Stobart Stadium for Semi

[yoda warrior]

i think its a good move having the game at the stobart stadium.

rugby league is not attracting big crowds at present.

take the magic weekends for example - there was about 30k there over the whole weekend.. thats just 15k per day.
it looked pathetic on tv just how empty the stadium was.

having the game at the stobart virtually ensures a sellout, and a good atmosphere.

people saying the game should be held at eastlands - why should it be there when it would not sell out?

it is better to have a full ground with a great atmosphere than have it at a stadium with as many empty seats as people!

there were 58,000 over 2 days at murrayfield.
think the idea with widnes is firstly, to sell the game out, and secondly, they're trying to make the cup an event again. nothing makes a big event, a big event like not being able to get tickets. i agree though, a 13,000 stadium for these teams is a bit low. there isn't really a better venue this side of the pennines. only st helens perhaps. reebok would have been ok but would not be near full and also we don't know what bloton would have wanted regarding rent etc.
think having both semis in the same stdium on the same day is not a bad idea. at eastlands perhaps? central for everybody. you would have to find a way to get people to stay and watch both games. at murrayfield most just watched their own team and left. if all 30,000 had watched every game the atmosphere would have been better.

[Matthew-Warrior]

Are most people going for the West Stand?

Most people at ticket office this morning was buying for the west stand

Thanks, got a ticket for the West Stand today.

[smudge273]

I think a lot of people are forgetting that this game is not to take place until 8/9th Aug. That is just as the new football season starts. No football club is going to allow a rugby league semi to be played on the pitch the week before the season starts. Hence no Eastlands etc. I personally would have preferred Huddersfield

[FROM A TO B]

Still think it was a bad idea to go to the Stobart?
Tickets gone on sale to gen public, so not sold out our allocation yet.

Good job we didn't go for a 20k ground

[cpwigan]

It is a long time before the semi takes place. Personally I would rather have 14K in a 20,000 stadia than 13K in a 13K Stadia.

[outback wiganer]

I personally dont mind going to Widnes, its better than some Super League grounds, but how crap must the Widnes supporters feel. Their team didn't meet the criteria to get into Super League this season, but suddenly it's ok to play a semi final there. Two faced if you ask me.

[Shaun1967]

I personally dont mind going to Widnes, its better than some Super League grounds, but how crap must the Widnes supporters feel. Their team didn't meet the criteria to get into Super League this season, but suddenly it's ok to play a semi final there. Two faced if you ask me.

Nothing two faced about it. Widnes had just gone through a very unstable financial period which counted against them in the franchise process.
If it was judged on facilities alone, they would have been one of the first clubs in.

[XIII]

widnes HAD been through a bad financial period, but where bought by Steve O'Connor, who sold his business to Eddy Stobart, who's worth more than nearly all Super league owners. Don't forget London where rescued by the RFL. Plus they're gettin bigger crowds than alot of clubs in Super League too. I'd be really p!ss@d off if I followed Widnes. Sorry for the rant, but I don't get chance to come on here much now a days!

[Shaun1967]

widnes HAD been through a bad financial period, but where bought by Steve O'Connor, who sold his business to Eddy Stobart, who's worth more than nearly all Super league owners. Don't forget London where rescued by the RFL. Plus they're gettin bigger crowds than alot of clubs in Super League too. I'd be really p!ss@d off if I followed Widnes. Sorry for the rant, but I don't get chance to come on here much now a days!

How much money the owner of a firm that once belonged to Steve O'Connor has is totally irrelevant.
I too would be p!ss@d off if I supported Widnes particularly over the London situation, however I'm sure that Widnes fans would rather see some of the semi final money going into their club rather than Bolton or Man City.

[XIII]

No, I didn't mean the company, I ment Steve O'Connor, the owner of Widnes. He sold his business for millions, and he is not afraid of spending some on his home town team. My point before was that The RFL didn't care about given Widnes a franchise, but when they want to use their ground for a semi, they're right in there. This ground was called adequate in the report for their application for Super League, but it's good enough for a Challenge cup Semi. Now that's the RFL being 2 faced!