Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:23 pm  

Fax now playing Keighley and Swinton pre-season... http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/local/H ... 5922974.jp

Fax now playing Keighley and Swinton pre-season... http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/local/H ... 5922974.jp

Re: Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:08 pm  

I know it good to just get into the new stand and use it etc, but i feel like we're selling ourselves a bit short on the 'opening' of the new stand by having some people sit in it for a friendly vs Swinton where not even all facilities are open.
Surly marketing the 1st competitive match when everything is open in the stand in a 'The Big Opening' type will bring in loads more people for this 'historic occasion'.

I understand some stadiums have to go through a test run tho (i.e wembley had that u21s friendly vs italy where 30,000 were purposefully spread around all the tiers of the ground) so is it because of that with this even though its just one stand?

I dont want to appear a miserable git but i always thought the opening of that stand after so long would have a bit of an event around it with a 'wow' factor.

Re: Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:21 pm  

Ideally we would have liked to stage a major game to open the East Stand (we did enquire about Melbourne Storm again) but for various reasons it is impossible - for example, not knowing when it would be ready; fitting around Halifax Town commitments; availability of a top Super League club; fixture lists being published later than normal. We did have Warrington Wolves lined up at one stage (as Challenge Cup winners and with a big traveling support) but we had to pull out because of the uncertainty around a completion date. As it stands, if we don't play Swinton, the next game would be Dewsbury on February 7th and we don't want to wait that long to start using the facility. However, we are planning a couple of events for mid-January such as a Sponsors Luncheon and Supporters Evening when everyone will get the chance to have a good look round and enjoy some entertainment to celebrate the "soft" opening before the game on the 24th. What we would urge is for all our supporters to bring a friend to a game to see the new facilities - someone who wouldn't normally come to a game. If we can all do that we'd fill the East Stand and double our crowds overnight!

Re: Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:16 pm  

Looking forward to this already.
It will be great seeing all the Dingles, coming over the hill in your old julpoies.

Re: Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 6:00 pm  

We pulled out of a friendly against Warrington? I thought friendlys were about getting the team ready for the season not about showcasing a new stand. I think we would have benefited more from a game against a SL team(even a weakened one) than 2 games that have been arranged.

Re: Fax confirm two more friendlies : Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:32 pm  

Halifax RLFC wrote:

Ideally we would have liked to stage a major game to open the East Stand (we did enquire about Melbourne Storm again) but for various reasons it is impossible - for example, not knowing when it would be ready; fitting around Halifax Town commitments; availability of a top Super League club; fixture lists being published later than normal. We did have Warrington Wolves lined up at one stage (as Challenge Cup winners and with a big traveling support) but we had to pull out because of the uncertainty around a completion date. As it stands, if we don't play Swinton, the next game would be Dewsbury on February 7th and we don't want to wait that long to start using the facility. However, we are planning a couple of events for mid-January such as a Sponsors Luncheon and Supporters Evening when everyone will get the chance to have a good look round and enjoy some entertainment to celebrate the "soft" opening before the game on the 24th. What we would urge is for all our supporters to bring a friend to a game to see the new facilities - someone who wouldn't normally come to a game. If we can all do that we'd fill the East Stand and double our crowds overnight!

Thanks for the response. I didn't doubt the club had been trying ( i heard Cas was an option), i just hoped it'd boil down to a bit better than a friendly vs Swinton to open it, but obviously given completion dates etc, i apprieciate it being harder. I still think while the stand is 'technically' available for the Swinton game, the game could have gone ahead which ust the other two stands and the club could have built the first competitive home game (sheff i think?) as the big day for the Rugby fans to use the stand as i think it would have encouraged more people along...it still may, many probably wont go to the Swinton friendly anyway, but its just a thought.

Out of interest, which team is using the new stand first, fax or town?