If the RFL have an ounce of intelligence they'd move the KO time.

Oh...

If they move the derby kick off,the pubs in Hull will probably have their best days takings ever.Was in Lodge on Newland Ave yesterday for liverpool/man city and the Hull game.Absolutely rammed! And how good to have a united chant of City on thursday night!

I don't see why people think the RFL will even consider moving the Derby game to a different time. The two owners of KR and FC have publicly lambasted the RFL over the last couple of months and this is the perfect opportunity for the RFL to say 'up yours'. But then again, surely the governing body is far too professional to stoop to those levels...aren't they?

Rovers and Hull have always taken good crowds to the magic weekends, I think they'll be low this year.

Move kick off times with short notice (few weeks) and people will moan that they've booked on the 2.05 train out of Hull to Manchester.

Keep kick off times the same and people moan that the RFL are clueless and stupid.

Damned if they do. Damned if they dont.

If the RFL had any intelligence they wouldn't of booked the magic weekend for the same weekend as the FA Cup Final!!!

The kick off times have been announced and people have already made their travel plans whether its for the day or the weekend so change it now would inconvenience all those people

IMO the mistake was made when it was booked for the same day, as any other town or city could be having the same problem.

The list of error for the RFL keeps on growing.

To an extent I agree, and as soon as I saw the date I didn't commit to going until our game (Warrington) got confirmed for the Sunday in case my football team got to the FACF as I'd have been going to Wembley if we did. We didn't get there for the record! I'm sure there will be a few who think like that, but the RFL can't avoid clashes with everything that happens in other sports to be fair to them.

This is completely unique though, and although I know most on here will be KR or FC fans first and foremost, there must be loads of people in Hull who support HCFC and one of the rugby teams, and they won't miss the most iconic match in their football team's history to watch a rugby derby that gets played three times a year.

The RFL should definitely make the Hull derby the first game that day now to avoid the kick off clash and enable people to watch both games. If people are going to Wembley that's one thing, but loads will just want to watch the final on telly and would love to make a derby day double of it in Manchester. With the kick off times as it is though we know what game most will choose and the attendance at Magic will suffer. Very foolish from the RFL if they won't make such a simple switch.

Found myself cheering for City, never thought that day would come.

If you don't like football fair enough, but I do find it a bit weird that anyone from Hull who does might support someone other than Hull City, or actively dislike them for some reason.

I wonder how much this is going to bite the RFL.
Am I right that us and our neighbours take some of the most fans?

FA cup final tickets are between £55 and £105 a pop then trains alone (If you want as much of that day in London as you can) will cost £150 return so that's £200-250 for an FA cup final that you may never see again. I can see dual pass holders being willing to accept losing £50 for something they can see every year and in fact twice more during the same season anyway.

The bigger question is WTF were the RFL playing at booking it for that weekend anyway.

I have my thinking in that they probably went for the dates they wanted late and were told it had already gone but were offered a weekend close to what they wanted. Manchester City probably thought 'It's FA cup weekend so they wont go for it' only to be shocked when the RFL didn't even do basic checks to check they didn't clash and came back with the positive answer.

I know that sounds far fetched but it is the RFL we are talking about here. Plus it's either that or they thought going head to head with the FA cup was a good idea.

I'm sure you are right, but won't most people who intended to go to Magic have bought their tickets already? if so, the RFL will still get the money, although granted the stadium will look emptier than usual.

TBH looking at the advanced prices I cannot see how money is the underlying reason for doing it. At least not in ticket sales.

The two Hull clubs are always well represented and create a big atmosphere. That's why you still play the derby every year while some of the other fixtures have been switched around.

As I said above, this is a unique situation as not many people would honestly have thought HCFC would get to the FA Cup Final. As they have though, kicking your derby off at the same time is ridiculous. Move it to the first game of the day, and push the previous two up one spot. It will get the weekend off to a big start with a high profile fixture and allow those from Hull in attendance who wish to do so time to go and find somewhere to watch the football. I'm sure in the absence of the Manchester clubs from the final, the local hostelies will appreciate the extra trade this will unexpectedly bring them as well.

Those going to Wembley will obviously not be in Manchester, but everyone else can enjoy doubling up. Those who want to enjoy the whole day of rugby without any interest in the football can still do so too. RFL pigheadedness will definitely affect the attendance if they do nothing though, as surely loads from Hull will simply not be watching rugby at 5pm.

What can the RFL realistically do about it now? They've had the fixtures out for a few months and fans would've bought their tickets and arranged travel accordingly. If they did move it to earlier or later in the day, there would be outrage on here from non-football fans. RFL are dammed if they do, dammed if they don't. Some people just like to have a pop. As for those hammering them for booking on FA Cup Final weekend, I'm assuming you're privvy as to the Etihad's availability on other weekends in May? Anyway, ticket sales are 60% up vs this time last year: www.superleague.co.uk/article/29 ... ic-weekend

What can the RFL realistically do about it now? They've had the fixtures out for a few months and fans would've bought their tickets and arranged travel accordingly. If they did move it to earlier or later in the day, there would be outrage on here from non-football fans. RFL are dammed if they do, dammed if they don't. Some people just like to have a pop. As for those hammering them for booking on FA Cup Final weekend, I'm assuming you're privvy as to the Etihad's availability on other weekends in May? Anyway, ticket sales are 60% up vs this time last year: www.superleague.co.uk/article/29 ... ic-weekend