To any Fax fans that went along.

How did you rate the weekend?

Was it worthwhile, both from a team and a fans viewpoint?

Myself and my lads didn't go along but want to know if it is worth a note in the calendar for next year.

Ok so I dint go but Barker as put on Facebook what a fantatic weekend he as had so the players that went must have got something out of it and it is £1000 the club didnt have befor.

From the players point of view - if they go with the right attitude (a chance to bond and get rat-faced over a sunny weekend in one of the UK's premier resorts) then it can only be of benefit. I applaud the RFL's gift of morale.

Not many fax fans made the trip, but overall we had a good time.
When you consider the upgrades etc, i thought it represented excellent value for money.

The organising needs a bit of tweaking, but the atmosphire and camararie of the rugby league community made the 9s weekend an overwhelming success.

I sat with the Widnes fans at bloomfield road, and was disappointed at not being in a proper final, but i am sure our time will eventually come.

My summary of the weekend is that if God forbid we don't make the final next year, then give it a go.

who won nines?

Blackpool Panthers

I agree littlerich, this could have been the best thing in the whole scheme of things. Hopefully brought all the lads together and push on to greater things. Many thanks the RFL.

Allthough a few of them didnt go, Gleeson, Sayeed, and Larder was on facebook all yesterday.

We all had a super time 5 of us went and stopped at the Imperial,I would go again as it was a most enjoyable experiance .It was well organised but I think they can learn a thing or two for next year.
For starters ,if it was meant as an excersise to swell crowds for the "Final " it did not work as the 9s finals were played with hardly anyone there. It would not surprise me if some 9s spectators missed the 9s finals due to logistics of having to get from one venue to another in too little time.We left Fylde by car before the competitions had finished and only just made it back to Broomfield Rd in time for "The Plate.
If they do the 9s next year (and from what they seemed to be saying they were going to run them again) they should forget about trying to combine them over 2 days. They should hold the 9s at one venue on the Sat complete with finals.Then just have the Rail Cup on the Sunday as a seperate event.As I say there was no-one there at all for the 9s finals I felt sorry for them really.The atmosphere was electric in the stadium once the "main event "started but we left at half time as it had been a long day.
There has also got to be something done with the facilities for the players
while the day goes on as they watched other teams just sat on grass.Plus what would have happened if it had been muddy I don`t know, they had some time between matches yesterday and today and after the last one today they had to travel unchanged in the coach to Broomfield Rd.The spare kit was ok but if it had got muddy yesterday there was no washing facility so another muddy day today would have meant them traveling and playing in muddy wet kit.Thank goodness the sun shone for us all. It was nice to have a catch up with all the ex Fax players too,all the teams seemed to be in a very relaxed atmosphere .
All said if they are run on seperate days people can decide wether just to go to the 9s for one day.Go to the Northern Rail final on the Sun for one day or combine the two and stay overnight.So next year I will make it a weekend again ,I will go and watch us in the Rail Final on Sun but call in at the 9s the day before as well.

i will hopefully be going to blackpool next year but i hope it is for the northern rail cup final and not the 9s.

I think it would have been a complete embarrassment if the sun weren't out.

I couldn't make it, but I would have loved to have been there even though we weren't in the Final. I would have been there for the 9s as well, but I'd have been pretty peeved that I spent a whole weekend to watch a tourney that you couldn't get to see the whole of, due to different venues and clashes in start times.

If they repeat it next year they should make participation voluntary. I'll guarantee that most clubs would decline.

If it's held at the same time of year, there's nothing surer. It needs to be at the end of the season IMO. If they play it before the season clubs would decline because of even bigger risk of injuries.

There again, at the end of the season the Aussies are all wanting to get off home if they are going, so when is the best time, if at all?

The best time to play a 7's or 9's comp is in summer

But we already play in summer

Only one other option

Play it in Winter

But somewhere it is like Summer

I won two tickets to the final, but was told I couldn't collect them until half an hour before kick-off of the Widnes v Barrow game. Otherwise, I would have been there for all three finals.

I agree with whoever said that if the 9's were to be held again next year that they should be over the course of one day and not clash with the NRC final.

Maybe a Pre Season game in Toulouse (Between the end of the Rail Cup Group Stages and the start of the League) as guess the weather would be OK and not too cold-dont know just guessing. Maybe Bring in the French Elite 1 teams as well to help add something different.

I feel playing it at this time of year when teams are fighting to be promoted,relegated or for play off spots is wrong. A team could easily lose a top player which would then scupper the chances in the League. Also the weather in Blackpool in July can sometimes be just as bad as in March! The 9s got lucky with the weather but what happens if its raining and strong winds and teams have no real proper changing rooms and somewhere to stay warm and dry? Good idea but just needs a lot more thought when and how to run it IMO

Quote ="The Lucky Black Cat"Maybe a Pre Season game in Toulouse (Between the end of the Rail Cup Group Stages and the start of the League) as guess the weather would be OK and not too cold-dont know just guessing. Maybe Bring in the French Elite 1 teams as well to help add something different. I feel playing it at this time of year when teams are fighting to be promoted,relegated or for play off spots is wrong. A team could easily lose a top player which would then scupper the chances in the League. Also the weather in Blackpool in July can sometimes be just as bad as in March! The 9s got lucky with the weather but what happens if its raining and strong winds and teams have no real proper changing rooms and somewhere to stay warm and dry? Good idea but just needs a lot more thought when and how to run it IMO'" The Magaluf 9's sounds good to me ur7s.com/tournaments/benidorm7s I remember being in Benidorm when this was on

Quote ="The Lucky Black Cat"Maybe a Pre Season game in Toulouse (Between the end of the Rail Cup Group Stages and the start of the League) as guess the weather would be OK and not too cold-dont know just guessing. Maybe Bring in the French Elite 1 teams as well to help add something different. I feel playing it at this time of year when teams are fighting to be promoted,relegated or for play off spots is wrong. A team could easily lose a top player which would then scupper the chances in the League. Also the weather in Blackpool in July can sometimes be just as bad as in March! The 9s got lucky with the weather but what happens if its raining and strong winds and teams have no real proper changing rooms and somewhere to stay warm and dry? Good idea but just needs a lot more thought when and how to run it IMO'" The Magaluf 9's sounds good to me ur7s.com/tournaments/benidorm7s I remember being in Benidorm when this was on

It`s not just the players ,speccies too would need shelter if the weather was bad.,There was only one small covered stand by one pitch and none at all on the other.

That's what the bar is for Linda

We did not take any aussies with us this time they should make the tournement more lucrative .The winners of the 9s go to Headingly as well don`t forget for the Super 9s.

Maybe its good we did not win it as playing in a nother waste of time 9s Midweek would be pointless in our quest for the real prize of finishing top and also a GF Final Place

Awww! That means we would have been allowed to play with the big boys.

Took the family with me (wife, son and daughter), stopped over in Lytham and we all had a brill time. Agree about the logistics of getting to Bloomfield Road - we left Fylde immediately after the Plate Semi and were waiting to get in the ground 40 minutes before the Plate Final. However, if we'd left it just 15 minutes later, we may have missed it (someone who left shortly after us, missed the first minute or so of the final).

Disagree with playing it all on one day though. We were chatting with the Fax players after the semi, and to be honest most of them had had enough. Five 18 minute games in two days (6 including the final) doesn't sound a lot, but it's non-stop in each game, and it's still full-on Rugby League rather than tag-Rugby! It just couldn't be done in one day, and the risk of injury would be much higher as fatigue really set in.

Agree that facilities at Fylde weren't fantastic, but they do need a ground with at least two adjacent pitches to fit all the matches in. With a little better organisation, then could have turned round the matches quicker than every half hour.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend, and a shame that more Fax fans didn't make the trip.

Lastly, chatted with a number of Widnes fans at Bloomfield Road, and I've gotta say what a nice set of people they were!!

How many fans of ours and other 9s clubs actually went would you say?

Really hard to say, 'cos everyone was so spread out. It was better attended on the Saturday, certainly from a Fax perspective. I only saw around 20-30 Fax fans on the Sunday. Perhaps closer to 100 on Saturday.

Swinton definitely won the prize for the most (and loudest) fans on Sunday, and were the only ones who engaged in any singing really.