charge who admitted something along the lines of not even being sure whether he's supposed to be calling Samoa or whether they'll get back to him.

Leadership please!

[Tommygilf]

16 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Surely any money Samoa owe the RFL would be taken from the profits we are told the WC made? Then again, this IS Rugby League.

Again prefaced with iirc, but I believe the RFL underwrote the World Cup in some fashion, so its owed to them? It's not very clear.

[BristolDevonCharlie]

4 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Any idea why Samoa owe the RFL money?

 

4 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Again prefaced with iirc, but I believe the RFL underwrote the World Cup in some fashion, so its owed to them? It's not very clear.

Yep. According to Mascord & Caplan, apparently Samoa owe overspends on hotels and expenses at the RLWC, whose legal entity has now been absorbed into the RFL. 

[gingerjon]

52 minutes ago, BristolDevonCharlie said:

 

Yep. According to Mascord & Caplan, apparently Samoa owe overspends on hotels and expenses at the RLWC, whose legal entity has now been absorbed into the RFL. 

Those overspends caused by them not losing the semi final?

[Gomersall]

13 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Those overspends caused by them not losing the semi final?

If so and there’s nothing excessive in there I don’t see how it’s a debt if Australia’s expenses were also covered to the same degree.

[BristolDevonCharlie]

19 hours ago, Gomersall said:

If so and there’s nothing excessive in there I don’t see how it’s a debt if Australia’s expenses were also covered to the same degree.

From memory Samoa demanded a hotel change at some point in the tournament, so it may be something to do with that, perhaps?!

[BristolDevonCharlie]

Probed Brad Walter (IRL Media Manager and NRL Senior Reporter) for an update on the end of the year....

Edited May 28 by BristolDevonCharlie