He makes some fair points; I'm not saying the idea doesn't have some good points, I'm all for expansion into Wales or wherever, I just think it could have been better thought out.Mike posted:
To all the neigh-sayers, this artical by Andy Wilson in the Guardian sums up most of my views:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/ ... s_mid.html
I will be going and making a weekend of it.
To those complaining that its a hugely expensive rip off - have you considered going by coach for £25 with the club then getting your £5 concession ticket? £30 for 2 or 3 matches doesn't seem to be that much more than a regular away fixture to me?
He says:
"...will attract upwards of 50,000 to the Welsh capital - a bigger crowd than attended the first Super League grand final at Old Trafford in 1998, and almost certainly more than the 51,561 who watched last weekend's six matches"
Not a valid comparison, given the matchups; it should be compared with the Easter (round 9) fixtures, which generated a 76,665 total.
He says:
"The clubs recognised the need for a new focal point in spring."
Again, the Easter fixtures provide that, as borne out by the attendances for rounds 8 and 9.
He says:
"That's all very well, say the grumblers, but why are they taking our biggest derby games south when they would attract full houses in the north? This is a false argument, as an extra round of derbies has been created for the Wales weekend."
Which is precisely my point about unbalancing the fairness of the fixture list, as I pointed out earlier in this thread.
As to pricing, I don't go to any other club games apart from the ones involving Wigan, and even if I was going to Cardiff, I probably wouldn't watch the preceding two games. Furthermore, my son gets into away games free, with his season ticket, but the voucher for this weekend is conspicuous by its absence.
We are committed to this Millenium idea for a further 2 years. What happens if this year is poor?
