American Football is bigger than Rugby League, shocker.

The fact the NFL can sell out Wembley doesn’t surprise me, however what I do find impressive is that they have NFL games on the BBC, probably with a few million watching, that’s how they are going to build up a fan base to potentially launch a team over here.

We really need to get RL regularly on free to air TV, ideally this would be at least one Super League game per week. If this is going to take the value of the TV deal down too much to stomach get an NRL game, State of Origin all Internationals both with and without England on free to air tv, sky must only pay a pittance for coverage of games from downunder.

so seeing how everyone is raving over this NFL series being played in England, which is a country with no professional team, (and no Amateur league that I've heard of) surely ....surely.... we all agree that the Toronto wolfpack idea is a great idea then ....??
and i'll stop seeing people scream on facebook "should get rid and get a cumbrian team in ...!!!"..??

Surely even the most hard nosed northerner can see that having teams play a sport in a country that is in essence foreign to them is still a damn good idea of spreading the game....??

And also we cant underestimate how good terrestrial TV is for a sport.
I watched Channel 4's NFL coverage religiously back in the day, and loved all the great's, Marino, Montana, Elway, LT, and my favourite Barry Sanders the great Detroit lions running back. Its no coincidence that post 1997 I couldn't name single player.

So.... NFL is booming in a foreign country. The toronto wolfpack can only be good for RL, and the BBC needs to up its game for Rugby league.
oh yeah and heartland fans need to watch the sport.... I'm off to Anfield to watch England v New zealand anyone else...??

Great point flying biscuit, you are absolutely correct

You may not have heard of it but the Amateur league is flourishing along with UNI and womens team plus non contact flag and juniors, i did play for the Manchester Titans for a period as left guard and it was bloody hard work, like has been said before it may be stop start but when there is action you have to be at 100% all the time otherwise you mess up and let you team down, which you do not want to do.

The Titan run several different teams aos the appetite is there people just need to tap into it.

I have attended everyone of the NFL games since the first in 2007, only cant make these as they are on consecutive sundays and i cant commit unfortunately due to work.

They are light years a head of anything we offer based on the match day expereince.

It is a real party atmosphere.

Considering premier sports once held the NRL rights, yeah it can't be that expensive. FTA could have went for the rights year but obviously chose not too.

Didn't sky recent get 5 year deal? NRL and SOO are not coming to FTA anytime soon.

TBF it won’t be long before we get that in SL



One thing to note is that after 11 years of doing this they still don’t have a UK team, that’s not a criticism btw but it shows that even a sport as big as NFL take their time with such a move. Over here in RL we expect things to be perfect and deliver right away whenever we try things whether it be a new team or structure or event and if it hasn’t done that after 1 or 2 seasons then it’s deemed a failure and we want rid.

Problem is they can't just add a 33rd team. They would need a team to relocate and unless a team wants to.... It won't happen.

Think the Jaguars where earmarked for a move to London at one point, but they seem to be doing well again. Can see expansion in NFL again in next 10 years possible 4 new teams one in San Antonio Texas, one in London new mexico want a team as so does college football stronghold Oklahoma. time will tell.
or Leigh could apply for a team

It was mooted that either the Jags or Rams where looking to move, St Louis went back to LA and the Jags have had a huge upturn in fortune which may have ruled them both out.

Shahid Khan did want to buy Wembley and he owns the Jags so that would have added fuel to that fire.

Not sure how often franchises are added the last ones where the Jags and Panthers in 1995, and Texans in 2002 so there is scope for future.

What was your view like for your £60 ticket CATW ?

I have been Last two NFL matches and going again this weekend.
Ticket prices depend on what you want.
Seattle game I went without the kids as it was a night match. I chose a restricted view ticket and it was £36. This was block 109 row 4 so close to the action. Chargers game went upstairs and it’s £50 adult £21 for the kids.
Same again with the kids for this weekend.
The grand final cost me £35 and £22.50 for the kids so not much different in price.
Great atmosphere and all the games i’ve Been to and kids love the tailgate experience so we get there early when it opens at 9am and they get loads of freebies by doing the activities, not just a cardboard sign which says TRY or NO TRY

There was a running line until a few years ago that LA was the most important city in the NFL, because any team that wanted to bully/bribe the local goverment into financing a new stadium would simply threaten to move there.

Now that the Rams and Chargers have moved, London is now that city.

This is the weirdest thing I just can't get my head around, I love the game/s RL/NFL but St Louis playing in L.A & Chargers etc, etc.
Imagine this franchise .....
London home Leeds
Leeds home St Helens
Wigan home France *that would be nice*
St Helens home Barrow
Warrington home East Hull
Hull FC/KR home London !!!

Fair play to anyone who can get a days entertainment out of NFL - but the product on the pitch defies comprehension; it genuinely bores me stiff, and I have given it a proper good go. I'd even watch RU over it, and that's a fair old bore-fest an all.

You're right about it being horses for courses and that if you as a RL fan don't like NFL so be it. The problem we have at the moment is that more and more RL fans seem to be turning their backs on RL and this is at a time when our near rivals of RU damn nearly sell out Twickers for a league game.

Americans don't tend to have the same emotional attachments to sports clubs that we tend to have in Europe. NFL franchises are unashamedly business-driven - going to an NFL game for a lot of Americans is no different to going to the cinema or any other source of entertainment. Sports teams in the UK and Europe have historically been much more community-focused. The commercialisation of the Premier League for example is a relatively recent thing when compared to the NFL.

Fourth row of Upper tier above where Titans came out. I've been 5 times now and that was the best view easy. I think with NFL it's better to be higher as you can see more.

I've always sat lower tier before.

That is probably cheapest ticket I've bought for NFL so far but easily best view I've had.

I think that the RFL should incorporate some slots for its own advertising with the provider as part of the next TV deal, assuming that it'll be with a provider that has adverts. That would help with marketing our sport.

Seems to me existing RL fans are generally only interested in whats happening on the pitch, everything else is superfluous. I go to games 30 mins before ko then leave when it's finished, I wouldn't pay more for what the NFL offers on top of that (even if I was inclined to watch the dull as dishwater action) and I guess that's the issue. RL fans know the value of everything when it comes to RL but will quite happily be swayed by flashy lights for another sport. Partly the fault of the RFL for cheapening everything.

That's probably because that's the only market the clubs and the RFL really cater for. We originally had Bull/Cougar Mania, but our idea of any sort of "fan park" these days seems to be having that prick from Rugby AM shouting at people from the back of a trailor.



You might not be interested in that thing, but the fact that the NFL has sold more than 250,000 tickets for three events (and probably could have sold more), suggests that there is a market for that sort of thing.

Now if the clubs and RFL decide that those people are a market that they want, they need to find a way to cater to those demands and market a product that appeals to those people. If it isn't, then I'd be interested to see what markets they do want.

But it sort of links back to my point above about who this sport is talking and listening to. We already cater to the "I want to go to the game and go home" diehard crowd, but that clearly isn't enough. The clubs and the RFL cannot just keep listening to those people who do buy the product, and neglect the swathes of audiences out there who don't but could be tempted to part with their leisure dollar. The RFL and certain clubs in particular are at the point where they has been stuck on this treadmill of discounts for so long that, when it comes to asking for full price, we don't have any added value to offer - and that's reflected in ticket sales.

It doesn't even have to be that expensive. Just find the right formula for the right product at the right price point.

We do need to branch out, I was merely commenting the main focus for existing fans is generally what happens between 80 minutes rather than getting free plastic food or seeing some crap popstar. Granted to encourage others to come to games, the RFL need the flashy lights to get them there. That needs massive overhaul in attitude from the top down, not to mention tons of cash. I've seen the Hearns get lot of stick, but perhaps it will take someone outside of the sport to make it something non RL fans want to attend, and make RL fans want to attend without the discounts. I certainly don't have any faith in Rimmer doing that.

Do you have faith in your own club doing that? They have 14 home games in which they can reach new audiences in and around Wakefield. It doesn't have to be something from the top-down - the much (and rightly)-praised Peter Deakin didn't wait for it to come from Red Hall.

Trinity have sod all to put anything in place and Michael Carter has already said he does not see the point of marketing as it's a cost without a guarantee of a return (ever an accountant). Glover did create a bit of a buzz and interest did increase for a season or two but ultimately that was built on sand. We're not the best club to look for answers to the games wider issues.

I would like to see the club reach out, not just in Wakefield but the neighbouring Barnsley, we've got circa 200k people to go at.

And this is pretty much the issue right? I suspect Carter is not the only one with that view, but it is at the essence of why this game is declining in many key facets. Whilst Carter is in some ways right that marketing can be a cost if it isn't done properly, or if you confuse it with advertising, there is also an opportunity cost for not doing it, and it's up to him if he's happy to bear that.

But I think it's wrong of him or anyone else with that view to expect the RFL or anyone else to bear a risk that he isn't prepared to.

On this forum I called out the claim that he and others made about how the structure makes it "impossible" to sell tickets. My argument was that unless he has tried everything and this is the prevailing feedback, then he is simply deflecting blame by making that claim. The usual suspects scoffed at that idea, but if that his genuinely his view (which like I said, he's entitled to that view and to spend his club's money as he wishes), I think that remains a fair criticism to make.

The NFL teams are owned by business men that are ruthless. They have a business model that has to work or they will do something drastic. (Ok this is not a dig at Wakey just an example) but can you imagine any of the NFL owners putting up with the crap Wakefield have had over their proposed new ground. They would have simply up and moved the team. And here is the equally important part, owners can move their teams or make demands because councils over there appreciate the business generated by a successful sporting team.
The most comparative scenario we could have had in the UK would have been if Koukash as a successful and wealthy owner with a good team had moved to Bradford - bankrupt team with a large supporter base.