Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:30 am  

cravenpark1 wrote:

Jake the Peg wrote:

I meant in large numbers. yes there were neutrals there but go back 20 years and there were huge numbers of neutrals. maybe the change from may to august is a big factor

I do not like this Jake but I agree, move it back to may has soon has possible

It's a mixture of many things, the main one being a general apathy towards the game from many of its loyal supporters, which means spending extra money to go to an event as a neutral is no longer as appealing, also the over saturation of events, but I'm also sure the August date doesn't help. It's smack bang in the middle of holiday season and it's the bank holiday weekend which is notorious for people heading off for breaks. Then throw in the fact that there are things like Leeds/Reading Fest on the same time, there's plenty of other things people are doing this weekend. A May weekend is much more like to see neutrals attend.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:50 am  

Challenge cup needs to be seen as an event again. I would scrap magic weekend think it's runs its course anyway. Move the cup back a 4 weeks. If we are sticking with super 8's the cc should be at the end of regular tounds before 8's start. Also each round should be every forth week and first round proper (no byes for super league teams) should be before super league starts.

I also think semis should be a double h header and venue announced year before.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:59 am  

I went as a neutral though sat in the Hull end, enjoyed the game just what i was hoping for, a close hard fought game where the result was in doubt right to the end.

One or two issues with the stadium though, firstly we had to have our tickets re-printed as they had been duplicated due to the original ones not being registered, this was also a problem for a few others who were having the same issue.
Secondly the escalators weren't working meaning everyone on level 5 had to walk up hundreds of steps, ok if your young and fit but there were elderly people and folk with mobility issues having to do it and clearly some people were struggling with this, it was a very long way up and i just think not enough was done to help and it was almost a blase attitude from Wembley staff.

Thought the 3/4 empty Wigan end was rather embarrassing from the self styled 'best team and fans in the world' shocking turnout from them but i guess if you're used to winning trophies and attending finals it gets boring for you....not that i could ever imagine getting bored.

Anyway congrats to Hull FC, thought they shaded it and hope everyone had a good day out.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:06 am  

The RFL have messed up since the BBC became the puppet master and we are possibly might see a continuous decline until the TV rights deal runs out in 2020. As mentioned the final should be moved back 4 weeks to avoid the clash with Football, Union and the August Bank Holiday, the schedule of the rounds make the neutrals forget about the competition, is it 5 or 6 weeks between between the quarter and semi finals.

After the semis and the finalists have been determined, the RFL should look at the projection of ticket sales and if there is substational availability tickets should be made to the 12 million or so London Residents at say 30 -40% reduction (kids for free).

Big Nige and his Barwick sidekick are sitting on the "crown jewels" of this event whilst rugby league burns.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:45 am  

As stated by previous poster the final needs to be earlier in the season. I fear a return to May is out of the question due to Wembley being used for the FA cup final and the playoffs on the two May bank holidays. An earlier cup final and a move of the Magic weekend to the last match of the regular season may boost attendances at both. Magic would be something special with play off places and possibly the League Leaders shield being decided.

Now on to Wembley/organisation. Several times in recent years there have been issues with the rail network on August bank holiday. I guess that Network Rail don't give a toss as it mainly affects Northerners travelling South. To compound the issue some idiot has thought that it is a good idea to build flats, shops etc. on the stadium carparks. It took over an hour in the queue (approx. 1/2 mile) to get in to the coachpark that is now smaller than the one at the DW! Absolutely crazy for a national stadium that attracts people from all over the country; especially when the rail network is stuffed and people have to travel by road.

The PA failure during "Abide with me" was an embarrassment and the half time break dragged on for a good 20 mins. It was after 5pm when the match finished. God knows what time it would have finished if it had gone to golden point. I remember when the match was done and dusted, you'd watched the cup presentation and be back on the coach by 5pm.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:23 pm  

For me the key issues are timing and cost.

It is peak holiday season so many people are either on holiday or have just returned from holiday and are all spent up.

August bank holiday is when the west coast main line traditionally has engineering works. So if you were from Wigan the traditional train journey from Wigan North Western to Euston is out of the question. That means drive or Coach. Both of which entail 5 hour journeys each way.

With regard to coaches. With it being peak holiday season the availability of coaches is reduced as the coaches are in full use taking people away on trips. This results in increased cost of booking a coach. Hence pubs and clubs are faced with hefty bills if wanting to organise a wembley trip without guarantee of making a profit. Consequently fewer trips are organised. Those that are organised are more expensive, which again reduces accessibility.

London itself is financially a completely different country to the North of England. This manifests itself most extravagantly in the costs of food and drink in and around the stadium. This again is a large disincentive to visit. Especially if compounded by peak holiday season hotel and transport costs.

The grand Final, magic weekend, summer big bash, and Perpignan to see your team play Les Cats all offer more affordable and better rugby league focused events than Wembley.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:39 pm  

It struck me yesterday what a mess the game is in right now. A random Rugby Union game can pull in a better crowd than our final. How has it come to that?

For the first time, we didn't bother buying tickets in advance, because we are sick of paying full whack only for the RFL to flog seats off for next-to-nothing a few months later. Sure enough we got Club Wembley for a fiver from a tout!

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:39 pm  

Final needs to be moved to end of May, scrap MM which actually brings in less money for clubs than a respective home or indeed away game and is just a glorified mickey up for fans who actually don't turn up in any great numbers all things considered and is just as far for many heartlands fans going to Newcastle as it is to London.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm  

P-J wrote:

A close game decided by poor officiating.

The RFL really need to up the standards of the referees or the game will die.

I hate this attitude. It's not the refs putting cheap dog shots in, trying to "win" penalties, inventing plays on the cusp of the rules to gain advantage.

Re: Wembley : Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:49 pm  

knockersbumpMKII wrote:

Final needs to be moved to end of May, scrap MM which actually brings in less money for clubs than a respective home or indeed away game and is just a glorified mickey up for fans who actually don't turn up in any great numbers all things considered and is just as far for many heartlands fans going to Newcastle as it is to London.

How do you know? How much do the local council pay to get the event to there city?