Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 12:49 pm  

Lebron James wrote:

The RFU would never distort the facts like the RFL have just done

Regards

King James

Absolutely no factual basis to this quote.

Once again this basketball based Troll has a pop at RL

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 1:22 pm  

Rugby League is not booming in the U.K (England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland). It's not even booming in the north, more like plodding along.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:03 pm  

wigsey wrote:

Absolutely no factual basis to this quote.

Once again this basketball based Troll has a pop at RL

He was joking.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 3:15 pm  

Sir Kevin Sinfield wrote:

Alternative facts are very fashionable right now.

They have also compared average attendances of 2013 when there were 14 teams (one been London) and 2016 when there were 12 teams.

But then they switch to using 2015 and 2016 figures for the tv ratings comparison.

The other relegated club being Bradford, who's average attendance was much higher than some others in super league, alternative facts are popular right now indeed.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:03 pm  

The best indicator of RL is booming is when Salford and Huddersfield each average 10 000 per game, at the moment they struggle with that figure between them most of the time.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:16 pm  

Ok so attendances aside, If the two statements below are true, why has the salary cap been reduced in real terms?

Annual Super League commercial income has risen by 50%
Distribution of funds to Super League clubs has risen by 50%

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:05 pm  

William Eve wrote:

As are average attendances.

Especially when you relegate a club averaging barely 1000 per game.

And even more especially when you compare 23 regular season rounds and 138 fixtures in 2016 with 27 regular season rounds and 189 fixtures in 2013, of which 27 of those involved a club whose home attendances were barely 1000 per game.

How about total attendances instead?

Are they up on 2013?

Didn't think so

How do you know they're not, have you got some secret figures tucked away?

Come on William, SHOW US THE TRUTH.



Happy New Year b.t.w.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:52 pm  

The Devil's Advocate wrote:

How do you know they're not, have you got some secret figures tucked away?

Come on William, SHOW US THE TRUTH.

Because if total attendances in 2016 were higher than in 2013, the RFL would be shouting it from the rooftop of Red Hall to anyone who will listen

Comparisons are difficult to make anyhow because of the structural changes in 2016 which didn't apply in 2013. However, I do possess some like-for-like attendance figures... well, as close to like-for-like as it is possible.

I'm talking here about the same regular season fixtures over 22 rounds in 2016 compared to the same regular season fixtures which were played out during 26 rounds of 2013. I do not include Magic Weekend (68,276 in 2016 and 62,042 in 2013) because different fixtures applied.

And those comparative figures are as follows...

2016 - Regular Season - 132 fixtures - Total 1,191,906 - Average 9029
2013 - Regular Season - Same 132 fixtures - Total 1,212,130 - Average 9182

2016 is therefore 1.67% down on 2013 for the same 132 fixtures.

The Devil's Advocate wrote:

Happy New Year b.t.w.

Same to you too.
Hope Wakey make the Top 8 again.
I'm confident they can.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:07 pm  

Sir Kevin Sinfield wrote:

Ok so attendances aside, If the two statements below are true, why has the salary cap been reduced in real terms?

Annual Super League commercial income has risen by 50%
Distribution of funds to Super League clubs has risen by 50%

Because clubs are on their @rses. They sold their souls (and everything else in the 80's and 90's. The sport was bankrupt as was virtually every club. Sadly clubs haven't invested since then but have instead scraped along.

Even Leeds, by far the richest club, struggles to properly invest in its infrastructure both in terms of the club and the local area.

If we could somehow guarantee a significantly higher standard of player in SL by spending more on players then I might be for it but we cant. We could raise the cap by a million quid and we still aren't going to get top Aussies.

The last thing RL needs is to spend more of its paltry amount of money on (first team) players, we've been doing that for 30+ years and it doesn't work. We desperately, desperately need to spend that money on club infrastructure. Some SL clubs barely function as a club. We need proper, professional senior and middle management at clubs along with investment in building their local fan base, local amateur game and alternative forms of income.

Re: Rugby League is booming in the U.K. : Wed Jan 25, 2017 9:03 pm  

The RFU would never distort the facts like the RFL have just done

London Welsh just been booted out of rugby union by the RFU.