If it wasn't for the 'traditional' fans there would be less than 5,000 there and the RFL know this and rely on us turning up to make it work.

Surely after how the welsh tourist board let down the RFL they wouldnt take the games back for a few years.

City of Manchester stadium is a great idea, lots of space outside to create the 'festival' atmosphere, or as a change, Goodison Park?

I think they should wait until the draw is made for the Semis e.g. if it was Bradford v Leeds, Galpharm would be miles more suitable then Cardiff or Manchester. Likewise for us v Hull, Headingley would be perfect.

But how many traditional fans turn up to the semi-finals as neutrals?
If you offer so many events to the traditional fans in the heartlands, they'll pick and choose their games. They're trying to create a market outside of the heartlands.

The WTB offered the RFL money to stage a round of fixtures which enabled them to reduce their fixture list, hardly letting them down. Yeah, they didn't promote it as much as they said they would, which resulted in it getting moved due to a better offer, but they hardly let the RFL down in the bigger picture of things.

If the WTB offered money to the RFL again (not saying they will/are going to), then would you honestly turn it down? We'd be getting money instead of spending it on the facility. We'd be promoting RL in an expansion area. We'd have a big attractive facility that doesn't have a limit so can grow with the event. We can plan ahead instead of wait until the semi-draw. And we'd have a new event on the calendar.
If the combined crowd ended up being lower than in the heartlands for the first few years, they'd be making up for it from money paid by the WTB.

City of Manchester Stadium would be quality for it.

I think the biggest hurdle this idea has it getting the BBC to show 2 games of RL in one day, not impossible but unlikely.

I reckon we would have a much better chance of getting them on board if the CC Semi Finals were a week before any soccer season started. As it is 8th/9th of August will be the first weekend in either the English Premier League or The SPL and the English Football Leagues.

We have to avoid these to have any hope of taking up most of a sporting saturday afternoon.

As for the location, it shouldn't matter that its not on the M62 somewhere. It should help to spread the game.

Though saying that for this event I think City of Manchester Stadium would be ideal. Promote the game more in Manchester, and put a plug in for Salford as the Reds hardly sell out every week, even if it just helped get a few more on there gates each season it would be helpful for them. and the reason I say help them is because Manchester is still up north enough to make it easy for the majority of RL supporters to attend, and could still use some help getting hooked on the greatest game.


*Also the size of the stadium seems ideal

You're not a Quins fan are you... 9,000 miles a season...that's a lot of long trips, not just a jaunt along the M62

Now you're talking.

If a semi involving two of Quinze, Catalans and Celtic comes out, I would expect to see this played as the first installment of a double header at one of the regular venues on account of the lack of demand. It could have nudged last year's Leeds-Saints crowd over 20,000, for example.

Normally the CCSFs aren't this late on, normally back end of July IIRC. Last year's football Community Shield was on the 10th August (which was a Sunday) so we may be able to get a semi-final double-header in on a Saturday. I think the SPL has been pushed further back as well due to Scotland wanting an international friendly, although I could have heard that wrong!

What other sporting events are happening in late July/early August time?

One game on BBC2, then the next one on BBC1, or vice versa. Would work.

Although that's exactly what they're doing for the fourth round: Catalans v Bradford 2.30, Leeds v Saints 4.30

Like celtic will get to the semis

I think a double header at the CoM stadium would be a cracking idea. I wouldn't go as a neutral to either semi but I would go for a double header like that. especially if they did a season ticket deal like with the magic tickets.