Was at the game yesterday and first visit to the new spurs stadium. What a venue what an atmosphere. I was fortunate to use the corporate hospitality and if I may say, the experience was superb. Although I detest football, the facilities and quality of the experience was second to none and far better than any RL or RU can offer at club level. I know we don’t have the stadiums like football as we don’t get the fans anymore(or the bigger footy clubs) but the hospitality and facilities is what brings people in, have the experience and then want to go back. This is what we should be striving towards in terms of experience.

What I would say is that it was sooo disappointing that the sheer numbers of spectators was disappointing to say the least. Watched the game back and the bbc got their camera angles right, as not to show all the empty spaces all the time. For a spectacle this stadium should have been full to the rafters, it wasn’t and that is a real shame. The game was a good one (for a change) As I’ve posted before the spectator numbers are not the same as they were and something needs to change as the game is in decline. Can’t wait for Wakefield to play there next year as I can’t see Wembley ever taking the CC final again………… or the 1895 cup.

First of all I though as a neutral supporter imo it was a great game which was a nail biter until the end . On a personal level I would have loved to take my wife, grandkids to this game ,but as with most people in the RL fraternity I only have so much disposable income ,and with the magic weekend and the World Cup looming on the horizon I have to cut my cloth accordingly and sadly had to give it a miss . Hudds like ourselves aren’t well supported clubs and maybe one of the top clubs may have made a big difference to the crowd , but for me it was great to see a change to one of the usual suspects running out at the challenge cup and for me although not a full house it was a breathe of fresh air for the game of RL and I thought the BBC did the history of the challenge cup proud

Agree with what you say Kettycat. We’ve taken our grandson several times to Wembley , magic weekend and to the Grand Final. This year we chose to take him to Toulouse. As you say there’s only so far your money stretches.

I was there too and agree the stadium is the best I've ever been to. And I've been to a lot.
In terms of going back yo Wembley. My understanding is that this is a one off.
If we weren't going back to Wembkey then it might as well be in the North to save everyone a lot of money.

Both games were great. The food was great if a little expensive. View and atmosphere were great even with some gaps.
Probably the only downsides were that it would have been nice to have a new name on the trophy but Wigan's try was a worthy way to win and location was a bit tough for drivers but that was a small issue.

I was sat opposite the tunnel on the second level East Atrium. Wow what an experience we were greeted outside the ground and directed to our entrance. Once inside we were greeted by staff saying hello sir welcome to Tottenham Hotspur with a smile. The lady in our party was asked politely to have her bag inspected and then up 2 escalators to our level. Where once again greeted with a smile and " hello sir welcome to Tottenham Hotspur "we hope you enjoy your day" we were shown through to the bar and with plush comfy seats and tables. Out to our seats that were padded, very comfortable and a terrific view. Both inside and out what a wonderful ground, facilities we can only dream of. I like Wembley it always will have a place in my heart but , hand on heart I prefer Tottenham.

The biggest tragedy surrounding the Challenge Cup Final is how SKY, Super League and the RFL have downgraded the importance of the occasion in favour of the Grand Final.

Shifting the dates from one time of the year to another & seeding Super League teams while full time professionalism has made it impossible for lower league clubs to even dream of playing in the final.

It used to be Rugby Leagues big day out, with fans from everywhere in the game booking their hotel rooms, coaches and marking it in their diary from one year to the next. It mattered not who was appearing in the final, every club had huge numbers of fans attending including amateur clubs.

It used to be said that the FA Cup capacity for old Wembley was 102,000 while just a week later the capacity for the Challenge Cup was 98,000. Reason being the average Northerner is bigger than the average Southerner, we need ent worry about that anymore as we’ll never trouble the capacity limit again.

That said, the move to Spurs new stadium was a great one, the atmosphere looked and sounded amazing and by all reports the experience within the stadium was fantastic. Let’s hope IMG have some plans that’ll reinvigorate the Challenge Cup and the game as a whole.

I think you would find Trinity have tremendous support if we get back to playing in a cup final!
We weren't the best supported club the last time we went in 1979, but I believe the final against Widnes was only about 500 short of the 90k capacity. We have thousands more 'supporters' in a final!

I'm sure it was fantastic being there absorbing the atmosphere and everything else that goes with the day out, but for me watching it on television with it not being at Wembley it just didn't feel the same, it just seemed like watching a match at the magic weekend.

I know I said there weren’t as many fans at the final as there should have been, but way more than the magic weekend games… it’s usually like watching a reserve game atmosphere wise, IMO.

Wembley Has never been the same since it was rebuilt. I always say that the Principality stadium is probably the best stadium location (pubs not travel) and atmosphere wise but spurs is very close if not better.

I don't think it's the fault of the two clubs fans as even if the two best supported clubs were challenging they wouldn't come close to filling it, it's when all rugby fans come together for the final, those that go for the day, and those that make the yearly pilgrimage for the weekend that made it a bit special, maybe those days have gone now for different reasons, but I weren't comparing it fanwise, with it not being at Wembley for those looking in from the outside for me anyway it didn't feel like the cup final but more like a game at magic, or perhaps the grand final at best depending to an extent whether you want to make a weekend of it in Manchester

I was in the same area, almost bang on with the half way line too. I was convinced I was in the wrong place and expected to be ejected at any moment

The ground is first class and the bar area unbelievable.

As others have said, it was a great game too. Think the best team lost, perhaps Smithies should have been off.

I’ll have to agree to disagree with you 1315 ,back in 79 I was there as a lad and from what I remember Wembley was packed , but back in those days trips were booked by pubs and clubs all over the North as a yearly event regardless who we’re playing, not just the participating clubs fans .Those days are sadly gone and so has the industrial landscape that contributed so much to that era of packed stadiums . What we’ve got now added to our monthly expenditure , mobile phone bill , internet cost , sky , etc etc the list goes on , 79 was a simple lifestyle for most and Wembley was a culmination of their sporting hero’s and fans coming together for a celebration, but which has been dumbed down year on year unfortunately.

It looked great on TV and I commented to Mrs KH that it should be held there every year. The only down side for me was the medal presentation at the end - distinctly low key and naff. The days of pub, club and amateur teams filling buses to go the final are over unfortunately. To quote an awful cliche, it’s no longer, “Rugby League’s big day out” when a trip to London was, for most rugby league fans, a one off, yearly, special occasion. I do think the game yesterday went some way to restoring the image of the Challenge Cup and it could really be promoted as an “event” if the facilities at Spurs are as good as people are saying on here.

Spot on , it was great if it was your club but if it weren't it didn't really matter it was the occasion as you'd already booked anyway, I went in 79 with a dozen or so from Crofton and I was the only one that went to the match, the rest of them couldn't get out of a bar called De Hem's on Shaftsbury Avenue, did well off loading they're tickets though to a tout, they weren't what you'd call regular fans just happy to go for the occasion as is the case with a lot more, sadly as you say through spiralling cost of living and a genuine loss of interest in the game those days are well gone, haven't been to the new Wembley simply won't get ripped off paying the prices, maybe if we get there, saw Toppo in Piccadilly Circus on the Saturday night, it was no good asking him if he was enjoying himself, he was that legless he could not talk properly

I didn't go as unless Wakey are there I am not interested. As for the game I am afraid it's going down the pan. I didn't watch all the game as I find watching other teams play quite boring. That said the consistency around discipline from the recs was out of the window yesterday. Last week Bentley got a yellow that should have been a red and did us no favours. Smithies should have been off on a red without a doubt helped Wigan. Let's see what the panel says but for me it's killing the game. It's like saying dish it out there won't be cards now.