I know loads of free tickets were given out to sponsors and LUFC staff, but it is a good attendance and hopefully it will encourage more to get to the games in the future.

They are talking about rolling out internationals in the North West and North East.

Should be more of this sort of thing.

Would you lot welcome a Wigan-Saints derby at the Etihad or Anfield?

If Newcastle Falcons (average about 7000 usually) can get 30000 at St James’, could Wigan-Saints get 30000 in Manchester or Liverpool? Surely! Both clubs are bigger than Newcastle Falcons.

Even make it a attendance derby aim each year to beat each other’s crowd. Wigan get a home game one year at the Etihad v Saints and the next year Saints get a home game at Anfield v Wigan.

What do you reckon?

EDIT- just seen someone else mention it haha

I’ve just watched the Aviva Prem highlights on Channel 5 (one thing we are lacking, a highlights show in a prime time slot on terrestrial tele!), just to see what those crowds were like... and they mentioned they are going to take some internationals away from “Twickers” and bring them up North.

Also the RFU are getting into Northern schools, the RFL aren’t. In Wythenshawe (population 100000) in South Manchester the RFU have run a schools programme for about five years now and have a local Junior Wythenshawe RU club come out of it. That’s just in my local area, god knows how far this stretches across the North.

Meanwhile the RFL is not getting into schools and SL clubs are still relying on the same old junior clubs to provide players. However fewer and fewer players are playing at junior level in these clubs year-on-year and if we aren’t getting into schools our player pool is shrinking.

I’m fearful for the future of our sport if this trend carries on.

And we've just rewarded our glorious leader's fantastic efforts, with a £500k payoff and an all-expenses paid, first class "fact finding" mission to New York ffs!

I applaud the conserted efforts to make a real break in America - for me success there will truly transform RL and take it far beyond the realms of RU.

That being said I do feel we are neglecting our “home” counties whilst our American ambition is burning bright. We shouldn’t take our eye off America but equally we shouldn’t take our eye of home expansion. Cumbria, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, North East, Bristol. All these areas are worth expanding into and some of which have shown a hunger for RL and others have shown a promise for it. Our problem is we give a glimpse of RL to areas (Ireland, Bristol, North East, Scotland) and take it away from them just as quick. That immediate interest generated fades away into “Do you remember that rugby game we had that time? Was alright that weren’t it?”.

We don’t capitalise on it and that’s why we are where we are and RU can afford to splash the expansionist cash.

Both the American Dream and the Home Expansion should be equally as important as each other. It shouldn’t be a concentrate on one and the other is neglected.