Awful Challenge Cup gates

[Fairleigh Good!]

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.

 

[Gaz_E]

I was embarrassed by the attendence at the HJ yesterday, and felt it was a kick in the teeth for the London Skolars who could have made a fair bit of money out of it. Warrington didn't really alter the admission fee. but for 6500 regular fans not to bother turning up is pretty poor, given how some of our fans claim the be the best in SL. The result was always going to be a formality, even with a side consisting manily of fringe and U21 players, but that shouldn't deter people from turning up, it's money in the pocket of both clubs to aid the development of the game over here.

The free ticket idea is good, but best adminisitered as a 'child goes free with a paying adult' just letting loads of kids in causes more problems as parents drop them off and pick them up later leaving the stewards to baby sit effectively..

 

[terracesider]

Watching ESL is an expensive business these days so I suppose a lot of people decide to give the early rounds of the cup a miss, especially games like Warrington's.

 

[bartman]

I must admit I didn't choose to make the away trip to Swinton this week to join the 627 souls who attended that tight contest.

If this is the levels of crowd interest and income the clubs are prepared to get, then throwing out some incentives like free tickets to school kids (and/or their families) can't hurt? Might even help home side make more money from the food stalls not to mention possibly attract new people to come back again as paying customers. Anything to continue a culture of interest in the game when there's so many other things (playstation, internet other sports) competing for a kid's attention these days.

 

[coldhardbitch]

I was at the Quins vs Toulous match at the Stoop n Sunday. It was one of the smallest League crowds I have ever been to. The Stoop is a great ground to watch from, and has good facilities, but the people didnt come.

The problem is marketting, it's non-existant. Nobody in Lpndon knew the game was on.

Another factor, was that the Oxford v Cambridge boatrace was on. Also, the trains were tewrrible. Line closures to Twickenham, and the busses are quite slow, so you are looking at an hour to get their via railway.

I don't know what the future holds for London. I used to think it was a matter of time. But now I have been to britain, and seen the scenario.
But its not all doom and gloom. Many people know about the game and enjoy it. We had a great group of people watching in Piccadilly when a game was on in the pub, and they all knew the rules. I guess its just creating the awareness that the Quins are there.

 

[pmarrow]

The Hull - Bradford game was a complete joke.

They were at least 1500 - 2000 Hull fans who travelled to Bradford so whats that say about the Home support.