Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:10 am  

rugbyreddog wrote:

The NFL teams are owned by business men that are ruthless. They have a business model that has to work or they will do something drastic. (Ok this is not a dig at Wakey just an example) but can you imagine any of the NFL owners putting up with the crap Wakefield have had over their proposed new ground. They would have simply up and moved the team. And here is the equally important part, owners can move their teams or make demands because councils over there appreciate the business generated by a successful sporting team.
The most comparative scenario we could have had in the UK would have been if Koukash as a successful and wealthy owner with a good team had moved to Bradford - bankrupt team with a large supporter base.

I think that's fair comment.

Even football in this country wouldn't put up with the crap that Trinity (and Cas) have suffered.
IIRC, some while ago Trinity were blocked by The RFL from seeking a move to Barnsley.

At some point Michael Carter & Co will lose patience with WMDC and either move or find something better to do with their time and money. It's criminal that progress cant be made because of an intransigent local authority.

Getting back on topic, The NFL are awash with cash and power and rugby league is the polar opposite.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:15 am  

rugbyreddog wrote: The NFL teams are owned by business men that are ruthless. They have a business model that has to work or they will do something drastic. (Ok this is not a dig at Wakey just an example) but can you imagine any of the NFL owners putting up with the crap Wakefield have had over their proposed new ground. They would have simply up and moved the team. And here is the equally important part, owners can move their teams or make demands because councils over there appreciate the business generated by a successful sporting team. There was actually a story emerge last year about the RFL/SLE allowing clubs the right to relocate. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -or-abroad I suspect that it was largely a PR exercise to try and give clubs some leverage over uncooperative local politicians (after all, what local councillor / MP wants to see the team's only professional sports team become "Coventry Trinity"?), but the option for clubs to do that is apparently there. On a related note, isn't Peter Box currently clinging onto Wakefield Council by his fingernails? Does removing him change the dynamic for either Wakefield or Castleford?

rugbyreddog wrote: The NFL teams are owned by business men that are ruthless. They have a business model that has to work or they will do something drastic. (Ok this is not a dig at Wakey just an example) but can you imagine any of the NFL owners putting up with the crap Wakefield have had over their proposed new ground. They would have simply up and moved the team. And here is the equally important part, owners can move their teams or make demands because councils over there appreciate the business generated by a successful sporting team. There was actually a story emerge last year about the RFL/SLE allowing clubs the right to relocate. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -or-abroad I suspect that it was largely a PR exercise to try and give clubs some leverage over uncooperative local politicians (after all, what local councillor / MP wants to see the team's only professional sports team become "Coventry Trinity"?), but the option for clubs to do that is apparently there. On a related note, isn't Peter Box currently clinging onto Wakefield Council by his fingernails? Does removing him change the dynamic for either Wakefield or Castleford?

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 1:58 pm  

bramleyrhino wrote: There was actually a story emerge last year about the RFL/SLE allowing clubs the right to relocate. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -or-abroad I suspect that it was largely a PR exercise to try and give clubs some leverage over uncooperative local politicians (after all, what local councillor / MP wants to see the team's only professional sports team become "Coventry Trinity"?), but the option for clubs to do that is apparently there. On a related note, isn't Peter Box currently clinging onto Wakefield Council by his fingernails? Does removing him change the dynamic for either Wakefield or Castleford? Cas might get a bit more of a rough ride given he's a shareholder and all but removing him won't suddenly make stadiums appear.

bramleyrhino wrote: There was actually a story emerge last year about the RFL/SLE allowing clubs the right to relocate. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -or-abroad I suspect that it was largely a PR exercise to try and give clubs some leverage over uncooperative local politicians (after all, what local councillor / MP wants to see the team's only professional sports team become "Coventry Trinity"?), but the option for clubs to do that is apparently there. On a related note, isn't Peter Box currently clinging onto Wakefield Council by his fingernails? Does removing him change the dynamic for either Wakefield or Castleford? Cas might get a bit more of a rough ride given he's a shareholder and all but removing him won't suddenly make stadiums appear.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:45 pm  

American football doesn't happen very often in UK with 2 of the NFL's teams going head to head. If it happened on a regular basis, week in week out, then the novelty would ware off. That's why a one off game can be sold due to the novelty and scarce opportunity in the UK to witness.

Trying to improve our game to help to sell it has been well debated, and here's some things I'd like to see in the future.
1) Refs to cut out all the fannying around at the play the ball.
Once held is shouted players must release or be penalised. There's too many ocassions of the ref shouting held, and the ball carrier then knocked to the ground.
Hands must be removed from the ball carrier on the shout of held.
Ball carrier must play the ball backwards, with his foot.
2) Refs to cut out all the fannying around at the play the scrums.
Lets stop one team rushing to form a scrum to stop the clock and then disband, have a drink, tie shoelaces, check who's on I'm a Celebrity, attend to head wound, have another drink.
Put a clock on from when ref awards scrum to whichever side, and if a team is not packed down within 30 seconds (or whatever appropriate amount of time) then they're penalised.
Make scrums a proper contest again, and make everyone pack down properly. I know there was an attempt with scrum halves sent off for feeding, and then hookers for foot up, but this can't be impossible to solve.
3) Goal line drop outs, again taking a crazy amount of time for a drink, tie shoelaces, check who's on I'm a Celebrity, attend to head wound, have another drink. Get a clock on it, and if not done within the allotted time, then a penalty.
4) Next TV deal, get some advertising slots with the TV provider agreed for RFL use in marketing and selling the gane/events.
5) Substitutes - we need to increase the amount that forwards are on the field of play during a game to try and give some space for backs to be creative. Could keep 4 subs but cut down the interchanges to eight or six. Where getting too many games where players are on from nought to ten minutes. Bit ironic with the OP, but were not American Football.
6) Make SL a 14 team competition playing each other home and away once. Keep the magic weekend if you have to, but that might be better served as a weekender for the last 8 or last 16 of the challenge cup.
Whoever is top of the league is crowned champions.
7) Item 6) then gives space for mid season international/representative rugby and end of season international tournament.
Move the challenge cup final away from the August bank holiday and the rail travel nightmare of getting to London. Also, allow more time from the semifinals to the final for the opportunity to sell this game.
9) Sky need a shake up, the presentation is stale, and the dissection of every tackle for possible infringements is boring and not what we want to hear. Just describe the action, please, and leave it there.
Do we really need this large cast of Eddie, Terry, Barry, Jon, Brian, Angela, Phil, Bill and Stuart (I bet I haven't named them all, either)
10) Great to see a GB tour back on, hope the Aussies will come over here too. These need to feature in a cycle of one home and one away every two years.
There's other things I'm sure, and there's no doubt some better suggestions, but the bottom line is the game needs an overhaul.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:57 pm  

MorePlaymakersNeeded wrote:

American football doesn't happen very often in UK with 2 of the NFL's teams going head to head. If it happened on a regular basis, week in week out, then the novelty would ware off. That's why a one off game can be sold due to the novelty and scarce opportunity in the UK to witness.

Trying to improve our game to help to sell it has been well debated, and here's some things I'd like to see in the future.
1) Refs to cut out all the fannying around at the play the ball.
Once held is shouted players must release or be penalised. There's too many ocassions of the ref shouting held, and the ball carrier then knocked to the ground.
Hands must be removed from the ball carrier on the shout of held.
Ball carrier must play the ball backwards, with his foot.
2) Refs to cut out all the fannying around at the play the scrums.
Lets stop one team rushing to form a scrum to stop the clock and then disband, have a drink, tie shoelaces, check who's on I'm a Celebrity, attend to head wound, have another drink.
Put a clock on from when ref awards scrum to whichever side, and if a team is not packed down within 30 seconds (or whatever appropriate amount of time) then they're penalised.
Make scrums a proper contest again, and make everyone pack down properly. I know there was an attempt with scrum halves sent off for feeding, and then hookers for foot up, but this can't be impossible to solve.
3) Goal line drop outs, again taking a crazy amount of time for a drink, tie shoelaces, check who's on I'm a Celebrity, attend to head wound, have another drink. Get a clock on it, and if not done within the allotted time, then a penalty.
4) Next TV deal, get some advertising slots with the TV provider agreed for RFL use in marketing and selling the gane/events.
5) Substitutes - we need to increase the amount that forwards are on the field of play during a game to try and give some space for backs to be creative. Could keep 4 subs but cut down the interchanges to eight or six. Where getting too many games where players are on from nought to ten minutes. Bit ironic with the OP, but were not American Football.
6) Make SL a 14 team competition playing each other home and away once. Keep the magic weekend if you have to, but that might be better served as a weekender for the last 8 or last 16 of the challenge cup.
Whoever is top of the league is crowned champions.
7) Item 6) then gives space for mid season international/representative rugby and end of season international tournament.
Move the challenge cup final away from the August bank holiday and the rail travel nightmare of getting to London. Also, allow more time from the semifinals to the final for the opportunity to sell this game.
9) Sky need a shake up, the presentation is stale, and the dissection of every tackle for possible infringements is boring and not what we want to hear. Just describe the action, please, and leave it there.
Do we really need this large cast of Eddie, Terry, Barry, Jon, Brian, Angela, Phil, Bill and Stuart (I bet I haven't named them all, either)
10) Great to see a GB tour back on, hope the Aussies will come over here too. These need to feature in a cycle of one home and one away every two years.
There's other things I'm sure, and there's no doubt some better suggestions, but the bottom line is the game needs an overhaul.

It's not a one off though is it. 3 games a year for ten years now, and a waiting list for tickets, plus there will be a fourth once new Tottenham ground is complete.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:21 pm  

rollin thunder wrote:

It's not a one off though is it. 3 games a year for ten years now, and a waiting list for tickets, plus there will be a fourth once new Tottenham ground is complete.

3 a year still makes it a novelty against 166 games of regular and super eight's in SL, or 380 premier league games for example.
If you had them week in week out it would be far, far harder to sell eighty thousand tickets.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:50 pm  

NFL is a global brand so it was always going to sell out, even if it had zero promotion

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:18 pm  

The RFL’s PR machine has belatedly stutted in to action with three days to go. A video on social media of New Zealand players attemting to understand the Hull accent, which is not too bad in terms of generating interest in this city, and an increase in social media posts in general. But you have to ask why wasnt this done 2 weeks ago?

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 9:55 pm  

UllFC wrote:

The RFL’s PR machine has belatedly stutted in to action with three days to go. A video on social media of New Zealand players attemting to understand the Hull accent, which is not too bad in terms of generating interest in this city, and an increase in social media posts in general. But you have to ask why wasnt this done 2 weeks ago?

You only know there is a test series on, if you know its on. Promotion as usual none existent,

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:00 pm  

MorePlaymakersNeeded wrote:

3 a year still makes it a novelty against 166 games of regular and super eight's in SL, or 380 premier league games for example.
If you had them week in week out it would be far, far harder to sell eighty thousand tickets.

The number you ralj about is combinded games, well obviously if all 509 or so combined total Nfl games were played in London crowds might suffer. Eack team plays 8 home games a year plus two pre season games and any playoff games, so it would not be too difficult to play 8 home games at wembley, suspect even if they did not all sell out they would still average 70k plus.