Sorry, but I don't agree with that. We're talking about a competitive sporting environment here. Where one club raises the bar, the others need to step up their game to compete. Whether that is in the area of talent development, in community engagement, in supporter experience, in facilities, in marketing or in media relations - whilst there will always be big teams and small teams, that competitive progress applies to every professional sporting environment. It's why RU teams are spending more on more on talent identification and nurturing, why F1 teams invest millions in making their cars 0.001 second a lap faster and why football teams spend their pre-season tours opening Megastores in Hong Kong.

We already have mechanisms in place to prevent the sort of situation you describe. For starters, we have a fully professional league - not one professional club in a largely part-time structure, and we have a salary cap that prevents the hoarding of talent.



I've no issue with any external party wanting to bring ideas to the table. What I take issue with is this search for an easy answer - that is the real attitude that leaves RL in the state that it is in. I cannot think of another professional sport where the clubs involved are constantly looking towards the governing body to do their job for them.

It's the clubs job to engage the audience at a local level, it's the club's job to find new audiences, and it's the club's job to develop the talent and the on-field product. The RFL has a role in raising profile, of course it does, but that role is more focused around media consumption (online audiences, TV audiences and so on). It is the clubs that are the primary point of consumption here, and I firmly believe that they are the biggest point of failure.

Do you think rugby league attendances change much according to price then? Personally, I think people either want to go to the game or don't, and the price only becomes a factor when they can't afford it. I reckon the crowd would largely be the same for an SL game with the prices at £15 or £30, and thus many would benefit from increasing prices rather than decreasing.

It would be interesting to analyse. There are obviously many factors at play but I do think that ticket prices approaching £30 are pricing some people out of games or making them pick and choose which games they attend.

The thing is, your comparisons don't really work - the theatre or a comedian are 1 off shows, it's not a weekly expense (or bi-weekly if you have a season ticket), and you're paying for the quality of the seating and the production.

The premier league is a better example as it's a sporting season, but the difference is the demand is there for Premier League, and also, the Premier League is pretty much accepted as the best standard of l
Football league in the world, Super League isn't.

As I say , I choose to still go and pay the current prices, so I can't really complain, but I can see why many families wouldn't have that kind of disposable income, or would choose to spend it a different way.

I do agree that we don't want to cheapen the sport, but there is a balance, and I think it's probably a bit steep for the quality nowadays.

I dont go to every home game, purely because with myself, Mrs James and 3 mini james all wanting to go, it costs a fortune when you factor in petrol, drinks and food

Regards

King James

Surely it would be easier to fly from Carcassonne than to drive all that way.

High ticket prices certainly keep some away. I wouldn’t say it’s too much of a factor for myself, but it is more tempting to go to an away game @£19 a ticket than @£26 a ticket, when you’re buying multiple tickets the difference adds up.

Very true. However, I'm not sure the comparison with RL (or any other sport, for that matter) holds much water. Football, for whatever reason, is a massive part of some peoples' lives (some might argue they contain little else). An astounding number will, literally, spend any amount and go anywhere to watch their team regardless of finance, family, safety, or any of the considerations that more balanced individuals would make. Rugby league fans simply don't fit that template. Thankfully.

We need a sensible calendar as much as anything else.

These first few weeks are always pretty poor. It doesn't show the sport in a good light.

As for Hearn he's savvy and his work with boxing has been very positive for the sport although he has been pretty fortunate with how a few things have fallen for him particularly froch and Joshua.

Would he change rugby league I'm not sure anybody could until there is joined up thinking from all parties in both hemispheres particularly on s sensible calendar.

Comparing Super League and Premier League football is pointless.

Comparing Super League to League 1 or League 2 football is more realistic.

Bradford City sold season tickets for £149, sell general match tickets for £20 or £10 if you buy a flexi-membership @ £70.

I would say comparing Super League to the chuffing Scottish Premier League is more realistic.

You don't go to games full stop.

Is one of your "mini James" called Jean by any chance??

If so, please for the love of god take his internet away from him and find him a new hobby.

Joshua you can argue Olympic gold medalist. Very marketable guy so yeah it's easier although match room have done am amazing job with him.

Froch was world champion who nobody knew about outside of Nottingham. Eddie Hearn alongside Sky turned froch into a super star

Froch joining matchroom was the best decision he ever made in his career as it was going nowhere with Hennessey.

I just don’t want anymore stupid gimmicks coming into the game.

I can’t abide all this Americanised cheese on toast razzmatazz that you get coming into sports to make them more marketable.

I already hate music blaring out over the tannoy after tries/goals that kills any atmosphere the fans would be making themselves. I hate drum-lead atmospheres as the atmosphere just becomes the hammering of a drum rather than decent songs. Lights off for night games with music blaring out so fans can’t create their own noise pre-game. Mascots and cheerleaders are a load of old shyite. Seventy five sponsors plastered all over kits... I don’t want anymore of this utter small-time garbage!

I think we need to market our game in a classy way. Make clubs, players and kits look like they have a bit of class about them.

He and his fellow promoters have made boxing a laughing stock with all these fake “bust-ups” at the weigh-ins. He’s marketed the skilful and fantastic sport of boxing as a sport for thick as thugs who can’t string a sentence together and can’t hold their nerve before the fight so start throwing tables around.

Save it! There’s no class in any of that stuff

There were fake bust ups before and they will still be going long after he's gone.

Froch was deep in the super six. Think he joined with just before his semi final. He was known amongst boxing fans but not the general public.

Joshua has done an amazing job with Joshua.

We are yet to see hearnn build somebody up to be a champion.

Interview in the Express today [urlhttps://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/926539/Eddie-Hearn-Rugby-League[/url

Seems talks have so far been around getting Hearn involved in promoting the Magic Weekend, Challenge Cup final and raising the profile of around half a dozen SL stars.

Makes sense to me. Both events have empty seats to fill and I can't see how a 'boost the crowd and you get commission' type deal can do any harm. The Challenge Cup final has seen its crowd decline while the Magic Weekend seems to have hit a plateau.

With this comment, you are actually backing up the point that media coverage is what is needed, not a reduction in ticket price, which is part of the basis of this thread.

Its media hype which has created this bubble for the premier league.

Why is it pointless?

You are looking at top flight sport in this country.

We are advocates of a game which just about every RL fan would say is infinitely more exciting / eventful than football.

The season is MUCH shorter then the football season with regards to the number of games.

Look at the tv viewing figures the premier league gets. When Super League can match this, we can charge similar prices for match tickets and expect full stadiums. As things stand we can’t and it’s a pointless comparison. As I said League 1 or League 2 is a better comparison for Super League.

This year’s top viewed games:

Newcastle v Liverpool – 1.56million
Spurs v Chelsea – 1.29million
Manchester United v Everton – 1.271million
Manchester United v West Ham – 1.15million
Liverpool v Arsenal – 1.089million

Rugby league simply has to start appealing to people beyond the m62. Publicity attracts sponsorship which brings the money in. You can't blame sponsors for not wanting to pay to promote their product at rl games/clubs if it is mainly seen by fans local to the m62. I'd like to see expansion done properly. Not poorly thought out strategies that start clubs in areas miles from the heartland with insufficient funds to develop a team which challenge for honours,( because you are not going to attract new fans to a new team if they're struggling to compete) and in turn keep these new fans interested. Young fans in new areas should also be charged minimum prices with lots of schools getting free tickets on regular occasions to build future support.
Storm are the yardstick for bringing the sport(successfully) to areas that aren't traditional rl cities. They succeeded on the back of plenty of cash, good Publicity and nrl backing which in turn brought the club massive success on the pitch and kept their new fans interested. The bottom line is people want to be associated with a winning team, so to expand you have to make the team attractive to the area it's based in ( and stick to a location as London's permanent ground hopping hasn't helped their struggle to attract/keep fans).
Another fact that many fans need to take on board is that much as you like to call rl "the greatest game" the fact is in Britain( and globally) the majority don't agree with you. Saying it only makes us appear inward looking and arrogant and won't pull in footie fans etc. Why not promote it (and hold games on saturdays)in football areas etc in their close season as an option for sporting entertainment on their free Saturday's instead of trying to compete with a sport that is far richer and more popular.
I do wonder if partnerships with large football clubs with rich owners is the way to go. Rugby doesn't tear up pitches any more then footie so giving a football club extra income during their close season has to have some merit and would also add another string the clubs sporting bow.
There's an awful lot of other entertainments to compete with these days for similar prices to rugby league so I don't believe admission cost is a problem. It's image and promotion defo needs improving and I would like to see what Hearn could do as the current regime have failed and sold the sport short.

It’s getting the stars on QoS, on the news being interviewed in the sports section before big games, writing articles for newspapers, getting The Super League Show out of the graveyard times and in a prime time Sunday night slot before MOTD2, it’s getting the stars on the pitch at Premier League football grounds before big upcoming RL events...

Really? What makes you say that?

Regards

King James