Cheers for that pies, It's great that the club are thinking/planning for the future and not standing still more to come I feel, It's cheered me up also.

I'd be more enthused if the underlying message wasn't ultimately based upon wringing more money out of the fans through various different ventures.

Maybe we should introduce a mobile app with micro transactions, where, let's say, for every 100 people who pay 69p during the game, we get an extra 1 min pitch time from big Roy.

Thanks for the update on what went on, sounds positive. Going on from the point of having lots of fans in Australia especially, i wonder if the club can have an overseas membership club, one where you can watch streams of all the games or watch them on demand. They pay a monthly subscription for the service so they get to see all the games?

Sounds like your club is in great hands. Points to this season being a cyclical blip that all teams go through rather than an indication of declining ambition.

Did they mention anything about the ground? If you are going to be the biggest RL club in the world, you would need a much bigger capacity. Brisbane Broncos average 34,000 and even back in this stratosphere Leeds average 17,590.

You are currently capped at 15,000? I remember back when it opened there was talk of the ground holding 23,000 ultimately?

Lets not run before we can walk. We extended the corners in the hope of getting more fans. Crowds have declined ever since.

They didn't mention anything about expansion. I'm not entirely sure wether they used the word biggest, I think it was 'best' but I can't remember for certain wether they said biggest or not.

To be fair, our crowds are way off needing more expansion but I do remember the comments a few years back that we are available to expand more in the future if needs be.

Great post and thanks for the general update

Thanks for this IHP. Not seen any of the elsewhere, would've thought they'd incorporate this into the big relaunch. I'm a fan of all of this (except the badge - but this isn't the place for that - and maybe the stadium announce guy too, he always does my head in at Wembley etc. but I'm not really bothered). We're a good ten years off further expansion. Need to get to the stage that we regularly sell out v Wigan/Saints/Leeds/Widnes/WCC before we can think of extra tiers and what not. From memory we've only done that once against Saints in 2013 (I think). That's not good enough.

He makes some good points on there but nothing most of us wouldn't have come up with so it's surprising why it has took the club so long.

Bringing in more fans is a difficult one without a successful team though. Looking to communities that have only moved here in the last few years, and I include exiled southerners in that as well as any immigrants, will gain you a few fans, but not that many for the amount of effort you'd need to put in; you need to get them young.

and



Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo No No No No No

Regarding he announcer - it doesn't matter who is announcing unless the sound system is improved. In the East Stand I can rarely make out a word of what is being said. The interviews with Alex Murphy at half time are incomprehensible where I sit. And please, no more dancers. Can't we have the half time comps again and the big fat suits? posting.php?mode=reply&f=21&t=585052#

Regarding he announcer - it doesn't matter who is announcing unless the sound system is improved. In the East Stand I can rarely make out a word of what is being said. The interviews with Alex Murphy at half time are incomprehensible where I sit. And please, no more dancers. Can't we have the half time comps again and the big fat suits? posting.php?mode=reply&f=21&t=585052#

I agree with the poster above - sort the sound system out before worrying about the announcer. The sound around the middle of the north is poor and isn't great in other parts of the ground I have been in either.

Interesting that we have recruited the Leeds announcer (I remember when he used to do it for us back in the day at Wilderspool). If we are moving our games to Friday nights, like Leeds, we might have to keep Dominic Walker as a back up.

There are 168 hours in a week with 2 or 3 taken up on match days .....that leaves at lot of hours to fill that could create revenue for Warrington RLFC without a ball even being kicked.

Quote ="exeastender" And please, no more dancers. Can't we have the half time comps again and the big fat suits? posting.php?mode=reply&f=21&t=585052#'" I heard that there was going to be a competition at half time tonight that sounded like a Warrington and Wigan fan racing whilst dressed in a horse suit. If it does go ahead and they also have dancers, note how much better reaction the race will get compared with the dancing. Same thing happened last year with the zorbing or whenever they have kids playing at half time.

Quote ="exeastender" And please, no more dancers. Can't we have the half time comps again and the big fat suits? posting.php?mode=reply&f=21&t=585052#'" I heard that there was going to be a competition at half time tonight that sounded like a Warrington and Wigan fan racing whilst dressed in a horse suit. If it does go ahead and they also have dancers, note how much better reaction the race will get compared with the dancing. Same thing happened last year with the zorbing or whenever they have kids playing at half time.

Pete Nutall is a Warrington lad (Padgate I think) and a Wire fan. Has been the RFL's big game announcer for 10 years or more and then got offered the role at Leeds.

Good move for him as he is based in Milton Keynes, one of the founders of Milton Keynes Wolves Rugby Club

Don't think that's entirely the fault of the sound system...

heres a trick that tends to work when your talking about Sports teams and driving up numbers of spectators.....have a successful team with good players.

This sport is expanding in areas such as Scandinavia, Chile, Serbia and the East coast of the USA. Reaching out our brand to these areas would increase revenue for us and increase support for this sport in general. How about pre-season training and matches in Boston Philadelphia and Jacksonville where there are teams playing? Not just in places like Australia where RL is already big.
(I also think our sport in general should be doing more to promote the game in these areas, as well as untapped areas even in the North of England like Lincoln Preston Grimsby Southport and these are places that don't have top level association football nor rugby union).

As far as Wire goes with local support; I live in Timperley in Altrincham, we associate ourselves with Manchester/Trafford/Greater Manchester but we have a Warrington post code and Salford RDs don't have a reach down here even though they're only 10 miles away.

Roger also mentioned that the club was looking to use the MD stand for functions as it seems hardly used and the size of it this should bring in some decent money if they actually market it and run it right. I think it needs a total re-vamp myself as its not very inviting. He also mentioned that they were looking at more discounts for kids as that is what will be the future of the club long term.
5 year plan seems optimistic to some but I have seen the plans and it really will be a stadium/area to be proud of.

I'll never forget that commentary Alex gave as summariser to Ray French. Alex was either blind drunk, or clueless who the Warrington RLFC team was.
I think it was the lager...sorry I meant latter.


The commentary he gives as the team is introduced player by player for Warrington was embarrassing to say the least. I recall the only player he knew correctly was Des Drummond. I think when he did recall a Warrington players name to a face, it was that of Bob Jackson, on the torso of Neil Harmon.

Thanks IHP - interesting post and some exciting developments.

Regarding the logo, I like the inclusion of Warrington and The Wire.
The contemporary wolf is not to my taste, but it may grow on me.
The 'hardwired' term is interesting but not sure exactly how it'll be used and maybe it's overkill but i've got an open mind on this.

He did say it's a bit like Phoenix Nights. I think it looks dull with magnolia walls, the windows could also be sliding doors instead to let more light in, and provide a better view of the pitch.

Glad we are getting Pete Nuttall back as it's not just the announcing he can help with, but the whole production of entertainment. I get the feeling at Leeds you can't do as much due to the band. I did comment about the sound system in the survey.

You are going to see Hardwired everywhere - Community, Membership, youth development, advertising around the town etc.

With the stadium quarter the business incubator is nearly finished, and the technical college is planned to be built by September 2016.

Saw my first #hardwired logo coming off the M62 at birchwood yesterday, the badge I haven't made my mind up on yet but the signs are definitely an improvement on the previous Comic Sans effort.

Maybe a badge with a snarling Les Boyd would have gone better with the hardwired slogan.

Anyone know if the "lupus non mordet lupum" is being kept on?

Let's hope not.