A report in the evening post said the club are privately hoping for 10,000.

I'd be stunned if that were the case but anything about 5/6k will be decent IMO.

I actually think it's a very good idea. IL yesterday on backchat discussed the reasons, with a focus on 3 main points;

-Looking at gaining a major sponsorship deal as a high percentage of leading business is in London
-Building a brand identity in London (which is massive)
-Tapping into the potential talent pool in London

All are more than valid. I rate IL, in him we have an owner who understands both the business and the game itself.

I don't think after listing to IL this fixture will be a one off, but an ongoing opportunity to promote the club and sport in London.

Spot on.

I think IL has ideas for a Wigan team that's more than just being a big fish in a pond full of backwards looking clubs.

Let's hope he's a success

I don't think it is a good idea at all, if there are 5k there I will be surprised and that will be for a home match in the play offs, I don't get this about tapping into the London talent how will this game help that , just get a southern based scout , probably already got one , how many season ticket holders have we, say 10k, so 9k are being asked to shell out a lot of money and time to see a home game , there is absolutely nothing to do near the ground, do you think London based sponsors are going to come up to Wigan on a Thursday or Friday night , no , our crowds are falling as it is ,should be trying get them back up, if we lose this this game and the 2 points IL will have a lot to answer for, I for one think this is a crazy idea ,

I trust IL's judgement and business savvy. This is a starting point, a work in progress for Wigan, I wouldn't expect a large crowd at the start.

Also, you know, Millwall? I realise The Den wouldn't have been ILs first, or even second choice, but if there was all that was available, rather than QPR or Fulham etc, was it worth bothering?

As both the Super 8s and the relegation/promotion battle both seem to be working g pretty well, despite the nay-sayers, the result does matter.

Luckily I have confidence in the team!

I'll be happy to eat my words if we're awash with blue-chip sponsors next year, but I just can't buy into this idea. I normally like listening to IL about issues with the club but I think he comes across a bit stubborn and arrogant when he's talking about the London game.

I think the 3 issues he raises are very worthwhile but I don't think this is the right method to achieving any of them. 5/6k on in Millwall is hardly going to blow any potential sponsors away and I can't see it drumming up too much "local" interest. I think on the balance of things he's done more damage by alienating current fans rather than generating new interest. On the backchat program he said something along the lines of "it's difficult to grow attendances" - but the problem for us at the minute is not that they're stagnating, they are actually falling. Getting the home attendances back up to the 16k mark is surely more important than the game in London.

Yes, I agree. There's a fella in my local who's a Millwall fan, lovely guy, and even he says

a) the area is a dump, and

b) the locals won't be interested.

And how is he going to do that? He's tried marketing games like "the big one" and got a lot of stick from some of our own supporters for it. There's the community day. London is worth a try IMO. How has he alienated current fans, when they haven't paid for the game anyway?
he made some very good points regarding RL in general last night. Do we want to stay as an M62 corridor sport, forgo International RL, be happy that sport England have reduced funding.

What would you do?

Whether you like it or not Wigan RL is not just an RL club, it's a business, and has to make money to survive.

ps The reason Millwall was chosen was purely based on cost. QPR wanted twice as much, Fulham three times.

Can't actually believe people on here use speculation and they're 'mates' word over a highly successful businessman's plans.

Any forward thinking, promotion and development of our game and more importantly our club should be welcomed with open arms. Like it or not London is our capital, the most highly densely populated area in the country, the home many major companies, it is an area we simply cannot ignore. A few years ago people on here were slagging off cos Wire have Fly Emirates and we had a lesser sponsor, this is IL doing what he can to change things for the better.

This site would be going mental if a SL rival achieved success in London questioning were where we... when now we're leading the pack.

Yeah, I realise that. My point was, if QPR and Fulham weren't feasible, was Millwall worth bothering with?

I do sympathise with IL though, and appreciate that he's trying to see the bigger picture (itself a rarity in our sport).


LSoW> If you're referring to me, yes, I do think my 'mate', who has been watching Millwall all his life, both at the old Den and the new one, knows what he's talking about in regard to that particular area of London. On the broader point of what IL is trying to achieve, as I say, I have a lot of sympathy for that.

Because the vast majority of fans don't want this game and won't be going to it, so they're missing out on seeing a game they should have done. I know the price of the season ticket only factored in three Super 8 home games so fans aren't losing out financially, but many are in terms of seeing the game live.

I agreed with a lot of what he said last night, but I don't see how playing Catalans in a 3/4s empty stadium helps to achieve any of it. How does it do anything other than show the game as being small time? Saracens take a game on the road and fill Wembley, we're taking a game on the road and putting a few thousand in an old football ground, which has only been chosen because it was cheap, and most of the people attending will have gotten in for free anyway. Is choosing Millwall because it was cheap a good thing?

I'm aware that the club needs to be run as a business and needs to make money. But how is this idea making money, in the short-term or long-term? Surely inviting potential sponsors along to a big Friday night game at the DW would've been more attractive to sponsors than a game at Millwall?

Like I say, I'm happy to eat my words if it leads to new sponsors, more fans, increased revenue etc. etc., but right now I think it's a pie-in-the-sky idea and IL has more pressing issues to address.

Jeez - no wonder rugby league is still stuck in the dark ages. The decision to go down there is about more than just 80mins of RL...

Couldn't agree more. If some people would only open their northern basis eyes they may just realise that it is not stupid to try something that may pay dividends in the future.

The Millwall locals are not the target, it's my understanding that the aim isn't attracting new fans, it's purely to try and drum up new corporate interest. IMO it has potential, I hope it works in the club's favour.