i actually think its that clubs have conditioned their fans/customers that buying a season ticket/membership is the best thing and most cost effective way.

So if you've got x thousand fans used to not putting their hand in their pocket during the season, its hard to change that mindset. Certainly on families who now need to find upwards of 40 quid in some cases.

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.