: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:00 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

Attendance figures at Professional London Rugby League matches would be my chosen topic if I was ever to go on Mastermind. The reasons why London clubs have never managed to average more than 5,000 are many and well documented already, but in short.
The Media: They don't give a flying one...simple as that really.
The Name Changes: FulhamCrusaderBronquins.......
The Change of Addresses: The club probably spend more on re-directing mail than they do on Marketing.
Competition from other sports: Soccer and Union are the games that control most attention down here and that will always be the way.
Perception: Flat cap wearing whippet racing pigeon fanciers play League (and the BBC continue to enhance this perception with the commentary team on CC games)
...
There are many more reasons, but I can't be bothered listing them. What I will say, is that there seems to be little or no marketing activity coming out of the club this year and that is very worrying. Yes, we are now seeing the fruits of many years labour with more cockneys in the squad and we are getting more competitive. We also have a great Game Day experience and the bands in the bars after the game are brilliant, but what we are not doing is letting anyone know about it.
The poster who earlier said that no resident of TW would be able to name 3 players was nearly right......they wouldn't even be able to name 1 and that's if they even knew we existed.
I don't know what the solution is, but I do fear for Harlequins Rugby League in 2015 if we still average less than 5,000 a game.

IMO the one main reason is that rugby league just isn't a big enough attraction in the city of London. Not saying it's the club's fault (London must be one of the entertainment capitals of the world afterall and so to say it has a lot of competition is an understatement), it's just the way it's always been, and to be honest I can't see them changing that.

I know it's a decade ago, but their turnout out Wembley in '99 must have been on of the lowest for years and years, and their support has only dropped since then. In other words, even a competitive SL team and Challenge Cup Final couldn't boost support for the club. To me they'll always be an NL-level club being kept in SL by the powers-that-be who refuse to accept the fact that RL will never be bigger in the south then football or RU. Just my view.

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:11 pm  

Roofs wrote:

IMO the one main reason is that rugby league just isn't a big enough attraction in the city of London. Not saying it's the club's fault (London must be one of the entertainment capitals of the world afterall and so to say it has a lot of competition is an understatement), it's just the way it's always been, and to be honest I can't see them changing that.

I know it's a decade ago, but their turnout out Wembley in '99 must have been on of the lowest for years and years, and their support has only dropped since then. In other words, even a competitive SL team and Challenge Cup Final couldn't boost support for the club. To me they'll always be an NL-level club being kept in SL by the powers-that-be who refuse to accept the fact that RL will never be bigger in the south then football or RU. Just my view.

Actually we're kept in SL by poor sides that keep losing to us.

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:14 pm  

Darthchris wrote:

Actually we're kept in SL by poor sides that keep losing to us.

Should have been booted out when Broncos went under IMO.

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:34 pm  

Roofs wrote:

<snip>

What a principled fellow you are.....wrong, but principled.
The City of London is actually a little bit of land west of the City of Westminster, where all the stuffed shirts work.
Greater London on the other hand has loads to offer.
As for 1999 and the crowd, it was actually well attended.....but that had nothing to do with us....still if you dig a little (google it)you will understand why that cup final was well attended compared to the previous ones....
If you're going to fish roofs....use decent bait
I take it you won't be in TW2 on Sunday then.........

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:37 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

What a principled fellow you are.....wrong, but principled.
The City of London is actually a little bit of land west of the City of Westminster, where all the stuffed shirts work.
Greater London on the other hand has loads to offer.
As for 1999 and the crowd, it was actually well attended.....but that had nothing to do with us....still if you dig a little (google it)you will understand why that cup final was well attended compared to the previous ones....
If you're going to fish roofs....use decent bait
I take it you won't be in TW2 on Sunday then.........

I was actually defending you about having lots of rival entertainment to compete with in London.

IIRC, wasn't the crowd something like:

72,000 (approx)
30,000 Rhinos
9,000 Broncos
33,000 other (e.g. fans of other clubs, corporate guests, etc)

Nah won't be there on Sunday. To be honest I couldn't really afford it anyway, + there's the principles of course.

[Mild Rover]

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:35 pm  

London could offer, and in some respects is offering, a lot to RL. Establishing a sport in a non-traditional area is always going to be challenging - I'd bet the NFL put much more behind the Monarchs than the RFL has ever done for RL in London and that never made much impact in the media. Southern France has a long RL tradition and there has always been some interest in South Wales, whereas hopes for London seem to rely on its size - but that is a two edged sword. It seems to dilute, rather than amplify, interest.
I'd give it a few more years at Quins (definately no more rebranding!) and hope that the grassroots work will start to draw in more support. A national* sport without top-flight representation in the capital is (IMO, unfortunately) an oxymoron as far as the media are concerned, but if Quins can't average closer to half the RFL's target of 10K by 2015, perhaps it will be time to look elsewhere. Mind, Quins are not the only club who need to improve in one aspect or another - the one I support included.

*Yes, I know.

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:11 pm  

All the Quins need is the bloody media to take an interest

but comics like the sun,star,mirror,sport, mail only give two hoots about football. and then there is sky sports football *cough* sorry news.

Rugby just needs to be shown/exposed to people.

The crowds are good fun unlike violent idiots in Football.

I converted about 7 or 8 people in my life. in turn they have brought people it just needs external support because the game speaks for itself. Exciting, passionate, violent and fair.

Best game in the world

[Jimmythecuckoo]

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:21 pm  

Wire_Yed_79 wrote:

Best game in the world

I am coming round to agreeing with that statement being a convert.

But all the reasons I turned away from football could come to RL if this plan to entice loads of new fans works.

I dont go to football because of the greed, because of the behaviour of the players, because of the behaviour of the supporters.

If RL went big, I am not 100% confident that the SKY's and printed media wouldn't make gods out of the players and then bring all of the money related trappings from football.

At a Quins match the other week, the lad I was with said to me "this is so much better than football".

Keep the cash and numpties out to keep it that way.

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:28 pm  

GIANT DAZ wrote:

you show me where Huddersfield still have had to rely on away fans to make up a decent crowds and i will apologise and call myself a fat yorkshire fool - it wont happen cos you are talking absolute rubbish !

The away support props up the reduced revenue from passes, OBVIOUSLY!

Honestly, how do you really think your club can afford decent players yet have so little revenue from their core support? Come on - THINK!

: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:49 pm  

therobins wrote:

The away support props up the reduced revenue from passes, OBVIOUSLY!

Honestly, how do you really think your club can afford decent players yet have so little revenue from their core support? Come on - THINK!

Sugar Daddy Davy obviously....