I don't have an issue with adding a game to the Challenge Cup Final day.

It isn't the event it was, the RFL can market the hell out of it (I'm sure they can do better), the fact is as an event it now competes with the SL Grand Final, within striking distance for 90% of SL fans, and the Magic Weekend - an event that involves every SL club. 30 years ago there was no such competition.

30 years ago a Wembley final attracted an avg of mid to late 70k fans. Take away the anomaly of a Wire v Cats final and not much has changed. SInce the final came back to Wembley it has achieved similar crowds. A Widnes v Bradford 1895 final could well add 10k to the Wembley crowd. Why wouldn't we do that?

Wembley CC attendances are down if you look over the last 20 years there is no doubt about that.

I think it's the mindset of the RFL. The strategy seems to have changed from getting new people to watch and marketing the game with showcases in non RL areas. The strategy now seems to be "get more of the existing fans into one stadium at the same time by multi-game events"

I don't think that your's and Alffi's post are mutually exclusive, they are both correct and raise problems that the sport needs to address IMO.

Get Harry and Meghan to present the cup and use them to raise RL's profile. Harry's patron of the RFL after all, so why isn't he doing his bit?

They are doing extra royal duties as the Queen and Prince Phillip are having to scale back theirs.

The Queen (who was patron of the RFL) has managed to present the cup, and Prince Phillip too. That was when they were in civic heyday, but a long long time ago. Time for Harry or William to do there bit as
they're seen often enough at Twickenham.

Seriously? I genuinely couldn't care if Harry or Meghan presented the CC - it certainly isn't going to make me buy a ticket and I wouldn't have thought it is going to be a big deal for many fans...

They could raise the profile of the game by just attending. RL needs all the marketing opportunities it can get.

Turns out also, we dont have a sponsor for the challenge cup next year.

Seriously? I'm not sure whether it would be a big deal for many fans' they will obviously buy a ticket if their team is in it or it's a mouthwatering clash that they fancy attending as a neutral or as part of a jolly?

"Fans" is the operative word and you seem to suggest that you will be going, or not, no matter what, which is fair enough. However, what the game is definitely short of is a place in the nation's consciousness, it might help raise 'our' profile and Harry and Meghan could do that.....seriously.

Lets hope its not The Mushy Pea Challenge Cup.

........with Paul Whitehouse fronting the advertising campaign.

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.Kx9D0Awo ... =5&pid=1.7

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.Kx9D0Awo ... =5&pid=1.7

Why not invite Tommy Robinson to present the Challenge Cup? It would create massive publicity. You would get loads of politicians on twitter condemning the decision, Sadiq Khan would be doing interviews left right and centre, it would come up on Question Time, they would do a segment on Newsnight. After a few weeks, you can backtrack and say after listening to the concerns of the community, we have decided to rescind Tommy Robinson's invitation. This would create another round of publicity, with the right wing tabloids saying the RFL is weak and bows to "PC offence takers". Then you announce that Ken Livingstone is going to present the cup instead and trigger those tabloids in to frothing outrage.

By the time the event took place, the whole country would know that the Challenge Cup was on, it would be on front and back of the papers and it would be far better than sticking a few posters up here and there.

I spat my tea and snotted down myself after your 1st sentence Sally!