It was a comment offered by a passerby in the carpark across from Macron Stadium between games at the Challenge Cup semi-final double-header – it was brief but said so much: “we’d better get used to it”.
St Helens had just been stunned by Catalans who marched onto Wembley where they will meet Warrington this Saturday. What, exactly are we “getting used to”?
A clue: the number one thing we’ll all be talking about between now and kick-off at the national stadium on August 25: the attendance figure.
It’s intriguing that even the most progressive, neutral rugby league fans a few weeks back seemed to want a Saints win. When you’re an RL leftie, what’s the worst of two evils: a cherished expansion team missing out on the Challenge Cup final or a half-full Wembley?
Clearly, for many, it was the former. We love expansion but we worry more about what outsiders think of us.
St Helens’ Mike Rush, in a recent podcast interview, expressed concern that if Toronto, London and Toulouse all go up next year, they’ll lose out on gate receipts and sales of hot dogs and pies.
What we have to “get used to” is the fact that they might one day be joined by New York, too.
This is an old argument. Super League clubs don’t want to accept that modern professional sport does not live on away fans. It survives on TV money and if you don’t get enough of that, you’re part-time. Do the San Francisco 49ers complain that the Buffalo Bills don’t bring enough fans because it’s a 30-hour drive?
If you’re relying on away fans to exist, you probably don’t deserve to exist. That world is gone, kaput – along with liquid paper, pagers and fax machines.
But what Wembley does is bring this into sharper focus. If you are a serious national club sport with an international dimension, you have to learn to accept some of the teams you allow into the competition might actually make finals.
Not only do clubs have to learn to live without away fans, the game itself has to do so. The game itself, like the clubs, has to learn to fill stadiums with people who actually live in the place where the games are being played.
There’s a novel thought.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. One of them was the semi-final double-header, such a success that the RFL and Super League now have a completely new property on their hands to add to Wembley, Magic, the grand final and home internationals.
(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Likewise, the poser caused by Catalans being at Wembley will hopefully help the sport learn to engage with the French community in the UK, to dig deeper into London people who don’t normally go and to value-add to events.
The Toronto Wolfpack engaged the Canadian Embassy and Canadian military when they transferred a home game to London in May; can we do the same with the French government? Let’s make it a day London celebrates the ties between the countries.
What if the recent London Nines was on the same weekend as Wembley and every player got a ticket? The events promote each other. What if a lower division play-off or Super 8s game was played as part of a double header on Challenge Cup day? Hell, team up with other sports!
The same goes for the clubs and regular season games next year. In the NRL, Sydney clubs transfer lower-drawing games to regional venues. If you’re going to go to Dublin or Coventry with a Super League match, perhaps having Toulouse, Toronto and London in the competition will give you the impetus to actually do it.
There is no going backwards. The world has changed. Challenges are just opportunities in disguise.
Bluebags1908
Guest
Hi Steve, First time poster on The Roar - I think the All Stars vs Maori concept is a fantastic idea and turns the fixture into a genuine rivalry that all Rugby League fans (not just Indigenous & Maori) can get into. A question out of left field if you can investigate this: who has jurisdiction over the Maori team? The NRL/ARLC or the NZRL? The Maori team have been under the NZRL administration since 1908 so I would be a bit peeved if an Australian jurisdiction had the running of a New Zealand representative side. Could you imagine the NZRL running an indigenous team and all the intellectual property rights that go with it such as jersey sales etc. This would be compounded further if the match venue rotated to between Australia and NZ. Can you investigate this for us? Also I don't think "Australian" players that have played SOO or for the Kangaroos should play for the Maori. If Kayln Ponga wants to play for the Maori then where is that same passion to play for the New Zealand Kiwis national team? Same goes for Dane Gagai - he has played for Australia! A farce.
Tripehound
Guest
Prior to the introduction of the Grand Final in 1998 the Challenge Cup final was the sports show piece in the UK. Up until two years previous the match was towards the end of the season in May (when the season ran September to May). During the first few seasons of Superleague it continued in May but was moved to the August bank holiday weekend in 2005, when the final was being played in Cardiff due to the new Wembley stadium being constructed. Lots of people in the UK would like to see the game moved back to May as the current schedule as well as being on a bank holiday is still in the kids main summer break from school when most families tend to go away on holiday. It is also sandwiched in-between the play off matches with the Superleague grand final played five or six weeks later. All of these things have an impact on attendances. However if it had been a St Helens v Warrington final the game would most likely be sold out, especially as these two old local rivals have never met in a challenge cup final. I'll be attending the final with a few pals and as a loyal Saints fan will don a string of onions for the day and "allez Catalans"! The weekend is always a belting piss up but a bit pricey, once transport, hotels, tickets and London ale prices are factored in.
Arcronos42
Guest
Not necessarily. There was a report the other day saying that about 10 EPL clubs could play in completely empty stadiums all season and still turn in a profit because of the TV deals.
MQ
Guest
I remember seeing league finals at Wembley when I was a kid (must have been on ABC). I'm pretty sure in one game, the Queen presented the medals after the game. It was packed out.
Gary Harvey
Guest
??? Buffalo Bill's pitchers? Their goal keeper and props are useless too.
Gav
Guest
Merchandise?
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I've been fortunate enough to attend a Challenge Cup FINAL (Widnes v Wigan )at the old Wembley.Atmosphere leaves any rugby league venue in this country for dead. If they see the need to reduce prices to maximise the crowd ,so be it.A win by Catalans may see a darn side more publicity for X111 in France.Hell teh code needs all the publicity it can muster in yhe land of the croissant.
MQ
Guest
These sorts of traditions are important. You don't throw them out on a whim.
Steve Mascord
Expert
Imagine that Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Brisbane don't exist. There's just Sydney. The AFL would even taken a big final to Sydney every year! Wembley is a tradition that goes back to 1928. Three generations of families have made the trek once a year - it's unofficial Northerners Day in the capital, for 90 years with a few breaks! It's almost an assertion that the country belongs to them as much as it does to southerners and they have as much right to the capital's facilities as the people with the posh accents do. So that's why they persist! But changes in media, pop culture, rugby league's structure and popularity and many other things have left it in danger...
Steve Mascord
Expert
People watch Lacrosse and ten pin bowling in America. You think it has to be massive to "work". We don't want or need to be any bigger than, say, Major League Eating. Or Dodgeball. Rugby league's ambition in America should be to be tiny. That would still be enough to poach players away from the NRL.
Matt
Guest
"The game itself, like the clubs, has to learn to fill stadiums with people who actually live in the place where the games are being played". Why do they persist with playing the game in Wembley? Is it to try and attract new fans, to make the sport feel bigger and grander? Why not play the game in a large stadium closer to where the loyal fanbase is, like Old Trafford or Etihad? Macron Stadium is on the doorstep of the top Super League clubs (St Helens, Wigan, Warrington) two of which were in the semi-finals. So the stadium WAS filled with people who actually live in the place where the game was played. But playing the CC final in London is like playing the NRL final in Melbourne or Perth, EVERY year. It's just crazy and it's their own fault if the crowd is low (regardless of Catalans or not).
Jerry
Guest
It’s actuallt ALL about the TV revenue Steve. Souths are paid a flat fee to play at ANZ stadium, so they would not make any more money if they got 15-20,000 more people there.
Rod
Guest
No doubt great athletes and of course there are some big hits. But there is a hell of a lot of submitting in tackles , running out over the sidelines. I don’t watch much NFL these days , but when I do , I’m always shocked how players don’t fight for post contact meters
Michael Gates
Roar Rookie
I'll go too mate but for the best value footy in London, you don't need to look to a Broncos game (& certainly not a Skolars game hahahahahahaaha £15 for a ticket to friday night lights this week, as if?!?!), you need to get down & watch the Hills Hoists or the Silverbacks etc. Free entry, as good a level of play as Div 1 & a decent BBQ!! I'll be getting my Challenge Cup tickets via Groupon too, Cat 4 £50 tickets reduced to £15 definitely shows the perilous state that league is in this country. Allez les Catalans!!!
Wise Old Elf
Guest
Why would Americans follow English rugby when they have their own football? NFL has guys that could win Olympics and they hit like wrecking balls. It won't work, but I am amused to watch it all fail.
Louis McIntyre
Roar Guru
Going to be in the crowd this weekend at Wembley, but I am a bit sceptical on how many others will be joining me in such a large stadium. Hopefully London make it through the super 8 qualifiers to attract aussie expats to jump on board top flight league in the U.K.
Bill
Guest
That would be a great game to see...but I would back the San Francisco Giants to beat the Buffalo Bills any day as Buffalos pitchers aren’t all that great, come to think of it either is their fielding or batting
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
They won't have to worry about the Titans Bohemian,the Eels will have a spanking brand new rectangular stadium,smack bang within the heart of their territory.
Tingo Tango
Guest
BA - So is it move them together or move them interstate? If we merge some teams are you saying that a 12 team comp is preferable? If so what sides do you think should merge together? If they move interstate why do you believe the crowds will be bigger? Is revenue likely to be any better given corporate sponsorship is centered mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. I find it interesting that you say Sydney teams should merge when they have drawn badly against the Gold Coast. Phil Rothfield used a similar argument to get ride of the West Tigers when they had a poor crowd against them. 2 week later they drew 20k+ against Parra. So maybe the Gold Coast is the issue. Not saying they should go but they are certainly not a team that you really go out of your way to see are they?
Bohemian
Guest
The San Francisco Giants don't need Buffalo Bills spectators because the ground is always a sellout but the Giants are going so bad they don't all turn up. The Eels would love the Titans fans to drive 12 hours to Homebush to fill up the other 73K seats in a 80K stadium..