: Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:34 pm  

BBC will be showing their first ever live football league game (new contract starts next season) on the sat or sun

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:56 pm  

Its only a few years since the uproar when The Semis were played at the Halliwell Jones and The Stobart (or whatever it was called at the time) Yet there was no reported shortfall of tickets and people wanting to attend either game not being able to get there. These stadiums have a combined capacity of less than 30k,

So how could playing the games, even as a double header, A few hundred miles away attract enough fans to make it viable.

CoM Stadium would be a great place to stage both (48k capacity = to 2 Galpharms) But still probably wouldn't be filled. And its unlikely that Man City would want Rugby Played on it that close to the start of the Premier League Season (or will it already have started)

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:11 pm  

Not that ends the argument, but a doubleheader is never going to be a capacity game, at least not to look at. A significant percentage of each side involved will not bother with the other semi, even though they have a free ticket and are already at the ground.

This means that say the semis were Saints-Leeds and Hull FC-KR, games that could attract 20k - you'd have to put them in a 40k stadium to satisfy demand, but there would probably be only be 30k in at any one point, if that.

Now if you could put on the two games at the same ground, but clear the ground after game 1 and then admit people for game 2, with a discount double ticket for those that wanted it, I guess you'd increase your neutral take-up without having to put a half pint crowd in a pint pot stadium. Potetially more hassle than it's worth though.

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:28 pm  

Chris28 wrote:

Would it be considered as a home game for the Crusaders though?

Not a bad idea and one that would, again, increase RL's profile in Wales which seems to one of the RFL's aims. Would need to be marketed properly though.

but how many tickets will pass holders get

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:36 pm  

Brew wrote:

Its only a few years since the uproar when The Semis were played at the Halliwell Jones and The Stobart (or whatever it was called at the time) Yet there was no reported shortfall of tickets and people wanting to attend either game not being able to get there. These stadiums have a combined capacity of less than 30k,

So how could playing the games, even as a double header, A few hundred miles away attract enough fans to make it viable.

CoM Stadium would be a great place to stage both (48k capacity = to 2 Galpharms) But still probably wouldn't be filled. And its unlikely that Man City would want Rugby Played on it that close to the start of the Premier League Season (or will it already have started)

If you put events in small arenas with no promotion, people will think they are small events. Playing in a tiny stadium gives the feel that the competition has little meaning, and it will never grow if you restrict its capacity to such an extent.

Also, more neutrals will go to see BOTH games than just one. I would never consider going to one semi-final as a neutral. I would go to both. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. Having them both in one ground means they can combine advertising and marketing as well, possibly saving money on account of that.

Cardiff. Eastlands. Midlands. Wherever. Have 'em both in one big ground and I guarantee the total attendance will be bigger than having them at two separate grounds.

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:41 pm  

af wrote:

Not that ends the argument, but a doubleheader is never going to be a capacity game, at least not to look at. A significant percentage of each side involved will not bother with the other semi, even though they have a free ticket and are already at the ground.

This means that say the semis were Saints-Leeds and Hull FC-KR, games that could attract 20k - you'd have to put them in a 40k stadium to satisfy demand, but there would probably be only be 30k in at any one point, if that.

Now if you could put on the two games at the same ground, but clear the ground after game 1 and then admit people for game 2, with a discount double ticket for those that wanted it, I guess you'd increase your neutral take-up without having to put a half pint crowd in a pint pot stadium. Potetially more hassle than it's worth though.

That's the biggest downfall for double headers. However, you could get around this possibly with some ingenious camera techniques. Using last year's semi-finalists as an example, have Leeds/Saints fans at one side of the ground and Hull/Wakey fans the other and change which side the camera faces for the second game.

Example:

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSS
L-------------------------------------S
L-------------------------------------S
L-------------------------------------S
H------------------------------------W
H------------------------------------W
H------------------------------------W
HHHHHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWWW

Shouldn't be impossible to set-up, no?

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:44 pm  

COM stadium hols 48000 divide that in2 four and you get 12000 im sure if we could manage to fill it if we had the well supported teams there.

[Hillsborough Lad]

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:46 pm  

Should point out that in Union, in 2007 and 2008, the Semi Finals of the EDF Energy Cup (The main knockout cup for English and Welsh teams) were played as a double header at the Millennium Stadium

According to Wiki, crowds were:
2007 - 40293
2008 - 41018

The teams that competed in those double headers were:
2007 - Leicester, Sale, Cardiff, Ospreys
2008 - Leicester, Wasps, Ospreys, Saracens

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:49 pm  

Hillsborough Lad wrote:

Should point out that in Union, in 2007 and 2008, the Semi Finals of the EDF Energy Cup (The main knockout cup for English and Welsh teams) were played as a double header at the Millennium Stadium

According to Wiki, crowds were:
2007 - 40293
2008 - 41018

The teams that competed in those double headers were:
2007 - Leicester, Sale, Cardiff, Ospreys
2008 - Leicester, Wasps, Ospreys, Saracens

Leicester are one of the best supported RU teams. and with Cardiff and Ospreys involved you'd have expected a large turnout from the Welsh,

To me those figures say it didnt work for RU,

: Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:12 pm  

Brew wrote:

Leicester are one of the best supported RU teams. and with Cardiff and Ospreys involved you'd have expected a large turnout from the Welsh,

To me those figures say it didnt work for RU,

It got 50,000 the year before that, also.

I don't get how you can say a 40-50,000 crowd didn't work. That's not far off the actual final attendance for that competition.

40-50,000 would fill the CoM. And because CoM and MS are tiered stadiums, you can keep the top tier closed to make it look fuller if that is the desired effect.

When was the last time the combined semi-final attendance was above 40,000?