Talking about the rfl nd the fact they are crap I ordered my tickets for anfield Liverpool for Saturday game so booked hotel for 2 nights come hom Sunday I now live don south when they changed it to Sunday I so it on Facebook if not I would not have known tryed to ring wast of time could not get through so emailed that ne’er I got was sorry you did not get the email so thanks to them have to book another night in Liverpool thank god I am retired so do not have to worry about work

Talking about the rfl nd the fact they are crap I ordered my tickets for anfield Liverpool for Saturday game so booked hotel for 2 nights come hom Sunday I now live don south when they changed it to Sunday I so it on Facebook if not I would not have known tryed to ring wast of time could not get through so emailed that ne’er I got was sorry you did not get the email so thanks to them have to book another night in Liverpool thank god I am retired so do not have to worry about work

It's woeful, and disappointing. I'm from Hull, live out of town, and came back into the City for the match. Plenty of West Yorkshire accents all around me, so I'd say the drop off was from locals. Here's why:
- Hull is not an affluent area, the pricing strategy was wrong for this game - £50 for a half way line ticket is just ridiculous.
- It appears that there no co-ordination on marketing with either of the clubs. It's a myth that Rovers fans won't go to KCOM - for Derby matches they regularly take 3k. Here's an idea: why didn't the RFL give Rovers a 'section' (or the South Stand) to sell to season ticket holders for a small discount to insensitive the club to promote the match. People might disagree with the idea of creating a Rovers colony within the ground for an international match, but I reckon it would've at least shifted some tickets. Bigger question - why aren't all (at least Yorkshire) clubs given an allocation of tickets to try shift?
- There was almost an 'anti-campaign' from the clubs if you think about it: in the last few weeks (where I suspect the RFL imagined they'd sell most of their tickets given their 'marketing (or press releases sent to the Hull Daily Mail) kicked), both clubs have released their 2019 shirts. In fact, Rovers have released 2 shirts. How do they think people will have spare cash to buy tickets for the match when they're spending £50-100 at least on a shirt(s). Surely the RFL could've got the clubs to hold back their shirt releases until after the match, or perhaps do something innovative whereby if you bought a ticket for the match you got £X off one of the new shirts?
- There was no effort to make it feel like a big match. No pre-match / half time entertainment announcements, no fan park, no City Centre activity to create buzz. It was like: ''pay yer £50 for a ticket for 80 mins rugby in the cold and rain and be happy with it'.

It's been the first time I've been back to KCOM in a few years and I was quite surprised that it's starting to get a bit shabby, especially in the concourse area. I didn't feel as 'new' as it used to. It seems like the management company are not investing in upkeep beyond the pitch, and it distinctly feel's like Hull City's stadium with all their signage (can't believe the RFL didn't cover the Hull City sign above the tunnel).

Overall, it feels like the RFL did the whole thing on the cheap.

This links nicely into the NFL thread. The NFL control all the marketing so no club would have been having a shirt release day on the same days as a big event for the league as a whole. It's the whole problem with no one entity running the game.

Having read this thread I can see why our game is struggling, if people are moaning about the cost of a ticket? £50 to £100 is not a lot to pay for the best seats in the house. If the majority of our fans can’t afford what any other major sport would charge for a showcase event then we are stuffed. We should pitch our sport at those who can afford to pay, why should we discount tickets? That’s the best way to go bust I know. If you want top athletes then pay what it costs to produce them.

It's not the price it's the value for money.

£50 to 100 a ticket is rather a lot. especially for families. For me its so much better if halving the price means doubling the attendance - nothing looks as bad as empty spaces at an event on TV. It gives the viewer the message that if no one can bother going then why should they pay attention. Those yawnion club games at Wembley where they practically gave away the tickets were a brilliant concept, forget that the game itself is dire; to someone channel hopping its the big crowd that will get noticed and it also helps get highlights on the national news. So what if they made next to nothing on the event - it gives something to build on in future

The RFL should be looking at getting big crowds first and be happy to break even. Once the crowds come then the sponsors and advertisers will pay more attention and then the prices can stealthily creep up.

You really don’t get it do you.

When we used to sell out big grounds in the early 90’s it was because the game was united.

Those games were attended by fans from every club including amatuer clubs.

Now most of those fans feel so alienated by SL and the RFL (even some clubs in SL)they would rather do anything than support a SL show team. Thanks to snobs like you and your stupid expansionist drivel the games support has contracted not expanded.

Get them back in the fold and then you’ll fill stadiums - individually they are small but added together and they make all the difference.

Hats off to Hull as I suspect they provided most of those who did turn up.

It’s a big ‘if’ tbf. It’d be interesting to know what, if any, pricing research the RFL does.

Money is definitely one of major factors. But internationals should feel like premium entertainment. I quite enjoyed the game, but this series somehow feels like it is just sort of tacked on to the end of the season as an afterthought. The crowd seemed very flat, as the commentators mentioned more than once. Can anybody genuinely say they’re nervous or excited by the outcome of these games? Even this one, which finished 18-16 and was close throughout, just wasn’t very... gripping.

It probably doesn’t help that we haven’t beat Australia in over a decade, despite being able to beat the Kiwis, who do beat Australia from time to time.

That is a totally different problem, being old enough I remember the sixties when the game was dying on its backside.It took a great leap of faith to move away from unlimited tackles to the six tackle & handover via four & scrum along with many other things. If the game is stagnating then it will take another leap of faith to kick start further progress. With full time athletes & scientific coaching methods many of the rules should maybe looked at again. Just don’t throw away the baby with the bath water.

The game wasn’t dying in the sixties, if it was it was right at the very end. It was the 70’s when it really was bad.

Out of curiosity, did you attend the game at Leigh.

I didn’t attend the game because it was at Leigh.

During the 1960–61 season the RFL appointed a special committee to look into the causes of declining attendances, and in the April they appointed a sub-committee with a wider remit to look at the game as a whole.

The end of the RL world has been nigh since 1895. Some times have been worse than others, of course.

So your complaining about attendances for national games..

Ones that YOU didn't attend.

You really are a star