London and Manchester legacy

[jolly boys outing]

What is it if any by the RFL playing both the challenge cup final in London and the super league grandfinal in Manchester?

surely more could be done for both finals within the schools of both London and Manchester at the very least.

 

[Kurt Angle]

More like London is a legacy of the Challenge Cup, played there first in 1929 at the "national stadium"

Manchester is because it's the biggest stadium along the M62

 

[jolly boys outing]

More like London is a legacy of the Challenge Cup, played there first in 1929 at the "national stadium"

Manchester is because it's the biggest stadium along the M62

Sure but both cities have very little RL grassroots development especially Manchester which is more surprising than London because of it’s geographical location sandwiched in between West Yorkshire clubs such as leeds&bradford and old Lancashire teams like Wigan, St Helens and Warrington.

 

[Taking The Two]

What legacy? Old Trafford is the best 2nd biggest stadium in the country and biggest in the north, Wembley is the biggest and gives/gave a national footprint on the sport. That’s why they have been chosen to host the games they host.

 

[jolly boys outing]

What legacy? Old Trafford is the best 2nd biggest stadium in the country and biggest in the north, Wembley is the biggest and gives/gave a national footprint on the sport. That’s why they have been chosen to host the games they host.

The point I’m trying to make is that the overwhelming majority of Londoners and Mancunians will be unaware of a final taking place in their cities.

 

[Taking The Two]

The point I’m trying to make is that the overwhelming majority of Londoners and Mancunians will be unaware of a final taking place in their cities.

They probably won’t. The issue we have is enough of the people we do have who like the sport don’t attend these games. Crowds at Wembley are poor and the number of neutrals at Old Trafford has definitely dropped from my experience.

 

[jolly boys outing]

They probably won’t. The issue we have is enough of the people we do have who like the sport don’t attend these games. Crowds at Wembley are poor and the number of neutrals at Old Trafford has definitely dropped from my experience.

I wouldn’t disagree with any of that and that’s why I’d advocate for getting schools in Manchester and north London involved with both finals.

 

[Taking The Two]

I wouldn’t disagree with any of that and that’s why I’d advocate for getting schools in Manchester and north London involved with both finals.

I think before we bother about handing out a few thousand freebies, we attempt to re-engage with the existing support base we have.

 

[jolly boys outing]

I think before we bother about handing out a few thousand freebies, we attempt to re-engage with the existing support base we have.

The existing fanbase we have is already too small to support 2 finals and internationals unfortunately.

 

[Taking The Two]

The existing fanbase we have is already too small to support 2 finals and internationals unfortunately.

Yet used to support multiple finals and internationals.

 

[jolly boys outing]

Yet used to support multiple finals and internationals.

Used to.

 

[Taking The Two]

Used to.

Exactly and with even fewer events and the two biggest and most prestigious our crowds are often quite poor. We need to re-engage with the fanbase we have rather than just going handing out free tickets to kids from a borough of London that have no rugby league team, have never had a rugby league team and don’t particularly care for rugby league.

 

[Dark Corner]

Nice to see local Sam Luckley lift the trophy with Hull KR.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Exactly and with even fewer events and the two biggest and most prestigious our crowds are often quite poor. We need to re-engage with the fanbase we have rather than just going handing out free tickets to kids from a borough of London that have no rugby league team, have never had a rugby league team and don’t particularly care for rugby league.

The biggest reason for the NRL's surge is the engagement of youth.

"Re-engaging with fans you have"
Those are not fans, they're gone.
I've met these people in my life, they'll tell you what team they follow but try to talk to them about the game and they don't even know where their team is on the ladder..
They were never fans, just sheep following the herd, at the first sign of trouble they turn away.

Unless you're going to perfectly recreate what it was to them in their nostalgia right down to the price they used to pay for a beer and call up all their old friends , they're much more comfortable complaining as to why they no longer watch.

I'm that way with cricket lol

You need new fans to the game!

 

[Perth Red]

Old Trafford is sht and only used as it’s the only stadium in the north with a big enough capacity. We need someone up north to build a decent 70k stadium!

only seats available last night where way up in the gods. Not sure sticking kids way up there is going to convert them to our great game.

 

[jolly boys outing]

Old Trafford is sht and only used as it’s the only stadium in the north with a big enough capacity. We need someone up north to build a decent 70k stadium!

im waiting to see what Newcastle utd do with redevelopment of st James park or a completely new stadium build which in both cases will be 70k+

only seats available last night where way up in the gods. Not sure sticking kids way up there is going to convert them to our great game.

Im talking more about engaging with the kids more than just sticking them way up in the gods inside old Trafford.

im talking about organising a schools tournament within Manchester/Manchester region a couple of weeks out with maybe the finalists being invited to old Trafford and presenting with their medals and trophies at halftime perhaps and getting to meet the players etc.

 

[jolly boys outing]

Exactly and with even fewer events and the two biggest and most prestigious our crowds are often quite poor. We need to re-engage with the fanbase we have rather than just going handing out free tickets to kids from a borough of London that have no rugby league team, have never had a rugby league team and don’t particularly care for rugby league.

I honestly think it’s a generational thing especially with the challenge cup and the whole concept of it being in London and the pinnacle of the season etc in years gone by.

 

[England87]

Mancs are 'aware' of Rugby League more than Londoners but even if they do not follow the sport, they know about the occasion that is the GF, much like someone from Adelaide is aware there is a State of Origin game.

The cup will always be in London because of tradition and it is the national stadium.

I would be open to the Grand Final being played at other venues in the future. I would like cities to bid for the GF like they do in the NFL with the Super Bowl, that could only help the games profile in the UK, but Wembley should always be the 'London final', even if its 50k in a 90k stadium it is so important to the culture and fabric of the sport.

 

[jason taylor]

Mancs are 'aware' of Rugby League more than Londoners but even if they do not follow the sport, they know about the occasion that is the GF, much like someone from Adelaide is aware there is a State of Origin game.

The cup will always be in London because of tradition and it is the national stadium.

I would be open to the Grand Final being played at other venues in the future. I would like cities to bid for the GF like they do in the NFL with the Super Bowl, that could only help the games profile in the UK, but Wembley should always be the 'London final', even if its 50k in a 90k stadium it is so important to the culture and fabric of the sport.

The issue with bidding is how many stadiums are there that can fit 60k+?

 

[England87]

I think a 50k stadium would be plenty. So off the top of my head St James Park, Manchester City, Everton, Any of the Glasgow stadiums, Cardiff and the Aviva.