Is the maximum entitlement we can get for a Cup Game as per the RFL. This means we can expect 9000ish Tickets allocated for the Sheffield game if they open all the stands. Do we think we can take 9000 to Sheffield?

Do you mean the "free" tickets?

Not a chance.

2000 max.

no. 2-3k

would love us to take 5k+ but i doubt it.

Are these tickets free? Or is that deal just for home cup matches?

I think it'll be 2000

Tickets are free to Wigan season ticket holders.

Free to all season ticket holders of Super League clubs. The lower league clubs got the same deal in Round 3 I think.

Sheffield are very disappointed with it because they will make very little money out of the contest compared to if Wigan fans were paying.

This was how a Director of a lower league club explained it to me also. They want to get through this round as cheaply as possible then draw a local Superleague team, away preferably, to make some much needed cash.

Cheers. We should take plenty then

You would hope Hull and Leeds might get close to 20k if both sets of ST holders get in for free.

I doubt it, they'll be lucky to get 16k. We take more to Hull than Leeds and although the ticket is free, the travel isn't, the beer and pies aren't, and its on tele. I'll buy you a pint if you're nearer than me

We will take more than 2k!

I've got to say, as much as I'm loving the chance of a free ticket, I do feel a bit sorry for Sheffield. They see the draw with Wigan and think they should have a decent money spinner, and then most of the Wigan fans that turn up will have got in for free.

Mark Aston was in the League Express saying how unfair it was that the away fans will be getting in for free, yet the home fans will have to pay, and half the money from that will go to Wigan because it's a cup game. Does the RFL not pay the home club the money they would have received if tickets were actually paid for? You know like they pay for the ticket rather than the fan?

It seems a bit daft to me to try and get an increased crowd with no financial benefit to the smaller team. I mean, a few extra hundred people turning up and maybe buying a pie or a pint isn't going to recoup the loss of income from the ticket sales is it?

Seems like a really poorly thought out plan to me. The smaller teams are never going to win the cup and never have been likely to. The ONLY benefit they have got from being in the cup was for the chance to play a big team and make some money, now that's gone. Idiotic.

IMO They will make more on the day from the concessions stands [Beers, Burgers, Pies ETC with all the Wigan fans going down than they would if say 800 Wigan fans went and paid for their tickets.

Like many people I assumed that the money that would have been made from free tickets taken up by season ticket holders would have been paid to the host club by the RFL so they aren't losing out on a big payday. Especially as this is the RFL's policy to boost crowds and not a club initiative. If as Mark Aston's comments suggest they do not recieve any money as recompense for the free tickets then maybe the gate should be split proportionally taking into account paying tickets only. Using our tie as the example if Wigan take 2500 fans but only 500 pay and sheffield have 1500 paying fans, we would have supplied 25% of the paying tickets so get 25% of the money while sheffield with 75% of paying fans get 75% of the money. If this works out worse for Sheffield than the standard ratio then use the standard split of money instead.

Relatively speaking, it's not as if we need the money anyway as much as Sheffield do. As far as any sort of figure for attendance goes, given the long queues we saw last year for the free Barrow tickets, I think we can expect the same this year. Hopefully they don't restrict the allocation we get as obviously Bramall Lane is a heck of a lot bigger than Barrow's ground. It could end up turning into a home game for us!

Sheffield played Thatto Heath in the previous round, with their season ticket holders getting free admission. I don't recall Aston complaining then.

Doubt any of that income will go to the Eagles - it'd go to SUFC as owners of Bramall Lane or, more likely, the company that will have the franchise for the bars/catering.


Very true, but similarly the Eagles won't have made any money either as very few will have paid to get in. In fact, they probably made a loss when you consider the rent of the ground for the extra matchday etc. Same boat as Leyth (which is why I'm pleased we've got Limoux away as then we can get a payday in the next round that we win - bizarrely, it's actually cheaper to play Limoux away than it is one of the Yorkshire clubs!)

Wouldnt cheap tickets have worked better all round rather than free for season ticket holders?

It all came about as a means of making up for having one less home game included in your season tickets, wasn't it? I know that's why we ended up with it as we have one less Northern Rail Cup group game these days.

I'm not sure thats right. Because it only came in last season and we dropped from 14 home games to 13 when they brought in the Magic Weekend in 2007.

I think it was all down to poor crowds. On that my opinion is the cup moving to August hasn't worked. It's made the league season seem a lot longer and 10 weeks between Quarter Final and Semi Final is garbage.

All that means is that it took two years for people to notice. That, or they did notice and it took two years worth of whinging to the RFL

Well yeah thats probably right.