Midlands Hurricanes stadium boost

[Coggo]

1 hour ago, Bearman said:

The chants are " Hurricanes" not "Midlands "

Just like  the species shouted "Skolars" not  London,  "Cru" not North Wales, "Thunder" not Newcastle.

The "Choir" have embraced it with quite a few variations.

So, you might not like it but the paying punters do

 

Broncos fans are famous for singing ‘Laaaaahhhn-dun!’, of course.

Why not Birmingham, as that’s where you play? 

[Gomersall]

 

[Click]

17 hours ago, Coggo said:

Broncos fans are famous for singing ‘Laaaaahhhn-dun!’, of course.

Why not Birmingham, as that’s where you play? 

You keep asking a question that was answered in the first reply you got. 

[Blind side johnny]

20 hours ago, Bearman said:

The chants are " Hurricanes" not "Midlands "

Just like  the species shouted "Skolars" not  London,  "Cru" not North Wales, "Thunder" not Newcastle.

The "Choir" have embraced it with quite a few variations.

So, you might not like it but the paying punters do

 

Why not change the name to Hurricanes then, omitting the Midlands bit?

[fighting irish]

On 12/03/2024 at 17:04, Bearman said:

Easy and free

where though?

[Griff]

On 12/03/2024 at 10:31, iffleyox said:

As a local, because it's the West Midlands. No one identifies with the West Midlands, they identify with their town, or to an extent which seems to surprise people who think counties have died, their county.

Why would you identify with your council?  Of course people identify with their counties!

Unless you're from Lancashire, apparently.

[Yorks Tim]

12 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

where though?

Literally in the shadow of the stadium.

Drive down Stadium Way towards the big sporty venue thing.

Turn left for main area; if all taken, try other side.

 

[Yorks Tim]

4 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Why not change the name to Hurricanes then, omitting the Midlands bit?

It's not Bearman's decision.

Calling the club Midlands suggests that Hurricanes will be at the top of a great big pyramid of other RL clubs in the English midlands with fans coming to games from all corners of the English midlands.  

Does it really bother you that much?! 

[groundhopper]

For anyone going BBC and RL express have the first game as 3pm but website, Facebook etc, which I am sure is accurate has 2pm.

 

 

[Yorks Tim]

Quote

Event Name:

Midlands Hurricanes vs Rochdale Hornets

Event Date(s):

17th March 2024 | 2pm KO

Event Description:

Midlands Hurricanes RLFC are delighted to be partnered with leading digital ticketing company Future Ticketing and we will be launching The Hurricanes' branded Digital Ticketing App for our 2024 Season. Our 2024 Ticket holders will be able to access their tickets through the Hurricanes branded app and use their own QR code to scan into Alexander Stadium for our fixtures. It will be as simple as that! 

Proof of age may be required for concession and u21/u16 tickets. 

Tickets here

[Anita Bath]

1 hour ago, groundhopper said:

For anyone going BBC and RL express have the first game as 3pm but website, Facebook etc, which I am sure is accurate has 2pm.

 

 

Rochdale Hornets website has 2pm as well so the opposition should be on time.

More evidence of you not believing anything on the BBC.

[OriginalMrC]

I'm hoping this move will help the Hurricanes grow and attract bigger crowds. I do think playing on the training pitch will have affected crowds which were smaller than Coventry Bears attracted. A successful team longer term will be needed and loads of promotion needed to get people through the gates. 

 

[Kenilworth Tiger]

On 12/03/2024 at 10:31, iffleyox said:

As a local, because it's the West Midlands. No one identifies with the West Midlands, they identify with their town, or to an extent which seems to surprise people who think counties have died, their county. Which unfortunately for this area means Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, rather than the West Midlands County, which sort of exists officially, but no one identifies with at all. It doesn't even fit neatly by area into one or other of the 'old' counties - Birmingham contains bits of all three, everywhere else is only in one of them.

So the quickest way to cut off a section of fanbase is to choose 'Warwickshire' or 'Birmingham' as names. Warwickshire will lose you Worcestershire and the Black Country (Staffs mostly, with some Worcs), Birmingham will lose you anything that isn't Birmingham. Which is an issue when you've got a legacy fanbase from Coventry. 

The bitterest rivalry is Worcestershire vs Warwickshire - which in cricket knocks a roses match into a cocked hat except no one from away from the midlands seems to know about it. It's so bitter that many people would rather not attend the away match - so as not to put money into whichever of Worcs or Warks they don't support. 

Hurricanes' link up with Warwickshire CCC was a regrettable lapse that does, at a visceral level, make it difficult for both me and some other Worcs CCC fans I know to support them. Unfortunately I'm serious, even though typing it out feels ridiculous.

About the only other name which they could have tried I think is something like Three Counties Hurricanes, which would also have been a dog's breakfast. 

They're stuck with 'Midlands' because they've come to Birmingham from Coventry and didn't want to lose existing fans. Birmingham would arguably have been cleaner in terms of trying to start from scratch, but unfortunately, Birmingham v Coventry is another massive and sometimes bitter rivalry, in cricket, football, and RU.... IMO they were right to avoid it. 

It's one of the problems in trying to graft a new sport into an area that's a seething mess of pre-existing rivalries. There are a lot of people in the West Midlands, but it's not straightforward.

 

 

Not sure the crocket thing stands up 

As a Cas fan I would say the team that I want to beat the most is Leeds Rhinos by some distance however I am, and have been for some time, a paid up member at Leeds United.

Marching on Together being played at Headingley is a total mind bender for me.

[Hopping Mad]

3 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Rochdale Hornets website has 2pm as well so the opposition should be on time.

More evidence of you not believing anything on the BBC.

As mentioned elsewhere, the fault is with slow-to-respond PA Media, the BBC's third party data provider.

Edited March 14 by Hopping Mad

[Hopping Mad]

On 11/03/2024 at 16:38, Worzel said:

Yeah I hope this works out for them, but I'm not sure watching the game from behind 25 metres' width of athletics track and long-jump tracks is the best experience. Don Valley wasn't great, nor was New River at Skolars. 

Got to be better than paying £15 for the sort of view (i.e. the Alexander Stadium's warm-up arena) you get at most amateur grounds.

Edited March 14 by Hopping Mad

[slowdive]

On 12/03/2024 at 10:31, iffleyox said:

As a local, because it's the West Midlands. No one identifies with the West Midlands, they identify with their town, or to an extent which seems to surprise people who think counties have died, their county. Which unfortunately for this area means Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, rather than the West Midlands County, which sort of exists officially, but no one identifies with at all. It doesn't even fit neatly by area into one or other of the 'old' counties - Birmingham contains bits of all three, everywhere else is only in one of them.

So the quickest way to cut off a section of fanbase is to choose 'Warwickshire' or 'Birmingham' as names. Warwickshire will lose you Worcestershire and the Black Country (Staffs mostly, with some Worcs), Birmingham will lose you anything that isn't Birmingham. Which is an issue when you've got a legacy fanbase from Coventry. 

The bitterest rivalry is Worcestershire vs Warwickshire - which in cricket knocks a roses match into a cocked hat except no one from away from the midlands seems to know about it. It's so bitter that many people would rather not attend the away match - so as not to put money into whichever of Worcs or Warks they don't support. 

Hurricanes' link up with Warwickshire CCC was a regrettable lapse that does, at a visceral level, make it difficult for both me and some other Worcs CCC fans I know to support them. Unfortunately I'm serious, even though typing it out feels ridiculous.

About the only other name which they could have tried I think is something like Three Counties Hurricanes, which would also have been a dog's breakfast. 

They're stuck with 'Midlands' because they've come to Birmingham from Coventry and didn't want to lose existing fans. Birmingham would arguably have been cleaner in terms of trying to start from scratch, but unfortunately, Birmingham v Coventry is another massive and sometimes bitter rivalry, in cricket, football, and RU.... IMO they were right to avoid it. 

It's one of the problems in trying to graft a new sport into an area that's a seething mess of pre-existing rivalries. There are a lot of people in the West Midlands, but it's not straightforward.

 

 

What about trying something like Mercia or maybe even something which isn't specifically geographic?

[Click]

9 minutes ago, slowdive said:

What about trying something like Mercia or maybe even something which isn't specifically geographic?

Or .... they like being called the Midlands.

[Griff]

11 minutes ago, slowdive said:

What about trying something like Mercia or maybe even something which isn't specifically geographic?

Mercia implies the specific geographic area of the former Kingdom of Mercia.

[Griff]

6 hours ago, Hopping Mad said:

Got to be better than paying £15 for the sort of view (i.e. the Alexander Stadium's warm-up arena) you get at most amateur grounds.

Yeah - the warm up area was shocking.   I don't blame the Hurricanes for that.  It must be galling to be playing on what is effectively a park pitch in the shadow of what looks to be - from the outside - a very well appointed stadium.

[slowdive]

16 minutes ago, Griff said:

Mercia implies the specific geographic area of the former Kingdom of Mercia.

Did you miss me writing or?  

[slowdive]

23 minutes ago, Click said:

Or .... they like being called the Midlands.

Thanks for that...I was responding to someone else's musings on the matter.  I personally don't think it's a great name.

[Yorks Tim]

23 minutes ago, Griff said:

Yeah - the warm up area was shocking.   I don't blame the Hurricanes for that.  It must be galling to be playing on what is effectively a park pitch in the shadow of what looks to be - from the outside - a very well appointed stadium.

It was annoying and very embarrassing.

As was said above, it certainly lost us some fans and we now have the task of getting them to return. Hopefully the buzz around playing in the main stadium will prove a draw in itself.  

[Bearman]

On 11/03/2024 at 16:38, Worzel said:

Yeah I hope this works out for them, but I'm not sure watching the game from behind 25 metres' width of athletics track and long-jump tracks is the best experience. Don Valley wasn't great, nor was New River at Skolars. 

It's not uncommon though is it?

Hunslet

North Wales Crusaders

Odsal with a speedway track

 

[Worzel]

43 minutes ago, Bearman said:

It's not uncommon though is it?

Hunslet

North Wales Crusaders

Odsal with a speedway track

 

No it’s not. I’ve watched games at two of those, and Don Valley, and Chiswick with the Broncos, and Roosters at the Sydney Cricket Ground. I’ve even watched the mighty Hull KR lose to Wigan at The Bowl in Douglas. So no, not unique.

I’ve just not enjoyed any of those games as much as others because you’re far from the action, and the crowd impact dissipates too. 

It is what it is eh. I wish the club well, I’m just not sure this will be great. 

[Leyther_Matt]

2 hours ago, Bearman said:

It's not uncommon though is it?

Hunslet

North Wales Crusaders

Odsal with a speedway track

 

I do find they vary wildly tbf

Hunslet is a great view from the upper tier

Crusaders you barely even notice the track

I don’t recall Skolars being that bad, fairly sure the long jump was on the far side from the main stand which is obviously a huge factor 

Don Valley is the only ground where I gave up attending because you saw so little of the game (Odsal isn’t far off tbh)