Quote ="wiganermike"Your first point as I said is conjecture, there is no evidence to suggest that an increased attendance would occur. Also it is doubtful that any increase in spending within the city would occur. People that stay over in Edinburgh pay for food and drink just as a daytripper would and they pay for accommodation as well. Day trippers to Manchester wouldn't so that income is lost.
It doesn't follow that because Saints are playing to a smaller capacity for their 'home' derby next year that their fans will turn out en masse for a game at a bigger stadium in Manchester. The DW has a capacity of 25k and 10k season ticket holders. If they wish there is nothing to stop the Saints support from travelling a few miles to purchase the spare 10k tickets in any of the home stands for that derby to make it more like a home game for them. That would give a large attendance with a better atmosphere in a stadium that is almost certain to be full.
As for development in Manchester (or AGMA as you put it) in 115 years the existence of clubs in Salford, Swinton, Oldham, Broughton, Belle Vue, Trafford and further back Stockport and Tyldeseley did not tap into the unconverted millions in the area. In the only areas that are interested in supporting RL, Wigan and Leigh it took off. Salford continue to plug away and get the level of support they do and good luck to them but if a succession of clubs, 4 of which at different periods fought it out for the honours within the sport could not break the stranglehold that soccer has in Manchester then one weekend of fixtures is not going to either. We have been trying to expand the base in Greater Manchester for the whole existence of our sport. We need to try to do the same in other areas of the country and that is why the Magic event needs to be and is taken well away from the 'heartlands'. The guarantee of income from the tourist boards is a nice bonus.'"
FFS a huge festival of RL right on our doorstep would be massively popular!! If you think otherwise, you really don't know what you are talking about.
Has any real development effort ever been put into the AGMA region? NO, so why keep trotting out the 'it's been around for years' and never grown line?
As I pointed out earlier in this thread, by using yours and others arguments, the RFL shouldn't waste money on London and the South East given that Streatham and Mitcham and Acton packed up decades ago. Look at the saturation of sports in the South East region where football is far bigger than the AGMA region.
Just what impact has the two years spent in Wales had, and the two in Scotland?? Just where else is there to go? Given that Wales let the event go, why would they buy it back?
At least a well respected journalist and commentator like Dave Woods agrees with me on this one. But what does he know about it????
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