[iI posted this on the Saints redvee forum earlier in the week but it could work across the board really. Please excuse the Saints specific references...[/i


There's been plenty of concern in the media since the weekend about poor attendances for the Challenge Cup ties. Only our game at Cas and Toronto v Warrington managed to attract a crowd in excess 5,000. Obviously there were plenty of travelling Saints fans in the figure of 5342 so that still means that there was a very poor turn out from home fans for what was the tie of the round. The fact that only 1,800 turned up at Widnes to see their game against Leeds is beyond worrying.

So my theory is that season ticket holding supporters simply aren't turning out for matches that are not covered by their season ticket?

It's noticeable in recent years that crowds are drastically smaller for cup games and play-offs. Even at LP (not that we've had many Home knockout ties of late) the empty seats really do tell their own story.

So what do we do about it? Well, here's an idea. The maximum number of home knockout games (Challenge Cup and Play-Off semi-finals) that any Super League club can play in a year is 4. That's based on a team from the previous year’s Qualifiers having 3 home ties in the 5th & 6th rounds and quarter-final and then also finishing in the top 2 after the Super 8s to get a home semi in the play-offs. That's not overly realistic in my opinion so let's say that on average a club will get 1 or 2 home knock-out fixtures per year. Saints are charging around £20 for members to take their seats for the quarter final against Hull. Why not stick an extra £30 on the cost of season tickets and say that all knockout fixtures are covered as well?

I think that would be a fair enough deal. 10% on the cost of a season ticket to give members their seat in the ground whatever the competition would not only put a fair few extra bums on seats for cup games but it would also add 10% of revenue to the clubs accounts before the season starts to invest as they see fit. As a member who pays by direct debit it would mean shelling out an extra £3 a month. Even I can get that kind of financial arrangement past the wife without causing an argument.

From both sides there's an element of risk involved. The club may end up with no home ties and have some extra cash to go and sign a new star from the NRL. Equally it could go the other way and we have all of our knockout games at home. If that were the case though a good percentage of what the club loses on the gate receipts could come back from the added merchandise and refreshments sales that go with having a much bigger crowd. So there's an element of jeopardy involved but We currently have to roll the dice on the number of home fixtures we play anyway. Due to the Super 8s the top 4 teams get 15 home games a year while 5th-8th only get 14.

So what do you think? Worth the risk? Or is the Challenge Cup simply not relevant anymore?

No, that's not the problem. Some folk can genuinely not afford it.
Actually, rubber duckie makes a good point.

my view on this is the following.


each round to be every 3rd week then 4 weeks from semis to final, play the final spring bank holiday, or maybe end of June it then does not clash with other sporting events so much. that way we built up consistent steady growing interest, and everybody know when every round is to be played.

get rid of the seeding system, go back to first 2 rounds qualifiers (amateurs etr) first round proper league 1 and championship clubs come in, round 2 all super league clubs.
i just think we need to simplify the comp more and have a set structure, plus the draw should be made after last tv game on Sunday every round.

I agree with this, allows a feeling of momentum to be built among the fan base as you know it is never too long until the next step towards the final. Would see a return of the possibility of smaller clubs getting to play the big clubs (I doubt they care too much that they will get well beaten 9 times out of ten) and varies the fixture list a bit rather than just what we get now (Wigan are likely to play Warrington at least 5 times this season). I would say first week in June would be the latest we could play the final though, otherwise we will run into Wimbledon, Soccer World Cups and Euros that are on tv round the clock (the reason we have the two month gap we get now between QF and SF). Either that or we start the cup much later in the season to have the final roughly where it is now but still avoid those big events for the televised rounds.

Re cup games and season tickets I would not have them given free to ST holders as not all clubs get to keep food + drink revenue, and if it is free then people won't care if they don't make use of the ticket as it cost them nothing anyway, but would suggest that for any home cup draw (and semi final appearance) that ST holders are automatically debited for a ticket which is then posted to them with that being a condition of the ST purchase (I would do the same for a home play-off semi final). People will be more likely to turn up if they have paid for the ticket.

Another northerner unable to see past his own garden wall The average house price in Sale Way, a street on which Leigh play their homes games is £131,200.....The current average price for a House on Vallis Way in Ealing, the road at which the London Broncos play at the end of is £851,500.

I think cost is a big part of it, I mean, I don't live in Hull so I would have to go into Hull to get my discounted ticket on my season pass. So the discounted ticket is suddenly £25. I would also have to find time at some point to go buy the ticket and I work shifts so am pretty busy all the time. Don't get me wrong, this does not bother me, I do go to all cup games, but it might be an inconvenience for others. Selling tickets for £5 each would obviously get people into the ground but when you 1000s of season pass holders you shouldn't have to do that.

Competitiveness has to be considered a factor as well because if the factors I just mentioned are an issue then you're certainly not going to be spending that money on a tie against Swinton or Oldham or a team like that for instance because it is pretty obvious that the super league team will slaughter them. I know that ties like that have to exist in a cup competition but if they were earlier in the competition then I would reckon that people wouldn't see smaller crowds as an issue. 2,000 against a league 1 or championship team in round 2 say would be seen as fine I think in comparison to 2,000 in the 5th or 6th round against the same team.

I guess what I'm saying is one way of improving it would be for super league teams to enter in an earlier round along with league 1 and championship. A longer cup run would be more exciting I think, while I love the challenge cup, the fact that my team only has to play 3 games to get to wembley and might not even get a home tie (didn't this year) certainly takes away some of the magic and doesn't engage the fans the same. I would certainly be more excited if there were a few homes ties and I felt that I was investing in a real journey, a 'challenge' as it were and be part of it with my team.