There are lots of things the RFL could do.

If it is left to individual clubs they do what is best for them and not the game. That is the real problem the game has actually no strategy for the game as a whole but there are things that the RFL could do.

Better scheduling of fixtures. This would cover everything from when games in France are played to not scheduling games so as not to be in conflict with otherelements of the game ie When amateur games are played etc.
Maximum pricing for away fans to stop them being ripped off.
to work with all the clubs so that ST holders of different clubs can get reduced price entry to other games.
eg as Batley have done
[i Hi all, Batley homes game
For all super league season ticket holder are
Only £5 so starting this sunday against Workington town 3pm kick off you can watch the bulldogs at mount pleasant
[/i.

Why not an agreement that all Championship club ST holders get reduced price entry to SL games. ( subject to pricing and availability etc)

better advertising of the game as a whole
etc.

these are solutions that the game as a whole needs to look into.
They should use their marketing expertise to work with individual clubs.

Rather predictably, the issue of discounted tickets rears its head whenever ideas of marketing the game are discussed. As a sport, do we really want a marketing strategy that is based around dishing out cheap tickets? Do we really want to be going to blue-chip sponsors with a sales pitch that says "Hey, these people love their passion so much, that they're only willing to pay £15 for a play-off semi-final (but only if their kid gets a free ticket as well). We're sure that they'll love your premium product just as much!"?

Are away fans really "ripped off" like you suggest they are? Does RL really compare that badly to other sports, or even other leisure activities? I don't think it does. If the RFL takes the decision to cap ticket prices, where is the incentive for clubs to invest in better facilities?

Is scheduling of games really that big of an issue? Aside from the demands of Sky (which the game can do little about) and arrangements with ground sharing (an issue for the clubs), individual clubs are free to nominate their own preferred match day and kick-off time. It's why Leeds usually play on Friday nights and why Castleford usually kick-off 30 minutes later than the other Sunday games. Why is that an issue for the clubs? Because the clubs know their local market better than the RFL. If a club knows that a lot of its fans are also supporters of a local football club, that is probably going to influence the decision in nominating their preferred match day.

Dishing out free or massively discounted tickets is not a marketing plan (or at least, a sustainable one). Bradford Bulls are evidence of that. A marketing plan involves understanding your target markets, creating a valuable proposition for them and encouraging them to pay a fair price for your product instead of the one on offer next door. That's a responsibility of each and every club.

Yep, much like those Monday night games in SL only kicked in during the football off season the same will apply here with football and Friday nights, those 10 games will probably be during October-January.

Totally disagree.

Attendances are the responsibility of the club. It's like saying OFCOM are responsible for getting more people to buy BT phone lines.

The clubs are individual businesses and their bread and butter is the fan.

It's not the RFL job to get me to go to a Saints match, that's Saints job.
And it's certainly not Saints and other clubs job, via the RFL to get people to attend say Salford or Wigan's matches.

The SL sets up the deal with SKY.
The SL clubs get the vast majority of cash from SKY.
They have it all on a plate, the least they can do is take some responsibility for selling their own product.

Agree. The only thing I'd say lay at the RFL's door (at least partially) is attendances for the big event games like the Cup final, Grand final etc. As Bramley says the clubs know their market better than the RFL.

I still think there are a couple of things that could be done at RFL level though. I think a Heritage round (or something along those lines, if not a heritage round maybe designate 1 round every other week to be a heritage one for each club, so for instance Round 1 would be Saints, Round 3 would be Wigan etc and do it in conjunction with Sky who would televise that club's home game and could put together a programme or at least pre-match stuff about the history of that club) is a must. It's a great opportunity for us to remind people of our history and sell some more merchandise, every time a club produces a decent retro shirt they sell in large quantities.
I also think a portion of the TV money could be set aside for each club to heavily market one particular game in the season, in all the leagues.

Other than that then it's up to the clubs to do more to get people in, and it doesn't just mean lowering ticket prices. For instance Leeds ticket prices have risen and the team has finished lower in the league yet attendances have risen slightly over the last few years (or at least stayed the same) and that's at least in part to 2/3 years work at engaging amateur clubs, youngsters, schools and other groups in Leeds.
I always get a bit depressed when I hear some fans proudly talking about their club's "community work" and it seemed to amount to sending a couple of players to a local amateur club a couple of times a year. I think many clubs are doing the absolute bare minimum in terms of engaging their community (I think Leeds could do more too).

I hope they bring back Saturday games. The Thursday night SL matches are a joke.

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fu[size.[/sizecked up maybe, but it's a joke how, I mean a joke like they are clowns, they amuse you? What do you mean joke, joke how? I don't get this. Is premiership soccer on a Monday a joke? Is Champions League on a Wednesday a joke? What's the "joke" about Thursdays? I think we should be told.

The issue of free/cheap tickets and their sustainability (and I agree it's no long-term policy) makes me wonder; are league fans unwilling to shell out for their product, then? Indeed, are league fans poorer (on average) than football fans? Possibly. Certainly it's much cheaper to follow a SL club and go to every game than it is to do the same with Man Utd, etc. Assuming you could source tickets in the first place.

I think we have a good product, and for 20 quid or so, you are seeing high-level sport. But I must admit I do scratch my head when I see the pitiful crowds even some successful clubs (Fartown, looking at you) attract.

Get the fu*k outta here, Ferocious Aardvark.

The RFL are targeting 10 full houses this season, they must be planning on working with the SL clubs in order to achieve their own target be it additional funding to pay for a substantial marketing campaign or some other strategy (and yes I know it is the club's responsibility to try and make sure all their matches are sold out).

For sure the CC, Magic and GF are all the RFL's responsibilities, no argument from me there.

I'm more a fan of games on a weekend as I'm a permanent away fan for my sides home games, but I understand the stability of Friday night for Saints and whilst not great for me, they have to do what is best for the club. As for Thursday's well the one who pays, gets to choose when we play.

You're a funny guy

I think Huddersfield is one example of a club that has overplayed the cheap ticket card, to the point where it has devalued their product (and indeed, the sport) to such an extent that they find it impossible to convince a substantial amount of people that it is worth full price. Remember when fans were let into a game for free for a "historic, world shattering announcement" that happened to be nothing more than a cheap season ticket deal? What message does that send out about both the club and the sport? Bradford were guilty of exactly the same.

I've been to the John Smiths as a visiting Leeds fan, a fixture that should sell well, on criminally cheap tickets. I just can't see the logic in underselling a fixture that is arguably your easiest of the year to sell. I've even seen other clubs running Groupon offers when they host the Giants because Huddersfield fans tend not to travel - presumably because they've become accustomed to cheap tickets. I'd love to have a look at the Giants CRM and see the average LTV they attribute to the supporters within it.

I'm all for tactical offers but they have to be just that - tactical. Underselling some of your biggest draws of the season seems like a very bizarre and unimaginative tactic.

The problem RL has is that there is no other credible bidder to strike fear in to SKY and create a bidding war. We badly needed BT to make a bid and get the price up, but instead we are stuck with SKY on a long deal.

As for the scheduling of games, even though Thursday night is a nightmare for fans who actually attend games, it's pretty much the only night of the week that has little other sports to compete with for viewing figures, so I think it's a inconvenience we have got to live with.

tada!