SPOOKY

Kingston Upon Hull Hockey Club dont have to travel from Auckland and need 5 months to plan a home match!
They also dont have to let Humberside Police know when they have to cancel leave to ensure they have enough officers to be at their game, they also dont have to let Sky know when to co-ordinate facilites etc etc.

I'm not sure why you think that those are the only two alternatives. Bit of a pessimistic view of things TBH.

A truly competent management team would have found a way to square the circle, or to at least not have left half the city's sports fans feeling hard done to and insulted.

Typo

KOSH

what would you have done then?

SO? Book the RL game and let the Football League know that the stadium is not available on that date. If they still want City to have a home game that weekend they can play it on the Fri night or Sunday. No big deal.

Tell you what we'll have Pearson back the man who managed both City and the SMC and also booked RL international matches...

I'd prefer a management company that maximised the revenue for the facility, by undertaking as many events as they practically can. The fact that the SMC has not been able to commit to an event in late October/ November this year says to me that they have little idea of how to manage the stadium.

Football fixtures by definition cannot be set up until the end of this season, so how can they say that they cannot commit to an event as there might be a fixture in place? Simple answer is they can't.

There are plenty of factors to take into account when the footie fixtures are drawn up. An international rugby match, which could be set up NOW, or very soon, is one factor that would be taken into account when summer comes and the fixture computer is switched on. Simple really.

I wonder how this fits into the actual role of the SMC chairman. Would be interesting to see his job description.

Edit - spellings corrected - don't want Mr Duffen to think badly of me

SPOOKY

If it was that easy................dont you think they'd have done that?

Yep completely agree and would add that here we have a Management team who prioritise keeping the Stadium empty because of the start of a Clipper Race rather than have a Rugby League International. That was one of the excuses he gave! I repeat for the enth time if MR Duffen is right about the football league then how come Wigan's 4 nations game is on sale and in the television schedules at a Premiership Stadium when we would have benn unable to confirm a date until June!

Are we expected to believe as the mail states that the only game that Wigan have asked the League for exemption from is the International weekend what about Wigans last two fixtures? Are we also expected to believe that a bloke (Wheelan) who owns his Stadium and the Football club and has nothing to do withe the RL club is going to break the rules of the Premiership to announce a date for a RL International against the wishes of the Premiership!!

Its a bake and we have been trussed up. Best to just get on with it and forget about an International, but perhaps for future reference remember which side the SMC's bread is buttered on in future!

That's why we're all questioning the decision. It should be that easy. The fact that other shared facilities have been able to commit to a date backs that up.

Duffen has bowed to the Premier/Football League..........his master.
The rest of the sporting community can swivel in his opinion.

well i cant argue with that!

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The Clipper dates are also firmed up - 13th September according to the website.

Do the SMC not sit down at the beginning of each year and review a list of possible additional uses for the stadium? The Test matches have been scheduled for a while - maybe the SMC should be the ones asking the RL to host the fixture, rather than just sitting back and doing nothing. Are they not bothered about maximising revenue at the stadium?

Good point too!