Our friends at Quins RU commenting on this situation: www.rugbynetwork.net/boards/read ... 0,11074148

Our friends at Quins RU commenting on this situation: www.rugbynetwork.net/boards/read ... 0,11074148

Depends what you mean.

If you are talking businesses we are legally separate companies. Our initial deal with Quin RU expired and we now pay rent judging by some comments over the past season. Quins RU cannot get landed with our debts if we hit problems and they do not subsidise us directly. (We may get a discounted rent level or some sort of benefit in kind but they don't write us a cheque for lots of money p.a.)

If you mean the teams, they have done a bit of training together and a couple of their juniors went on one of our tours. (Rob Purdham credits his improved goal kicking to working with the RU kickers). However Quins RU are moving training base to Guildford, we are staying in London so it would appear that link may loosen. At managerial level Brian and Dean Richards certainly used to talk to each other, obviously Dean is no longer there.

If you mean at fans level, a small number watch both teams, most watch one and keep half an eye (or less) on the results of the other, a few watch one and write rude things about the other on message boards!

Thanks, much appreciated

I've done it again. Why i keep responding I'll never know. Must be the exhaustion.

Anywho

stand up and demand a total change in management and players


Please tell me what you have done in this regard?
Not attending games and whinging on here or something legit?

Shh, he's done sit ins.
He's stood outside holding signs.
He's marched from his house to the ground.
Wait all of these options would mean he's gone to the stoop for some reason, and we all know he hasn't done that...

WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT IN ANOTHER RANT?
Harlequins Rugby League remind me of the Black knight (John Cleese) in The Holy Grail.........it's only a fleshwound!

The 'getting it right off the field' quote is interesting and ambiguous! In many repsects, Quins have got it very right off the field in relation to the RFL's attempts to expand the game in general. The work done with clubs and schools in London is second to none.

However, I have always been a little scpetical about the idea that working with schools etc and getting youngsters playing the game really translates into bums on seats.

I am always impressed when visiting Catalans how much advertising of the game there is. We generally stay with friends in Carcassonne, and alongside the road throughout the region are billboards advertising the game.

Now I'm not saying that is the strategy for Quins, but advertising more widely might be a step forward.

The one good thing about the recession (just one? ) is that suddenly advertising is very cheap. I work in a sector where budgets are tight and we are small, but nevertheless, we were able to do a tv add for 1/4 of what we were quoted two years ago which was beyond our means. Not suggesting TV adds, but you see my point.

The mention of the standard was interesting too. Now is a great time to get them on side. Having just gone free rag, reliant 100% on advertising, they will do alot more to please advertisers. Would be a great idea to take out weekly 1/2 page in the standard advertising each match. It would be in their interests to reciprocate a client with match coverage. Would also be looking at independent radio too, Capital Gold etc. It my well be that quite a few people fancy watching the game, but aren't RL nuts like us and it just passes them by. They need to be reminded when the game is on, and what the prices are (they may think they would have to pay the same as if they watched socer for instance).

Those sorts of people proabably aren't going to dig around the internet or go on the Quins site to find out the info, but if they are reminded there's a game on, it might just make them come along.

Excellent post. There a lot of people in London (sports nuts, tourists etc) who would take in a game but don't know it's on. We could then hook them. Not having the sports bit of Time Out is a blow IMO. PB seems to be getting to grips with the key areas but Bums on seats is the big one. The Evening Standard may be well worth approaching again. We have to use the Storm game to see what works and then roll it out during the season. A team winning at home would help!

I think you are correct. 2 years ago we gave every amateur player a free season ticket with there club membership and moved games to Sun to accommodate them-No improvement in attendances

Its excellent the work that QUINS are doing in school's, more young kids are playing RL at times than in many of the main northern towns, the Crusaders seemed to be breaking the same ground in South Wales, but it does not put bums on seats for some reason? though I have often seen junior curtain raisers in the NW and the young players and parents leave when they have finished and do not tend to stay for the main game.

To break into the Evening Standard may be a start, but I am always unsure once a newspaper goes "free" if it is read the same? I still bark back to the World Championship games and the tie in we did with Capital FM, would the same work again or Heart/Magic? or has that time passed?

I have noticed that Quins rl seem to be hitting the big local schools on a regular basis. Maybe the penny is dropping that long term the local community is the target audience. I would love to see a tie in with the big 2 free London papers. Metro and Standard. How many read those papers eveyday Million easily I would imagine. Also Gutterfax had a very good idea of targetting of the local community in offering a reduced/free ticket for utility bill payers for some of the minor away supprt games Crusaders/ Salford/Catalans etc. I think that would be a cracking idea if used right. Also does anyone know how the franchises at the stoop pay to the club burger vans etc.

Things seem to be looking up-Im really hopeful- GF had some good marketing ideas although not rocket science-Im sure PB has a few white rabbits up his sleeve-This WIN sponsorship if what is being said in value terms is true is brilliant.
Maybe WIN will contact all our supporters each week and assist with sales -I dont know how it works but they are a communications company after all-

We just need the team to play like the first half of last season which is possible as we have the same players

Positive signs.

Far more activity seems to be going on than usual. Previous seasons before Christmas we've barely heard a peep out of the club.

All this before the promised barrage of commercial activity is unleashed in January.

I Am always a half full kind of guy and the last few weeks of last season knocked me back a bit. But the club seem to be turning a corner.