www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 332&type=1 Over 20,000 Wigan supporters have already purchased tickets for the club's first match at the National Stadium since 1998 and Lenagan believes their presence will be appreciated by all the Warriors players.

www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 332&type=1 Over 20,000 Wigan supporters have already purchased tickets for the club's first match at the National Stadium since 1998 and Lenagan believes their presence will be appreciated by all the Warriors players.

It would look fantastic if everyone had a Wigan shirt or scarf on.

I fancy wearing my 1989 retro away shirt, but I don't want to ruin the sea of Cherry and White and Wembley so I shall be wearing my scarf on that hot London day next week

I have had a look around on the RFL site and I can't find 2 tickets together in our end of the stadium and that's going right round to the halfway line.

I'm guessing we'll be looking at 30,000 plus come the day and that's going to be fantastic. The town has waited for a chance to get back to the New Wembley and finally it's here.

Can't wait.

Its fantastic that we're taking and army of fans but www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3682716 shame Leeds can't boast the same, I was looking forward to a full stadium

Its fantastic that we're taking and army of fans but www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3682716 shame Leeds can't boast the same, I was looking forward to a full stadium

Quote ="-Tracie-"Its fantastic that we're taking and army of fans but www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3682716 shame Leeds can't boast the same,k was looking fiorward to a full stadium'" The comparison with us in 2002 is very apt. A raft of our miserable part timers didn't give us a pray so didn't bother going and it seems that's happening with Leeds. Hopefully we won't get bit on the backside like Saints did that day. If Brent Webb comes out for the Wembley walkabout in slippers I'll s*it myself.

Quote ="-Tracie-"Its fantastic that we're taking and army of fans but www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3682716 shame Leeds can't boast the same,k was looking fiorward to a full stadium'" The comparison with us in 2002 is very apt. A raft of our miserable part timers didn't give us a pray so didn't bother going and it seems that's happening with Leeds. Hopefully we won't get bit on the backside like Saints did that day. If Brent Webb comes out for the Wembley walkabout in slippers I'll s*it myself.

Still waiting for my scarf and badge so I'll be in the 1989 shirt. Can't wait!

That is awful from leeds. A big city like that, should be able to sell 12,500 tickets no problem.

Straight for the jugular from Hetherington. Sounds as if he is trying to shame the Leeds fans into buying tickets.

It doesn't totally surprise me. It's amazing how a combo of success-overload as Leeds have had in recent years and then a sudden sense of decline as they are experiencing this year, can drive away your fair-weather fans.

It was similar at Wigan in 2002. We took relatively few numbers to Edinburgh and no-one really believed Maurice when he pronounced it a rebirth for the club.

Is that what we have sold from the club, 20,000? If so, id expect at least 30k from Wigan as loads have bought from the RFL because of the 1 per season ticket fiasco.

You're right, it's shocking.

We had about 14k home fans at the Cas game last friday night .. whilst it's not the same in terms of cost, I still can't understand* the fans who get a season ticket and yet are happy to miss the finals.

[size=85*Except those really financially strained obviously[/size

Still I'll be there, with more hope than expectation - but hope for a great atmosphere regardless of how many we take. We know they'll be plenty of noise from you guys anyway!!

I think both teams only got 12.5k official allocation. Obviously more from both clubs will have bought from the RFL, which is probably where the 20k figure comes from.

Not surprised by the low Leeds ticket sales (and 6k from a 12.5k allocation is very low). We've been in some sort of final eight of the last nine years and paying several hundred pounds for a family plus travel and maybe accomodation is going to hard for a lot of people at the moment, particularly when a) it's not exactly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and b) the team have been dreadful for most of the season.

I also imagine there will be a load of Club Wembley tickets available on ebay and on the day for less than face value.

As we were told at the meeting on Thursday.
Between the end of the semi v Saints to just before the kick off in the Cas v Leeds semi just over 10,000 tickets were sold by the RFL. I would imagine most of those were sold to Wigan fans.

30K + from Wigan then id say.

Just before Leeds were playing Cas in the semi my wife asked me who I wanted to win. I replied that if Cas win we would have an easier game at Wembley but if Leeds win then they would take more fans to Wembley which is probably better for the game.
I now think Cas would have taken more fans.

I thought exactly the same. Although I think a Wigan v Leeds final will get a lot more neutrals and a lot more viewers on tele which can only be good for our sport.

They will still have 20k there on the day IMO. 2 weeks left, some people are waiting to be paid etc.

We will have well over 30k there. Over a 3rd of the stadium will be cherry and white (appart from my dad who will steal my 89' retro shirt)

With respect, Cas took all there fans and some to Doncaster - around 7k.

Despite poor sales, as Odemwingie says (don't normally agree with him...) I can't imagine we will have any less than 20k to be honest.

NO, Wigan havent sold 20,000 themselves, its through our sales and the RFL - I know many who gave up on getting the tickets from Wigan due to no phone calls/online orders and just bought them off the RFL site.

Cas only has a population of 37k so to take as many as us would mean literally more than half the town going (assuming that there isnt many fans of cas outside cas) that just isnt gonna happen. Leeds will definitely take more than Cas would have thats one thing we definitely cant slate leeds for. It will just be people waiting to be paid I think. I cant see Leeds, the second best supported team in the league (actually first currently this season according the the RLFans stats site though we are first for home games), not taking at least 20k.

I remember the classic 1985 final wigan v hull. wigan took 40k plus down to wembley. that was superb.

I've managed to get hold of club wembley tickets through work. They may be a bit corporate (no Wigan shirts allowed) but they're free and right in the middle of the Wigan end. Can't wait.

I may not go this year for a variety of reasons, and will make my mind up fairly late in the piece, like I did last year.

Most of the factors have nothing to do with Rugby, but Challenge Cup finals with Leeds in them hold no special fondness for me. I tend to enjoy the day, wherther Leeds are there or not, but having missed '99 for family reasons, I have been to 9 CC finals. 6 of those featured Leeds and we've lost all of them. The prospect of making it 7 doesn't help. It isn't the real reason I may not go, but it might, if I'm really honest with myself, affect the motivation to move certain obstacles around.

I have enjoyed some fairly heroic defeats in 1994, 2003 and 2005, which were excellent games, but how many times do I want to see the same script? I've also seen some embarrassing pastings in 1995, 200 and 2010. The day out can be fun, but again, been there, done that. Plus, the only time I haven't been to the final when we've been involved we won, so Mr Hethrington should be bloody well grateful if I don't go!

I think there is also a strong feeling that if Mr Hethrington wants fans to part with more of their money to support his team, he needs to show that the club has ambitions to match the fans. I don't share that belief myself, but it's certainly out there.

We may lose, who knows (I doubt it, but after seeing Wigan lose to the Eagles nothing would surprise me!), but I would be amazed if Brent Webb plays anything like as well as Radders did that day.

Those of us who travelled in hope rather than expectation to the 2002 final were rewarded that day with one of the greatest individual performances in the history of British RL - Radders was absolutely sensational. Saints fans have never forgiven him for it.

I was boring the girlfriend to bits after with the tale of Rads that day. Only sport could throw up a tale like that.

The people who were there that day will remember his performance till the day they die.

I can think of no better man then Rads to present the cup final shirts to the players.