FORUMS > The Virtual Terrace > The Harlequins RL will be re-branded to.. |
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9005.jpg kcab sfrawdder
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!:9005.jpg |
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| So stop moving then
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| The problem is they moved to the part of Greater London that is most immersed in Rugby Union
It’s like the RFU deciding to target growth in the North West and thinking Wigan would be the best place to start
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9005.jpg kcab sfrawdder
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!:9005.jpg |
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| Quote: Dunbar "The problem is they moved to the part of Greater London that is most immersed in Rugby Union
It’s like the RFU deciding to target growth in the North West and thinking Wigan would be the best place to start'"
So where in London should they base themselves ?
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| Quote: Starbug "So where in London should they base themselves ?'"
Well, I live in Shepherds Bush... that would be good
Seriously, I don’t know. What I do know is that the Harlequins RL brand is a tremendously difficult thing to market to the public of Richmond and Twickenham... as hard as it would be to market Wigan Warriors RU to the public in Wigan. I agree that stability is what the London RL brand needs but to be honest, I can’t see that being in Richmond
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7741_1339451243.jpg When you're a Bradford fan there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately it's usually an oncoming train:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_7741.jpg |
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| Quote: Dunbar "The problem is they moved to the part of Greater London that is most immersed in Rugby Union
It’s like the RFU deciding to target growth in the North West and thinking Wigan would be the best place to start'"
That's not the problem. Football is the King in London. As big as RU might be there, it's still behind football. What is needed is for the London club to have a settled period in a decent stadium with some decent marketing of the club and the game. The change back is probably a good thing for them as Quins is too much a RU club/brand. This way they get to showcase themselves as an individual entity rather just trying to ride another club's coat tails.
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9005.jpg kcab sfrawdder
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!:9005.jpg |
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| Quote: Dunbar "Well, I live in Shepherds Bush... that would be good
Seriously, I don’t know. What I do know is that the Harlequins RL brand is a tremendously difficult thing to market to the public of Richmond and Twickenham... as hard as it would be to market Wigan Warriors RU to the public in Wigan. I agree that stability is what the London RL brand needs but to be honest, I can’t see that being in Richmond'"
Means nothing to me , only time I have ever visited the capital is to watch either football or RL or travel through Heathrow
But it seems to me nobody has the answer , and I don't expect the interest in a London SL club to grow any bigger than it is , for the next 10/20 years , unless they find somebody to fund a massive marketing campaign , ie , millions and millions over many years
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| Quote: Roofaldo "That's not the problem. Football is the King in London. As big as RU might be there, it's still behind football. What is needed is for the London club to have a settled period in a decent stadium with some decent marketing of the club and the game. The change back is probably a good thing for them as Quins is too much a RU club/brand. This way they get to showcase themselves as an individual entity rather just trying to ride another club's coat tails.'"
Top level professional Rugby Union is not particularly big in Greater London – two of the so called London clubs (Wasps and Irish) play well outside of the M25 in Wycombe and Reading. There is really only one top level London Union team and that is Quins and they are slap bang in the middle of the Range Rover tailgate picnicking crowd of Richmond
Football is huge in London but our pro RL team is right in the heart of RU country. You cannot tell me that’s not a problem?
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| Quote: Starbug "Means nothing to me , only time I have ever visited the capital is to watch either football or RL or travel through Heathrow
But it seems to me nobody has the answer , and I don't expect the interest in a London SL club to grow any bigger than it is , for the next 10/20 years , unless they find somebody to fund a massive marketing campaign , ie , millions and millions over many years'"
Take my word for it... Richmond is not and never will be a RL area. The ground is nice but for Quins RL to generate a good supporter base, they will have to reach outside of the local population and that in itself is a problem. I agree they need stability and marketing... I also agree it isn’t easy
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143_1357419061.jpg :d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_143.jpg |
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| Quote: Roofaldo "The trouble there, is that London is effin huge. This is what some people on here don't grasp. London isn't a city like Leeds or Manchester. It's a collection of smaller towns that have been joined into one entity by urban sprawl. That's why you have so many football clubs in London. They all represent their own portion of London. I think that in itself has been one of the reasons the London club has failed to make an impact in terms of built up support. Well that and their gypsy nature of getting moved to new areas every couple of years.
Just to put that in perspective. From Fulham to Crystal Palace, that's a move of about 10 miles.
Their next move to Barnet Copthall is another 20 miles.
Then to The Valley, that's about 7 miles
Then to Twickenham Stoop which is about 17 miles.
Then back to The Valley, so that's another 17 miles back again
The out to Griffin Park, another 15 mile trip.
The finally back to The Stoop, which is only 5 miles or so.
So that's 91 miles give or take that the London club has had to cover in just the last 30 years. Or to put that another way, it's almost like moving Hull FC to Salford.
That they've held on to any fans is a testament to those fans and the club.'"
Yes. We used to not far from Crystal Palace so it was handy. They moved to Copthall so I moved house to Herts. Soon as we got there they bu**ered off to the Valley (back to near where we'd moved from)! Is it any wonder people get fed up - you spend thirty grand or whatever it costs to move house and they do that to you! I may start watching them again if they've dropped the Harlequins name. It gave me the creeps.
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42169_1366443727.jpg Chorlton RL wrote- "Jonny, for me you hold the mantle of most sensible poster on the VT"
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Yed wrote: "He's like a Kevin Penny on steroids except he's good too"
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"What? What have I said now?" - Starbug 2013
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5728.jpg [b]The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy-sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself[/b]:5728.jpg |
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| Quote: Dunbar "Well, I live in Shepherds Bush... that would be good
Seriously, I don’t know. What I do know is that the Harlequins RL brand is a tremendously difficult thing to market to the public of Richmond and Twickenham... as hard as it would be to market Wigan Warriors RU to the public in Wigan. I agree that stability is what the London RL brand needs but to be honest, I can’t see that being in Richmond'"
Wouldn't that area be a good gamble? I admit I know nothing about London really but surely with the eclectic mix of foreigners there must be some SA/Aus league fans amongst others?
I dunno.
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143_1357419061.jpg :d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_143.jpg |
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| Part of the problem is the "London" tag. If they'd stuck in, say, Charlton and called themselves Charlton (or similar) they'd have done better in the long run than using "London." It seems "London" serves 3 purposes:
1. Protects against the forced moves.
2. Attempts to attract a metropolis-wide audience.
3. Gives the sport a "London" club.
As to 2, I strongly believe a local branding would achieve far better results (but in view of 1 and 3, probably isn't a great option).
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| Quote: RooRoo "Wouldn't that area be a good gamble? I admit I know nothing about London really but surely with the eclectic mix of foreigners there must be some SA/Aus league fans amongst others?
I dunno.'"
Shepherds Bush? There are Aussies and Kiwi’s here and I see some NRL shirts etc (plus there is a London Kangaroos team which is an Australian ex pats team I think). The problem is that audience is transient and you would never get a truly stable fan base
I would say that certainly West London is a good target area and we have already seen London play at Fulham and Brentford... maybe being based out of Loftus Road and targeting the Hammersmith/Shepherds Bush/Acton area would be fruitful. I think it would be an easier area to crack than Richmond
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5728.jpg [b]The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy-sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself[/b]:5728.jpg |
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| Yeah I meant Shepherds bush. Like you say I thought there were lots of nz, Aus and SA people living there that you could get attending games regularly. Maybe they don't stay forever but word could spread!
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| I think its a good move. London Broncoe's is fine and now its just a matter of getting in a decent location. If possible one which has tube station access for starters.
Football is king here and no doubt its difficult to get a solid fan base for RL but its possible. From what I have read the viewing figures for SL is not just a northern thing and there are plenty people who watch the game in the south.
The recruitment of players so far looks good and if London can get a winning team then like it or not thats a lot more attractive for people to get behind.
I would like to think the Australian and NZ communities are ones to target but whenever I have worked with Austalian RL fans I can talk NRL with them but they havent been interested in Superleague.
It is funny to see so many people say RL has no chance in London but like someone said its not as if RU is huge here as the RU clubs (other than Quins) dont even play in London.
Is the Broncos playing in Herts, Bucks, Berks an option?
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