BBC will be showing their first ever live football league game (new contract starts next season) on the sat or sun

Its only a few years since the uproar when The Semis were played at the Halliwell Jones and The Stobart (or whatever it was called at the time) Yet there was no reported shortfall of tickets and people wanting to attend either game not being able to get there. These stadiums have a combined capacity of less than 30k,

So how could playing the games, even as a double header, A few hundred miles away attract enough fans to make it viable.

CoM Stadium would be a great place to stage both (48k capacity = to 2 Galpharms) But still probably wouldn't be filled. And its unlikely that Man City would want Rugby Played on it that close to the start of the Premier League Season (or will it already have started)

Not that ends the argument, but a doubleheader is never going to be a capacity game, at least not to look at. A significant percentage of each side involved will not bother with the other semi, even though they have a free ticket and are already at the ground.

This means that say the semis were Saints-Leeds and Hull FC-KR, games that could attract 20k - you'd have to put them in a 40k stadium to satisfy demand, but there would probably be only be 30k in at any one point, if that.

Now if you could put on the two games at the same ground, but clear the ground after game 1 and then admit people for game 2, with a discount double ticket for those that wanted it, I guess you'd increase your neutral take-up without having to put a half pint crowd in a pint pot stadium. Potetially more hassle than it's worth though.

That's the biggest downfall for double headers. However, you could get around this possibly with some ingenious camera techniques. Using last year's semi-finalists as an example, have Leeds/Saints fans at one side of the ground and Hull/Wakey fans the other and change which side the camera faces for the second game.

Example:

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSS
L-------------------------------------S
L-------------------------------------S
L-------------------------------------S
H------------------------------------W
H------------------------------------W
H------------------------------------W
HHHHHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWWW

Shouldn't be impossible to set-up, no?

COM stadium hols 48000 divide that in2 four and you get 12000 im sure if we could manage to fill it if we had the well supported teams there.

Should point out that in Union, in 2007 and 2008, the Semi Finals of the EDF Energy Cup (The main knockout cup for English and Welsh teams) were played as a double header at the Millennium Stadium

According to Wiki, crowds were:
2007 - 40293
2008 - 41018

The teams that competed in those double headers were:
2007 - Leicester, Sale, Cardiff, Ospreys
2008 - Leicester, Wasps, Ospreys, Saracens

It got 50,000 the year before that, also.

I don't get how you can say a 40-50,000 crowd didn't work. That's not far off the actual final attendance for that competition.

40-50,000 would fill the CoM. And because CoM and MS are tiered stadiums, you can keep the top tier closed to make it look fuller if that is the desired effect.

When was the last time the combined semi-final attendance was above 40,000?

Personally i think the double header is a great concept.
I just can't imagine many neutrals attending if they have to travel to Cardiff.

I think an Elland Rd or Reebok Stadium double header would be fantastic.

If celtic got to the semi finals, i dont think they would move the game to the Millenium, as there would be no point, to put what? 10k fans in dependent on the away team. IMO i think they would put that game to one of the neighbouring Rugby Union grounds, or they will play at Swansea or Cardiff, which i dont think Swansea would be a bad ground to play it at.

probably too many events already as said by another poster.

concentrate on the new MM and let that develop.

if the WTB want an event they can bid for that again