How many did you usually take down to London when you played the Broncos/Quins when they were in SL?

It can't be too big an opponent like Saints, Leeds or Warrington, because firstly you wouldn't want to lose home field advantage for those games and secondly Sky would want to show those matches so that would effect how many would go travel to see it if it was on TV instead.

That's not true though is it. The season tickets were priced for a 14 home game season, and as was explained at the time Wigan may take the 15th game "on the road" if they make the top four. IL stated on Wigan t.v last month that it will not be Saints, Wire or Leeds but as yet we don't know what the fixtures will be.
Personally I would love it to be Catalan at Fulham.

The London experiment has been tried by the RFL for almost 30 years and the result is a nomad side with crowds of around 400. I hope IL is only putting his own money into this venture, and not the clubs', as its a barking mad idea. If he wants to expand, then start at Chester across to Stoke, Stockport and Sheffield before reaching Lincoln. Maybe after that try Birmingham.

"Massive time and cost"? Is it massive time and cost to go to, say, Hull, too? Wigan is just off the motorway, and well served by the rail network: London is hardly inaccessible. For one game a year...

RoguesGallery,
It definitely IS true that they dangled the prospect of an extra home game before we paid for the season tickets. The key word was 'may' (take a 15th game on the road). Not 'WILL', which now seems the case. And there was no mention of London, the most expensive city in the UK.
Would anyone like to forecast the attendance at any such London fixture? Given that we drew a lot less than 9,000 for a HOME play-off match last season. And that our away game v London last year attracted barely over 2,000... Even if they gave free tickets and free transport for all, I don't believe we could get anywhere near a reasonable turnout for a London play-off, with the prospect of empty spaces on tv unlikely to impress these apparently eager new sponsors/supporters.

Hull is two regular season away games.
London for what could and should be a home game is not the same at all. It's further, costs more and takes longer. About twice as much in each case. I call that quite massive.

And, to repeat myself, what if we lose, when we could have played at home? That's potentially a gamble with our whole season that I don't think the club should take.

It's about the same price and time by train. There was plenty said beforehand about this so it's not like they pulled the wool over our eyes when selling season tickets.

Of course. You will have read such posts as well I am sure. Why the selective memory?



Such as? Give me an example.



I am not and no I do not just "not like him". Have you have made this up so you can agree with yourself?

The one which glaring stands out is your objection to the IL policy of allowing players to try their hand at RU/NRL. To date 3/3 have returned to Wigan and we've ended up with a surplus in the bank as well.

We go by car. Twice as far/much.

London was not mentioned beforehand.

It surely is "may", not "will", because a suitable venue would still have to be found.

Anyway, I'm sure this is much less about having a match in London than it is about trying to rustle up more corporate sponsors.

That's true of all your home games isn't it?

It's the way you tell 'em...

Great news for me. Can we play it at Wembley?

I knew you would say that. But I don't believe even you think it has worked.

Tompkins x 2 and Mossop are back because it didn't work out elsewhere. Not because of a policy IL has instigated.

I find IL claiming it is because he let them leave patronising (and I have said the same before now).

Next example?

If Wigan do not finish in the top four they only get 3 home games and if there is one in London that just leaves 2 home and 5 away.

They won't do it if we don't have four home games. Having said that I'm sure we will be in the four come the time of the split. Even if Warrington or Huddersfield win all their remaining games we only need to beat Salford, Widnes and Hull

Ha Ha... Pi_ _ ing myself!! But seriously the more I think about it the more I don't like it. we could end up looking bad!

Someone better than me has to come up with a proper Reservoir Dogs riff on this

There is now only one rugby union club left in London (Harlequins), most of the rest play in the Midlands. The potential to drum up some new sponsors and support for our sport down there is huge now. I think it's a great idea for the wider scope of the game.

This is one of the only things I don't get about RL fans. We think that Hull is a long trip, when it isn't that far, and we think London is this inaccessible place that is absolutely miles away. Association football fans from the North make a trip to London probably once every other month without it being an issue.

Monday Night Football last season saw Sunderland at Crystal Palace, United at Southampton, QPR at Everton to name but a few. I'm sure Wigan can take a decent number of fans down for a game. (I'm certainly going down for the England v Kiwis game in the Autumn).

England v NZ is being played in London. If you think this will have even a tenth of the impact you're deluded. Wigan played in London every year for years, as did every other team.

Wonder if this special mission will be carried out at a part of the season where you can't pinpoint when or where you're playing yet and Latics have a couple of games at home.....

Check out his username as I'm sure he won't be giving a monkey's when Latics play.

Anyway, I'm sure IL would.love some advice from you on business strategy, let's hear your ideas for his club.

I'm not sure about this. The football season starts in August so getting a suitable venue may be a problem. It would have to take place during August rather than September to maximize our own support. It won't be at Twickers or the Olympic Stadium because they are too big and the crowd of say 5,000 will look ridiculous. So a smaller venue is needed. How about the Stoop? Oh, it's been done...

Another problem is this - coming top 4 brings an advantage of 4 home games - why throw away that advantage? If it is Catalan, they can't win for toffee away from France but make it neutral (they drew with the Giants at Magic) and they have plenty of chance to beat us. The outcome could be that we finish 5th and lose the chance of qualifying for Old Trafford.

And really- hasn't the London RL thing been done to death over the last 40 years? Taking the game to Newcastle and building on Magic would make sense to me, even Edinburgh or Cardiff.

From a sporting perspective it's madness. From a marketing perspective I fear it will make us look bad as there's nothing worse than a three quarters empty stadium (ask Huddersfield fans!!!

)

Getting the corporate world interested id the main thrust of it, I reckon. Couple of guys at work went to a rugby union international last year, courtesy of some rep or other; it's a commonplace thing. But does it happen with league? Does it hell! It so happens one of our major suppliers in based in Castleford. Now Castleford isn't a big place, but when I said to him, how about some Cup Final tickets, then (this was the year Cas were in the Final), he just looked at me blankly.

When this topic cropped up before,I said that finding a venue might be the stumbling-block anyway. But if Wigan are plugging it again, maybe they've got something sorted out (or at least tentatively)?