Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:33 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

no it wasnt you silly ar5e. The figure he started with was more than a decade old.

Having a game which has 1 professional tier and is essentially amateur below that is a marked improvement on what we had previously, which was a game with 1 semi-pro tier and essentially amateur below that.

It a good point Smokey, many people think that we have been a pro sport "forever" but the reality is quite different and it wasny until Wigan became a full time outfit in the 80's that other clubs started to follow.
On this basis, it would be difficult to argue that the game has moved on significantly and more interestingly, the games peak in popularity has nothing to do with its level of professionalism ?
Lessons to be learned maybe ?

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:53 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

no it wasnt you silly ar5e. The figure he started with was more than a decade old.

Having a game which has 1 professional tier and is essentially amateur below that is a marked improvement on what we had previously, which was a game with 1 semi-pro tier and essentially amateur below that.

And the reason for this ' Improvement ' is bugger all to do with the RFL or the clubs , and all to do with the introduction of pay to view satelite TV , because without that we would still have essentially a semi pro sport

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:59 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

and it wasny until Wigan became a full time outfit in the 80's that other clubs started to follow

Oh look, the old myth is rolled out again.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:02 pm  

Starbug wrote:

And the reason for this ' Improvement ' is bugger all to do with the RFL or the clubs , and all to do with the introduction of pay to view satelite TV , because without that we would still have essentially a semi pro sport

Yes, the improvements in attendances and sponsorship and facilities have nothing to do with the clubs or the people who run them, and the switch to summer rugby and pay tv had nothing to do with RFL.

We all just woke up one day in 1996 and it had all magically happened, which was a lovely surprise for all of us.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:08 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

Yes, the improvements in attendances and sponsorship and facilities have nothing to do with the clubs or the people who run them, and the switch to summer rugby and pay tv had nothing to do with RFL.

We all just woke up one day in 1996 and it had all magically happened, which was a lovely surprise for all of us.

How much are attendances up ?

Sponsorship ? , like this years , or last years ?

Facilities ? , so which clubs have financed their own stadia ? , which stadia have the RFL financed ? , more the results of the change in football , not RL

Pay TV [ SKY ] wanted something to fill their summer schedules , thats what they pay for

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:49 pm  

Starbug wrote:

How much are attendances up ?

Since the change to summer rugby? Massively.

Sponsorship ? , like this years , or last years ?

Any years.

Facilities ? , so which clubs have financed their own stadia ? , which stadia have the RFL financed ? , more the results of the change in football , not RL

Saints, Widnes, Warrington, Leeds, Hull KR, Les Catalans. With Hull FC and Wigan moving into multi-use facilities.

Pay TV [ SKY ] wanted something to fill their summer schedules , thats what they pay for

and the RFL are responsible for packaging a product they could sell, that pay tv wants to buy.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:43 am  

MattyB wrote:

Oh look, the old myth is rolled out again.

Wow, someones feeling a bit sensitive on the other side of the hill.
It was a perfectly valid point in relation to the sport going full time pro and quite frankly, had Wigan not gone down this route, we may not have "super league"

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:45 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

It was a perfectly valid point

Valid but factually incorrect.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:48 am  

MattyB wrote:

Valid but factually incorrect.

I can't help but fear we're going to disappear down into another Wigan parallel universe. But please, do tell us more about what you think happened.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:51 am  

MattyB wrote:

Valid but factually incorrect.

So not the first club to go full time pro then, suckking in an elite squad of top players and then uncle Mo helping broker a deal with Sky.
(we wont mention the move from Central Park )