The problem is i cant honestly see us selling more than 3K tickets and thats just been realistic and as for switching, that would never happen as its the clubs chance to show the RFL that The Shay can be a good venue for SL. The club will also be looking at it as a possibiliy of a shock result, it shouldnt happen but you just never know.

Yes I agree that it almost certainly would never be switched, I was just flying a kite to see what people thought

But with regard to showcasing yourselves for the RL on peak time TV, its not going to do your cause any good if you can't sell your tickets and have to give spare tickets to us. Nor is it going to look good to have one side of the ground shut off because you didn't get safety work done.

I hope you manage to get the ground fully open and the ground can be full of people - that will certainly make a stronge case for you

I'm guessing from this that they are going to try and get the stand sorted out:



[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/news/5178/BULLS%20TO%20FACE%20HALIFAX%20IN%20THE%20CUP[/url

I hope so. The more people, the better atmosphere.

Are you seriously suggesting that, with around 12,000 season ticket holders, less than 2,000 Bulls fans will make the effort to travel less than 10 miles?

Speaking only for myself, I've been hoping for another competitive Fax/Bulls game for years so this is mouth-watering. The unknown factors are the mysterious lack of interest in the cup and the fact that it is on TV.

I would have thought it would be full if you can't get the other stand open and nigh on full if you do.

I can see this game being a crowd pulled and really hope that the forth stand will be open! I think they could sell this out!

I'm just looking at 4th round CC attendances across the board in the last half million years. Nobody basically is that interested. if you think about it, it's why they GIVE tickets away. And even that didn't have all that big an effect when introduced.

I accept there is a somewhat higher level of interest in this one in Halifax, in view of historic rivalries, and the local big club coming to town, and that will undoubtedly add a few, but the fact is, even if not on telly, ALL CC rounds tend to be sply attended. And I'd say any added interest in this one is likely to be cancelled out by the TV factor anyway. It's a big game for Fax, but not for us.

I'd say 2,000 away fans would be a bloody good turnout. Hardly anyone brings anything like that to Odsal for SL games, ffs. Have a pop at Bulls fans all you like, it's no different from any other club, in any other year, and you're kinda missing the point.

I'm not having a pop at Bulls fans. If anything it is you who is denigrating your fellow fans by thinking them so apathetic. Hence the inherent incredulity in my post.

Except he isn't really. He's saying it's something that's rife throughout the game with all fans, not just one club's. And I'm inclined to agree. Cup attendances are always rubbish at least until the Semi Final stage (and even then, they don't tend to be great until the final).

I always attend, but then I attend every game I can get to, regardless of home or away. And I'll be making sure I get my ticket for this game too, especially now that since last year, the Shay is actually closer to home than Odsal (marginally). But many of the sport's fans don't feel the same sadly.

Well, if we cannot GIVE away the tickets - which are bound to be smaller in number than the number of people eligible to have one, then the Challenge Cup might as well be wound up....

We had about 3 or 4 thousand people eligible for free tickets at Dewsbury last year but didn't take the whole allocation of about 1,500 if I remember correctly (numbers might be a little different, as I've slept 300+ times since then).

My thoughts entirely. There will be very few Fax fans will want to miss this game (even though we will have to pay) and I simply cannot understand a Bulls fan with a season ticket (which presumably is most of you) missing a free game when it is only down the road.

You might not be able to understand it (and if I'm honest, I can't either), but it happens at every single Super League club (and I would argue Championship club if they were drawn away to a Champs 1 or lower team).

As far as distance goes, Huddersfield are the perfect example of how that doesn't matter when they bring about 10 people to somewhere that's a single bus ride.

I've never got why people don't seem interested in the cup, as I love it, but it's a sad matter of fact. And it isn't in any way limited to one club.

I'm abit confused by some earlier comments about Fax not making money from the tickets Bulls are giving to us. Surely Bulls are paying Fax for our allocation of tickets and then its a Bulls cost to give them to us for free? Fax still get paid for them. Or am I missing something?

I'll be going but then I'm a Scotsman and couldn't possibly pass up a "free" ticket.

The Challenge Cup is the RFL's main competition. The free 4th round tickets (away only)to season ticket holders is an RFL -inspired idea. Whether the RFL compensates the home team for this I do not know. We will be going as it is a local game and we have friends & family who are Fax fans. Hopefully it will be a sunny day and we will contibute to Halifax coffers with some food & beer.

It isnt away only. If we'd have drawn fax at home we'd still have got free entry. Think you might be getting confused with fact that fax fans dont get free entry this round. The championship clubs fans got free entry to the previous round under the scheme.

That makes more sense - thanks

Sorry but I think this is yet another ill-considered idea from the RFL.

Let's just say that Halifax turns out in force for this, say around 3,000, and a similar amount come from Bradford. That means that, after expenses, the gate is split and Bradford get half of the gate income which came solely from Fax fans, Bradford not having contributed a penny. Surely even the most myopic person could hardly consider this fair?

I can see what the RFL were trying to achieve but, as usual, they didn't put enough thought into it.

don't Halifax get any money at all from the RFL for this?

It'll be the same as Dewsbury last year won't it? Only we'll get a bigger allocation.

Yes but what he is trying to say is, bradford fans get in from and halifax dont, soo say halifax bring 3000 supporters and all pay a £1 each then £1500 would go to each team,but bradford didnt pay a penny towards that.

Yeah, but Fax got half the pot from their clash with Cas Lock Lane, swings and roundabouts.

did you raise these concerns when you were getting free entry in the previous round?

To be fair, many of our fans did. It was a double header and we (Widnes and Fax) were playing amateur teams - many Fax fans saying what a shame that these clubs would lose out in the same scenario. That said, i guess if we felt that strongly we could have forgone the offer and paid in.