Fairleigh Good!
Juniors
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I'd bet not one of the Challenge Cup games attracted a crowd as high as the average crowd of the home side. Several of them were incredibly embarassing. 7k for Bradford against Hull on TV, 3k for Warrington and 1k for Salford and Harlequins, supposidly Super League operations.
The majority of the crowds were in three figures, despite some decent games.
I think something needs to be done about it. It seems to me that the Super League sides in particular are happy to pocket the Sky money and gates from SL and then not market the Challenge Cup games. It is lowering the games profile at the moment. You turn on any televised Union game on domestic TV or Sky and the stands are full to bursting. The sport therefore looks vibrant, colourful and exciting. Then you watch the Challenge Cup games and see wide open spaces on the terraces and you see a drab mixture of grey concrete and mud. Kids for free on Challenge Cup day perhaps? Or schools for free, something like that.
If for example Warrington or Bradford had given away 10,000 free tickets to kids they would be in funds. Those kids would need paying adult supervision and would all buy drinks and programs and the like. The returns could also be long term if those kids, these days obsessed with football and playstations became hooked on the game.
The majority of the crowds were in three figures, despite some decent games.
I think something needs to be done about it. It seems to me that the Super League sides in particular are happy to pocket the Sky money and gates from SL and then not market the Challenge Cup games. It is lowering the games profile at the moment. You turn on any televised Union game on domestic TV or Sky and the stands are full to bursting. The sport therefore looks vibrant, colourful and exciting. Then you watch the Challenge Cup games and see wide open spaces on the terraces and you see a drab mixture of grey concrete and mud. Kids for free on Challenge Cup day perhaps? Or schools for free, something like that.
If for example Warrington or Bradford had given away 10,000 free tickets to kids they would be in funds. Those kids would need paying adult supervision and would all buy drinks and programs and the like. The returns could also be long term if those kids, these days obsessed with football and playstations became hooked on the game.