I took a newcomer to the game. He thought the game was good (a first - most games I take people to have proved boring and turned them right off). Three things that he commented on - the half empty stadium and two others he found ridiculous and utterly comical - the 'water carriers' carriers on the pitch every few minutes and the 'man in the suit' on the pitch - Robbie Paul after tries. It's not good when people come with an open mind but find things to laugh at is it?

All the free/cheap tickets are seriously devaluing the game, hence why people who have always paid full whack in advance chose to turn up and pay a fiver to a shady character to sit in Club Wembley.

I'd say that there was at least 200 sat in front of us (prime seats) clearly on a free ticket because their kids were doing the obligatory dance. If you have to give them tickets, surely put them up top and sell the premium tickets to genuine punters?

We need to have the confidence in our product to be able to sell it at the right price. Instead we have the ridiculous situation where a league game at Belle Vue costs more than any of the 'marquee' events.

Other sports manage to pull in big crowds for such occasions, despite the fact they have little interest in the sport itself - at least not to start with. What is it about RL that makes it so unfashionable? To me, the obsession with targeting families is a flawed approach. It might upset the traditionalists who want to turn up an hour before kick off with a flask of bovril and a tatty looking corned-beef barm then be home for the One Show; but, the way to bring in new crowds is to pull in younger people with disposable income who want to be seen "checking-in" at the fashionable event of the day.

I agree cheap tickets are a problem. I used to always buy the best tickets but at one World Cup final people were let in for £5 (compared with my c. £50 in those days) - we were given just about the worst seats in Old Trafford and the £5 people got great seats. Since then I have voted with my wallet and feet as I guess thousands of others have. That must have cost the RFL thousands pounds from me alone. There are many other calls on my time and money and if I feel taken for granted / ripped off / under valued / bored / treated like an idiot then I'll do something else (and have done so many, many times in recent years).

I agree cheap tickets are a problem. I used to always buy the best tickets but at one World Cup final people were let in for £5 (compared with my c. £50 in those days) - we were given just about the worst seats in Old Trafford and the £5 people got great seats. Since then I have voted with my wallet and feet as I guess thousands of others have. That all be must have cost the RFL thousands pounds from me alone. There are many other calls on my time and money and if I feel taken for granted / ripped off / under valued / bored / treated like an idiot then I'll do something else (and have done so many, many times in recent years).

60? You cheeky fugger

Spot on. Add to that, being told by the clunky online ticketing-system (which is useless on mobile devices) that the block of your choice is unavailable, only to see rows of empty seats on the day.

Robbie Paul on the pitch does my head in. I don't understand why he feels the need to run across the pitch during the game. You don't see it in any other sport. Just another way of down grading our game. Even in the amateur leagues no one is allowed on the pitch!

68k including the empty club Wembley seats is an utter embarrassment.

Regards

King James

Wembley is the home of the Challenge Cup Final. It should never be moved, that really would be the death of the competition.

I'd rather have 68k there than in the Principality Stadium or anywhere else.

Until such time as we get genuine full houses ticket offers should be part of the mix. Football clubs and RU clubs do use them if they know they'll have significant spare capacity. I do however agree that premium seats shouldn't be given away. At a ground like Wembley there aren't any really had seats anyway. FWIW I'd paid £40 months ago for my Club Wembley ticket as part of an early bird deal.

It's time for the Cup final to go on the road IMO. Plenty of local councils would be willing to bid for it, put it out to tender to Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh etc and bring some money into the game. Wembley and other stadiums in London should be used for International games not club games.

Correct. An embarrassment for a tedious yawnion troll who can't get his facts right.