There is a great photo on the front page of todays League Express of Riddy and Ryan with the Cup , above this title , also a very good Match Report ,and an opinion about how unsuccessful it was holding the game at the Shay .

Surprised ? At least we did our bit.

Ivan they have praised the Leigh following , but it WAS the lowest attendance for years , and the reporter has asked how many Families would have had a week-end in Blackpool , if it was staged there ?
The photo of Riddy and Ryan is priceless .

The rationale the RFL came up with for moving it was two fold. Firstly that Bloomfield Rd. was costing them too much, and secondly, that by hosting the final in the middle of the Yarkshur heartlands, they could tap into that latent neutral fanbase (with 9 out of 14 Champ clubs within a half hour or so's drive, along with several SDL clubs).

Average gates at Blackpool over last eight years were around 8k (although it had dropped off to 6.6k last season)

Gate on Saturday - 4179 (with around 2.5k Leythers)

Be interesting to know:

a) If the RFL have got a better 'return' based on a smaller crowd at a 'cheaper' venue?
b) The number of 'neutral' sales in comparison to finals in Blackpool?

My guess is:

a) No
b) lower

Based on this, they better pray that we are in the GF as well, or they're screwed!!

League Weekly have also entered into the spirit of publicising the Championship, by mentioning the final for the first time, on page 14!

i was very impressed with the bbc coverage i must say.

That picture is pure class, and summed up perfectly how we all felt on saturday

It had to be moved from Blackpool because £50k was extortionate. To make it pay the crowd would have had to be more than double Saturdays gate.

Btw it was a similar crowd on Saturday to the one at Spotland (Rochdale Charlie

) when we thrashed the biggest club in the RL world.

Quite honestly most Leythers I saw before the game seemed to be happy enough.

I thought the decision was made by clubs rather than Red Hall, on the basis that they wanted the Cup Final and Grand Finals to generate more cash for clubs? That was the reason given by a Fax director on here back when the decision was made anyway.

The main reason for my post , was the Classic photo on the front page , not the opinion of the Article , though I must admit a Blackpool Final in this weather would have made Charlies week-end , I know that's being selfish , but that's me , I wouldn't take my Dog to a vet in Fax

.

A final should be played at a venue where you don't normally play to keep it special .

Had we played pretty much any of the West Yorkshire clubs then it certainly would have been a 5,000 crowd at the very least I reckon. I'd generally agree that the 'occasion' wasn't quite the same with it being a familiar ground, but it certainly didn't feel it at the time! Suppose the alternative would be to play at a Super League ground, but they're either too big or nowhere near the quality of the Shay.

That's settled then next years NRC Final will be played at Easter Road



.

Like to see it has a cc final curtain raiser myself

Well not to a vet in a certain area, it'd get eaten.

Nossy you have been reading the Polls in the League Express

you cant fool Charlie

.Though not a bad idea .

Best city in Europe, one of the most modern grounds in the UK. Do for me!

I hope this isn't an option.

John you don't know Sam-the-Dog

he will eat owt , and is Partial to Yorkies

.

Disagree personally, Cup final day should be kept as it is. Schools final, brass band, abide with me, final. To change it by introducing another final would devalue it IMO.

It wouldn't work because it would have to kick off pretty early on meaning the stadium would be at least 90% empty with everyone scattered all over the show. Headingley maybe?

Maybe you're right if this



is correct!! It's a pity that the final didn't attract a similar crowd to the Blackpool averages, as it would have been a 'two fingers' to those in charge at Bloomfield Rd. who's greed has lost them, and Blackpool itself a tremendous amount of revenue!!
It might not bother them as much this year - as the fantastic weather will have been a big boost to the Fylde coast economy, but how much has Blackpool lost out on by several thousand RL fans not coming and spending in their hotels/bars/attractions?
Maybe someone in The Chamber of Commerce will see the bigger picture, and persuade the Oystons (or whoever is in charge) to see sense, so we can get some 'occasion' back to one of the Championship's showpiece days??

All that said -I wouldn't have missed Saturday for the world....you wouldn't have bettered that last twenty minutes if we'd played infront of a full house in the Maracana!!

Blackpools Chamber of Commerce

Charlie would do a deal for free Donkey rides , a pass for the Pleasure Beach , and a front Seat at the Tower Circus



Walt you cant beat the Promised Land on a Sunny Day , I didn't sleep for a month when the Shay was announced as the Venue .

It was well documented that it was the championship club chairmen who all voted to move The NRC final from Blackpoo which just goes to show that some of them are just as loony as the RFL decision makers.

It would be interesting to know how much negotiating was done with Bloomfield Rd, (ie award and guarantee them the next 5/10 finals in return for a reduced annual fee) and how much The Shay charged in comparison.

Lets be honest a Halifax v Leigh/Featherstone/Shefield final at The Shay, Halifax next season could do further untold damage to the prestige of this competition, built up annually as a Blackpool RL showpiece.

Handing a finalist home advantage is just a ludicrous situation.

I just wonder how Northern Rail are viewing it all.

Same thing applies if we get to the Grand Final.

It does and ludicrous that also is.

Imagine the 2014 Scottish Cup Final: Hearts v Hibs..... at Hearts