The Riverside, Bramhall Lane, the Emirates and Coventry's ground are all completely unsuitable venues. The location of Scotland's games is annoying me again too. I've got a season ticket at a Super League club, and I consider Scotland to be my international team in higher profile sports, so I'm exactly who the SRL/RFL/whoever would hope to throw my support behind the Scotland RL team. I'm not going to Newcastle or Coventry to watch third generation Scots playing Championship (at best) level rugby though.

I've long called for them to be based in Blackpool. Loads of Scots live there, it's close to the traditional Lancashire RL towns without being too far from Yorkshire either. Plenty of people enjoy a day out and/or weekend on the ale in Blackpool, and I might be wrong but I think the illuminations will be on then too. Surely it's a no brainer to have games there if BFC agree to it?

Oh yeh, it’s the WORLD Cup so let’s keep the matches in deprived former pit towns in the north of England. That’ll really grow the sport. Awesome.

It was supposed to be the big game this week, semis last weekend, and finals next weekend. These games sold very well, and I am sure they will be well attended next year.

My understanding is that each game was given to venues that bid for them, so they will have their own targeted market and attendance. As such I don't think a repeat of 2000s massive losses is possible.

I've never seen an international held that didn't attract complaints from someone. If you don't like some of the individual venues or fixtures, don't go. I went to 6 games at the last world cup, and I'll probably only go to 2 next year. It will probably end in another England disappointment but I won't miss it for anything.

When has Blackpool ever had a colliery?

The sport should be able to generate 40000+ to a world cup QF in Liverpool.

But it cant.

The world cup final wont even be a sell out. Id estimate 50k tops

Quote: DallasMead2 "Oh yeh, it’s the WORLD Cup so let’s keep the matches in deprived former pit towns in the north of England. That’ll really grow the sport. Awesome.'" The issue here is that the Government funding attached to the RLWC is coming from their development fund for the Northern Powerhouse, hence funding criteria stipulatedWhilst the tournament will be hosted across England 80% of the hosts towns and cities for tournament will be located in the Northern Powerhouse region; Doncaster, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York supporting the governments vision and £25 million investment into the tournament and its legacy." https://www.rlwc2021.com/host-&-venue-guides So there was never a free-hand to take the game to many other regions.

Quote: DallasMead2 "Oh yeh, it’s the WORLD Cup so let’s keep the matches in deprived former pit towns in the north of England. That’ll really grow the sport. Awesome.'" The issue here is that the Government funding attached to the RLWC is coming from their development fund for the Northern Powerhouse, hence funding criteria stipulatedWhilst the tournament will be hosted across England 80% of the hosts towns and cities for tournament will be located in the Northern Powerhouse region; Doncaster, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York supporting the governments vision and £25 million investment into the tournament and its legacy." https://www.rlwc2021.com/host-&-venue-guides So there was never a free-hand to take the game to many other regions.

What are the chances of the tournament happening at all next year? Covid won't be done by then, we're going to rumble along, repeating this cycle of over-hyped variant emerging and everyone blindly panicking for years. The attitude of the Penrith owners towards coming to the UK now suggests to me it's unlikely they'll get the tournament played and if they do it will be without Australia, NZ and the NRL players.

They need to formulate Plan B now for that eventuality.

I'm no doctor, but I see blanket vaccination as key to any chance of the RLWC 202? taking place.

World cup, 4nations and other major international games have been played all over the place over many years in order to take the highest level of RL to new audiences

Early Great Britain games were played in London, Newcastle Birmingham, Cheltenham and Edingburgh.

A double header 4 nations in modern times was taken to Coventry...........

The crowds will go to these games, they will enjoy them, they will remark on how good they have been, but at the end of the day as one RL journalist noted. the crowd will show their appreciation of the games and players, clap loudly, cheer, and afterwards all go back to their Rugby Union clubhouses and make plans for going to the RU internationals.

The Coventry double header grew NOTHING. it merely deprived Long and Loyal Rugby League fans of easy to get to first class International RL.

The bottom line is look after your regular customers I want to see world cup games live, and I will be going with friends who live in the north and like to go to these games every time they come round. But they aren't travelling 120 miles to Coventry & back

As for Coventry, what did that 4 Nations game do for RL long terms there? Check out the Bears struggles......

So speaks a "bus pass" RL fan......I fly 900kms to Auckland and thousands to straya to watch the Warriors. London Broncos fans who attend away games (hens teeth, but they do exist) circumnavigate the globe each year....but you resent a 2 hr car trip. You are assuredly one of the people who believed the tories would build you a northern powerhouse

How horrific it must be travelling 120 miles to Coventry and back. I am wondering how these northerners manage to make it as far as London every year as its clearly such a struggle.

Not exactly the furthest distance to travel.

The main issue is that once the match is played that's it. There's no plan to back up with further internationals or events. You need have repeated games and events to build

Exactly


Rememeber the RFL after the last World Cup here talking about a legacy etc etc yet what happened after? nothing.

The NRL take origin to Melbourne time and time again. Afl country and a region where players are not even eligible to play origin.

They take nrl games to South Australia and Perth. Not once but every year as the only way you can actually build something is by giving new markets a product to actually watch. It really isn't a difficult concept to grasp.

Not following up the 2013 World Cup Semi, the best test game in modern times with another game in London was an absolute scandal. Ive never heard so many non Northern accents at an RL game. RU would have invented a rematch or some 'historic' trophy to market a few months later as an excuse for another game.