On the tube in London today I saw a poster advertising the challenge cup final.

Granted it was one A4 out of about 100 going up the escalators but atleast they are trying



Has anyone else seen any RFL efforts to promote the game outside of the heartlands?

thats a really poor choice of thread title for something that is praising them ...

10,500 miles away & still went over your head.

Not the first time they have marketed like this outside the M62 corridor. Because Harlequins Rugby League marketing department have trouble lacing their own shoes, the RFL took over the marketing of the Manly warm up game. They actively promoted the fixture, negotiated deals with TNT and in general, were responsible for a crowd of about 6,500 at the game. As a result, the RFL showed QRL how to promote the game with a bit of effort........
.......alas, QRL chose to ignore this success, didn't harvest data about those australians who came to the game, didn't ask them back to the SL seasons games and therefore are looking at a minimum -5% drop in gates this season when compared to last.

I also know that the RFL are looking at a campaign of promotion for the CCF along the london OVERGROUND network, which runs from the east to west through north london and has good links to wembley stadium.

Just a shame that the team from TW2 don't pay attention really

I thought Quins got someone new in to take over marketing whose job was to get bums on seats, surley they should be looking at the RFLs marketing schemes if its thier job to boost attendances.

you can actually buy adverts that were put up in the 1920's and 30's on buses and the tube...

i have framed versions of the 1938 (Salford's only win!) and 1931 (which refers still to 'Northern Union') posters in my bathroom...

ps. because of Northern rail sponsorship i often see posters for rugby league. Seeing Malc Alker holder the NR Cup aloft, when on a train from Newcastle to Morpeth is rather surreal...

what, its only acceptable if it goes over your head from close by?

Mmmmm...........not really just marketing. We advertised for a CEO and a Marketing Manager at the start of the season and ended up with 1 x General Manager?
To be fair to the GM, he is trying.............but with very little sucess.

Carnegie 9's have got an advert outside Kendal station, which was strange.

Maybe one day they'll start promoting the game in the heartlands

Is there a web site for that sort of thing? Reckon it'd be well worth a look.

Ohhh...we are bitter aren't we



Seriously, the RFL promote the game in the heartlands. Leigh (for example) were promoted and went straight back down so to stop the Widnes/Salford (for example) scenario they decided to give teams 3 years to make enough progress not to finish bottom and stand a chance of staying up........
If Catalans hadn't been exempt from going down, they wouldn't have made wembley or been challenging for honours again the following year. Neither would they have an average gate that is better than some teams with a 100 year + head start.
Who's to say that Celtic won't do the same? As for London, we never finished bottom, so didn't need anything else from the RFL (apart from lorry loads of cash and a squad full of world class Australian internationals)



Anyway, back on topic. Well done the RFL for trying this. If I were them though, I would be more worried about the 15,000+ empty debenture seats at the CCF and as such, would be contacting the seat owners to see if they'd like to donate their unwanted CCF seats to charity.....I'd rather have underprivaledged kids/young players from the club leagues at the game rather than empty plastic on view to the viewing public. Just a thought

Quote ="Lord_Percy"Is there a web site for that sort of thing? Reckon it'd be well worth a look.'" www.ltmcollection.org/posters/re ... arch=rugby i framed them myself after buying them. the 1931 one is my favourite - row two, third along

Quote ="Lord_Percy"Is there a web site for that sort of thing? Reckon it'd be well worth a look.'" www.ltmcollection.org/posters/re ... arch=rugby i framed them myself after buying them. the 1931 one is my favourite - row two, third along

I'd agree with you on that one. Thanks, some interesting stuff on there.

In fairness, it was completely on topic. Bar the odd poster for the Northern Rail Cup on trains (and the 'Paul Rowley train' appearing in Coronation St

), there is sod all advertisement up here for England games etc.

hmm … anybody notice the similarity between [url=http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/poster/poster.html?_IXSR_=NrWKpe5woYW&_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=1983/4/8646&IXsummary=results/results&IXsearch=rugby&_IXFIRST_=3this poster[/url (for an RU international at Twickenham, featuring a photo of players in a line-out) and
[url=http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/poster/poster.html?_IXSR_=iyUS4DiJnSD&_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=1983/4/8874&IXsummary=results/results&IXsearch=rugby&_IXFIRST_=4this poster[/url for the 1929 RL cup final?

Why would the RFL adapt a field of dreams policy to marketing? The need the games (especially the ones on the BBC) to be sold out 100%. What's the point of showing the game to a countrywide audience on free to view if you're going to see half empty stadiums.....underlining the "it's not proper rugby" attitude of the UK media.
Union, regardless where they play, sell out their international fixtures pretty sharpish. Couple of years back, I blagged 2 free tickets to England France at Twickenham (£90 each FFS

) and the places was rammed. This was a bad England team, but the RFU managed to fill twickenham.......
Why do the RFL always do things butt about face? Sell the games. Sell them now!
Keepmoat. England v France. 15,000 should sell out!
The Stoop. NZ V Australia. 12,500. Should sell out but needs a bit of a push.
DW Stadium. England Australia. 25,000. Should sell out and if it doesn't then the RFL should give the World cup back to Australia!
Galpharm. England v NZ. 24,500...again, this should sell out.

The two games in France Ernest Wallon, 20,000 and Charlety Stadium, Paris, 20,000........problems unless marketed with travel!

Elland road, 40,000....so in total in the UK, there is a need to sell 117,000 tickets including the final, with 40,000 more to be sold in France........
given about 70,000 people attend SL games every week, surely 117,000 UK based tickets should pretty much fly of the shelves...if marketed properly.

it would be fair to say that the designers had a particular view on hwat 'rugby' involved...

for 2007RUWC, it was sell packages......


you can buy a ticket for the finale or the semi if you buy some tickets for qualifying matches.

it's a good idea to fill little matchs.

RFL do package deals...i've a group of 36 doing wigan and leeds internationals, transport, and england shirts.

The only decent and effective marketing effort I've ever seen from the RFL was when GB played Australia at Wembley in 1990.

Posters depicting a sprinting Martin Offiah setting fire to the turf were put all over the tube network. I think the headline was something like 'will the Aussies catch Offiah at Wembley?'

I'm sure an accompanying advert was made with the Billy Joel song "We didn't start the fire" resung as 'no-one can catch Offiah'.

The result - something like a 65-70,000 gate. In London.

Create some hype, and the punters will show up.

Disgraceful , and you call yourselves a SL club

I think I recollect that being on the back of a newspaper on the tube on the way to the game as well.

...it's better than what some call us

Good display in Leeds station this morning for the Carnegie Floodlit Nines.