With the old financial crisis rearing its ugly head again i just thought id climb back onto my soapbox to express my frustration at Leigh's ticketing structure which in my opinion is as basic and unappealing as it could be.

1. Kids (under 16) should go free, they are the future and unless we start getting them interested then we are doomed! Lets start making our games a family occasion rather than a place to go and swear at a referee. Walsall FC have a great system where all children under 12 get a free ticket when accompaniede by an adult and all 12- 18s get a season ticket for £46 but they get £2 back for every match they attend (£2 x 23 matches = Free!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW4HS3xkN1I

2. There is no banding of fixtures - it costs the same to watch a good competitive game versus Halifax, Batley, Featherstone and Sheffield as it does to watch us walk all over Hunslet and Workington (Two of the worst games i've ever seen at the LSV by the way). Every team in the football league and premiership band their games in order to avoid this (For example it would be cheaper to go watch Wigan vs Reading than it would Wigan vs Liverpool.

3. Stop playing games at the same time as Wigan Warriors! We played a big game against Sheffield (current champions of course) recently which should have attracted a big crowd but because Wigan were playing Catalan the attendance was just as drab as usual. If the RFL make us play at the same time then we should be trying to make a prices more competitive.

4. Cheapest tickets at Wigan (seated) = £20, cheapest seats at Leigh (seated) = £18 What? Cmon lets be serious! As a neutral (after all there the ones we need to convert) if you're kid wants you to take him to a rugby game would you take him to see Sam Tomkins against Leeds Rhinos or Greg McNally against Workington? £2 difference? lets be serious! Even if you ignore the quality of rugby; just for the half-time entertainment and atmosphere most people would choose Wigan.

5. Look to other sporting clubs for inspiration: Blackburn at one point (I dont know if they still do it now) used a ticketing system which took the day & time of the match, the opposition, whether it was being shown on TV and even the weather into account before it announced its ticket prices. Im not saying we need to go that far but our ticket prices need to be more realistic in my opinion.

6. Be honest - Leigh is a proud rugby town with lots and lots of potential (We've won the NR Cup and are therefore eligible for promotion in 2015 if we can get the finances and attendances sorted - both boxes will get ticked by getting more 'Bobs' through the door) so how come in a town of 43000 we cant get even get 1500 to come regular? Answer = The super league. The majority of rugby league fans in Leigh drive straight down Atherleigh way past the LSV without even a shameful glance and head on to watch Wigan, Warrington, St Helens or god forbid even Widnes. All Wigan season ticket holders should get a discount at Leigh matches and visa versa (Stop shouting at your computer screens) If we can tempt some Wigan fans to come and watch some of their young lads play in a hard working local side who play better rugby than they think we do (Even Wane was impressed by our skill level and commitment after the cup game) then its win win for us.

I could go on but im getting lightheaded up here now!

With the old financial crisis rearing its ugly head again i just thought id climb back onto my soapbox to express my frustration at Leigh's ticketing structure which in my opinion is as basic and unappealing as it could be.

1. Kids (under 16) should go free, they are the future and unless we start getting them interested then we are doomed! Lets start making our games a family occasion rather than a place to go and swear at a referee. Walsall FC have a great system where all children under 12 get a free ticket when accompaniede by an adult and all 12- 18s get a season ticket for £46 but they get £2 back for every match they attend (£2 x 23 matches = Free!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW4HS3xkN1I

2. There is no banding of fixtures - it costs the same to watch a good competitive game versus Halifax, Batley, Featherstone and Sheffield as it does to watch us walk all over Hunslet and Workington (Two of the worst games i've ever seen at the LSV by the way). Every team in the football league and premiership band their games in order to avoid this (For example it would be cheaper to go watch Wigan vs Reading than it would Wigan vs Liverpool.

3. Stop playing games at the same time as Wigan Warriors! We played a big game against Sheffield (current champions of course) recently which should have attracted a big crowd but because Wigan were playing Catalan the attendance was just as drab as usual. If the RFL make us play at the same time then we should be trying to make a prices more competitive.

4. Cheapest tickets at Wigan (seated) = £20, cheapest seats at Leigh (seated) = £18 What? Cmon lets be serious! As a neutral (after all there the ones we need to convert) if you're kid wants you to take him to a rugby game would you take him to see Sam Tomkins against Leeds Rhinos or Greg McNally against Workington? £2 difference? lets be serious! Even if you ignore the quality of rugby; just for the half-time entertainment and atmosphere most people would choose Wigan.

5. Look to other sporting clubs for inspiration: Blackburn at one point (I dont know if they still do it now) used a ticketing system which took the day & time of the match, the opposition, whether it was being shown on TV and even the weather into account before it announced its ticket prices. Im not saying we need to go that far but our ticket prices need to be more realistic in my opinion.

6. Be honest - Leigh is a proud rugby town with lots and lots of potential (We've won the NR Cup and are therefore eligible for promotion in 2015 if we can get the finances and attendances sorted - both boxes will get ticked by getting more 'Bobs' through the door) so how come in a town of 43000 we cant get even get 1500 to come regular? Answer = The super league. The majority of rugby league fans in Leigh drive straight down Atherleigh way past the LSV without even a shameful glance and head on to watch Wigan, Warrington, St Helens or god forbid even Widnes. All Wigan season ticket holders should get a discount at Leigh matches and visa versa (Stop shouting at your computer screens) If we can tempt some Wigan fans to come and watch some of their young lads play in a hard working local side who play better rugby than they think we do (Even Wane was impressed by our skill level and commitment after the cup game) then its win win for us.

I could go on but im getting lightheaded up here now!