the RFL are promoting the MM weekend as a big event. whether fans see it as such isnt quite the issue, its promoted as such. its not just a weekend on the road, or an away fixture or somesuch.

7 games of rugby league in one stadium over 1 weekend with all the attached sideshows is a big event in anyones book.

A big event is something thats get much bigger crowds/viewing figures than the norm, just because the RFL make it out to be something special doesn't mean much if the fans don't buy into it.

One off events are always going to create large crowds of support.
We have a horse race that generates 120,000 people and stops the nation but if we were to hold the Melbourne Cup every month the numbers would drop to 10,000.

since when was speedway a minority sport??? thousands of people watch it up and down the country on a regular basis. I think you would probably find ( if you'd nothing better to do) that total attendances for league speedway would often be larger than for rugby league, so a decent crowd for british GP is no shock.

Partly true that a single big event shouldn't be compared with a series of weekly games. Most horse racing out here gets more horses than people but the Melbourne Cup always pulls around 150,000. Despite years of promotion, Sydney's biggest race, the Golden Slipper, only pulls 30K, less than the average AFL weekly crowd.

Can RL succeed in a non-traditional environment? There's a simple 2-word answer to this: Melbourne Storm.

when you are on about good stadium the stoop is a good stadium thats not the answer when we came out of the ground on saturday i started talking to one guy who did not go to the match and he said to me he will not wile it is giving money to the union game how many more are like him

It is very true Farmduck there is no reason why rl can't exist at the highest level outside of the heartlands, however, it will only succeed where it is wanted not where it's pushed on people who obviously aren't really interested.

I am very much pro expansion although some of my posts may suggest otherwise, but it's expansion where it's sustainable not for the sake of it. So far there as been no successful expansion Crusaders may come good who knows, London hasn't been what the rfl would've hoped nor will it be I suspect and Catalan can't be cited as they are not an expansion of rl just an introduction of a french heartland club to sl. Rugby league will survive whatever happens hopefully it will be with more teams from different areas with many more players available so we don't have to restrict our top flight to 12 or 14 teams.

bring back promotion and relegation only fairway IMO...then all the wishes might come true and Harlequins/London may be out of the topflight.

lets not forget also that Rugby League in this country is a minority sport no bigger than Championship football....its hard to push expansion....the only sensible expansion is the Rugby League Conference which has been a success since 1997 with the sport being played from Scotland to Cornwall.albeit at an amateur level.

wyrdo.

speedway is more of a minority sport than organised eyebrow plucking.
if u bob along to ur local track....should there be one....you will find the small crowd know each other by first name .

crowds are abysmal and it was only 18 months ago or so that the league promoters had to go to sky to ask for more money in the middle of the then current deal.

also no-one is suggesting that its a shock the british GP is getting big crowds in cardiff, just that for me its has a parallel in league. low weekly league crowds and a big event down in cardiff. difference being they fill they cardiff jolly, league dont.

I'm watching the Speedway repeat from last night I just saw Dave & Carol in the crowd they always go everyone knows them...

The millenium magic actually attracts more fans than the speedway GP, over 60k compared to around 45k attendance... or is the speedway over a couple of days as well?

just one day ronald

I'd imagine it would be every speedway lovers dream to get in amonst the crowd of Daytona 500 where they get 160,000 for the Sunday.......(to many Yanks for my liking)....cheers

wrong speedway Syd we are talking about the motorbike one..

was listening to talk sport this week about this event and apparently its the norm for this event, wouldnt class it as a minority sport tho, know loads that go quite often to as many events as they can

Sorry we call speedway 4 wheel (Sprinters) those little loud sewing machines on muddy surfaces with the roll cages...........just pretend I'm not here....

not a fan of speedway myself, love the extreme biking though, really wanted to go battersea last year but the tickets were hundreds of pounds!!

Hello Jen, how are you luv.......good to see you on board.

Just as a matter of interest why does it bother you if more people went to see the speedway than went to millennium magic, I don't see it makes a difference. We all know rugby league is a minority sport as compared to some and always will be, but it will not stop us watching it. It never ceases to amaze me how some people continue to want to compare us to other sports and insist we try to strive to be as big as them.

well said indeed............. wyrdb.....

Every country has got it's No.1 sporting event, then followed by yet another sport...........and so on. there is plenty of room for all sports to play side by side as long as they financially viable who gives a rats a*** about anything else...

hey up souths, hows you?

I think this is an argument that really does show cheese as someone who will find anything to put across a point and yet forgets what he has said previously, was it not cheese that had a go at others for bringing up attendances in the past, saying it was irrelevant and that he would enjoy the magic weekend regardless of how many attended, mmmmm I think it was?

It is a minority sport, you cannot push any sport onto anybody that has no interest, there is enough of it on sky now for folk to decided whether it is something they would like to follow or become apart of it, it hasnt been over successful in London, yes they may have some youngsters playing now and they may have a small fanbase but is that enough to warrant a franchise? promotion and relegation is the way forward, it should have always been the case, if teams need time to settle in areas classed as expansion, then by all means, let them have the time but not in the superleague

talk about missing the point.

wrdo., u couldnt give a rats arz who goes to the rugby or even who doesnt go, makes no odds to me. i make the point about the speedway to show that a minority sport (and its a minority sport even if jen knows folk that go) seem to be able to attract their fans to an event in an out of the way part of the country for them.
as opposed to leagues inablity to do the same thing. this was in direct reposte to cravens article about quins lack of crowds.

lack of crowds in endemic across the league heartlands where clubs who have had over 100 yrs to get locals interested are failing spectaculary to do so. so why pick on quins.

put this on the thread this why Rugby League in London should have a Super League side..

http://www.londonrl.com/play/club-rugby-league/57-club-directory

Just found this there is interest for RL in London another reason to keep a professional team in the Capital why let it die.
In 2011 the following teams will participate in the London amateur League:
Bedford Tigers 'A'
East Surrey Roosters
Eastern Rhinos 'A'
Feltham Eagles
Hainault Bulldogs 'A'
Hammersmith Hills Hoists 'A'
Hemel Stags 'A'
London Skolars 'A'
Metropolitan Police
Mudchute Uncles
Phantoms RL
South London Storm 'A'

the game at a junior level looks strong as well...again why get rid of the Quins and basically kill the sport in London.

barra.

voice of sense and reason amidst the loonies.