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#Post#: 120313--------------------------------------------------
O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: DOK
Date: February 21, 2024, 1:32 pm
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O’Shea faces up to task of resolving structural future for
English rugby
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/20/conor-o-shea-english-premiership-england-rugby-union-rfu-breakdown
#Post#: 120329--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
Date: February 22, 2024, 5:06 am
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So, we find ourselves with a Premiership that the Welsh Regions
want to join as well as Championship sides that have ambitions.
Presumably the English Clubs will get priority?
#Post#: 120331--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: MaidstoneQuin
Date: February 22, 2024, 5:37 am
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I would be surprised if the RFU side with the Championship
clubs.
Lets face it, there is still a big gulf between the premiership
and championship. The Tigers/Ealing contest showed that on their
big "cup final" day, Ealing still fell short to what is
effectively Tigers 2nd or even 3rd choice side. Ealing
realistically are the main side capable, if any, of stepping up,
yet their attendance was still fairly low in comparison to even
the struggling premiership sides. I don't think Vallis Way has
the local infrastructure to support a club on a bigger scale,
namely as there's just one road in and out, so that opens up
questions about where the club goes long term, and what fan
experience it can offer. (Lets face it, its in the middle of no
where in London terms, with nothing of note within walking
distance.
#Post#: 120332--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: Brown Bottle
Date: February 22, 2024, 5:37 am
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--- Quote from: deadlyfrom5yardsout link ---
>
> So, we find ourselves with a Premiership that the Welsh
Regions want to join as well as Championship sides that have
ambitions. Presumably the English Clubs will get priority?
>
--- End Quote ---
Where does the bit about Welsh clubs come from?
There's been "gossip" for years but I don't think they can
afford to join the Premiership even if they wanted to. And
they'd die in the Championship.
#Post#: 120341--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: Banstead Quin
Date: February 22, 2024, 6:35 am
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--- Quote from: MaidstoneQuin link ---
>
> I would be surprised if the RFU side with the Championship
clubs.
>
> Lets face it, there is still a big gulf between the
premiership and championship. The Tigers/Ealing contest showed
that on their big "cup final" day, Ealing still fell short to
what is effectively Tigers 2nd or even 3rd choice side. Ealing
realistically are the main side capable, if any, of stepping up,
yet their attendance was still fairly low in comparison to even
the struggling premiership sides. I don't think Vallis Way has
the local infrastructure to support a club on a bigger scale,
namely as there's just one road in and out, so that opens up
questions about where the club goes long term, and what fan
experience it can offer. (Lets face it, its in the middle of no
where in London terms, with nothing of note within walking
distance.
>
--- End Quote ---
Thought you were writing about Allianz Park for a moment t
#Post#: 120351--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: Camquin
Date: February 22, 2024, 8:24 am
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The biggest problem leaving Ealing is not the road out, it is
the fact that road feeds onto the car park that is the A40 and
then the North Circular.
There is some confusion over the crowd size, I believe the 2,700
is the capacity of the terracing, and there were 1,700 seats
sold as well - though there were some seats still available.
Both Bedford and Coventry had crowds of over 5,000 for their
home games this Christmas.
Both Newcastle and Sale have had home crowds lower than that.
The numbers attending are slowly increasing at all clubs, what
is needed is decent central marketing, and ideally some TV
coverage.
One of the best marking aids is the possibility of promotion,
though of course that means that someone in the premiership
faces relegation.
The problem being Premiership teams get £10m in TV money,
sponsorship and RFU support - and still lose money.
Championship sides get £100k each. So at the moment the
relegated side risks bankruptcy.
But the game does not have any more money. If the Championship
sides were given more, it would simply move the problem below
them.
At the moment, a well run club can ascend from the local leagues
and get to the Championship - and poorly run ones can sink back
down - but there is no way a club can go from there up to the
Premiership - even with a benefactor.
I do not have a solution. But if we want the game to prosper,
wiser heads than me need to find one.
#Post#: 120354--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: Brown Bottle
Date: February 22, 2024, 9:03 am
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--- Quote from: Camquin link ---
>
> ...
> The numbers attending are slowly increasing at all clubs, what
is needed is decent central marketing, and ideally some TV
coverage.
> ...
>
--- End Quote ---
While that's true if you only look at the last few years, the
attendances are still not where they were 5 or 6 years ago and
they're well below what they were 10 years ago. Probably because
then they had one or two "Premiership" standard clubs like
Newcastle, Irish, Warriors and Bristol.
Coventry have increased their attendance quite a lot recently -
is that due to the demise of Wasps? Bedford have always had a
fair attendance. The rest of them attract the sort of crowds
where everyone's on first name terms.
#Post#: 120357--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: MaidstoneQuin
Date: February 22, 2024, 9:56 am
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To grow the championship to even a third of the interest of the
premiership gets, it will need a monumental effort, and a lot of
money chucked at it.
To drum up interest you will need to attract new fans. Where did
the Irish fans go? Clearly not Ealing.
Exposure on the TV will help, but again the chances of that are
small. Perhaps to help LS out, rather than have the women play
before us at TBG, it could almost be a double header type
affair, and have LS play whoever they are due to. It will
probably be the biggest crowd they've ever played to, and maybe
attract a few more local based Londoners to pop down to see them
when we may be away.
LS vs Ealing would be a good fixture, and accessible for both
sets of supporters. Just an idea..
#Post#: 120360--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: gregory p
Date: February 22, 2024, 10:32 am
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--- Quote from: Brown Bottle link ---
>
> Coventry have increased their attendance quite a lot recently
- is that due to the demise of Wasps? Bedford have always had a
fair attendance. The rest of them attract the sort of crowds
where everyone's on first name terms.
>
--- End Quote ---
As Bob Hiller used to say of Quins' crowds, it was easier to
announce the crowd changes to the team than the other way round
#Post#: 120361--------------------------------------------------
Re: O’Shea focused on improving domestic system
DIR By: Camquin
Date: February 22, 2024, 11:07 am
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Which is why you need a way to make promotion and relegation
work - because the name club always brings the crowds. Both
their own and the curious locals - who hopefully can be turned
into regulars.
Coventry were getting crowds of around 1,000 before Wasps. The
presence of Wasps caused their crowds to go up - presumably
because people started talking about rugby. Then wasps folded,
and the crowds went up again.
Scottish are getting about 1,000 the others are higher. So it is
no quite first name terms - though there are many regulars who
are.
The average crowd at a Premiership match has gone up - driven by
the Big Game and similar.
however, even with that, the total numbers have gone down - as
there are fewer matches.
And a BB say, the most of the people who were watching Wasps,
Worcester and LI have not gone to other clubs, they are simply
not watching rugby. This is why there is a hope to revive those
brands, there is an idea that if you pin a plastic shamrock up
and sell Guinness, they would come back. But the revived club
would still lose £3m a year.
At what point does the Premiership stop being a competition the
TV companies want to show, 8 clubs, 6, 4 or 2. Because if
nothing changes, it is surely heading that way.
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