Fuzzy Duck wrote:Looks like just me and thee having this debate, faxcar, even though I'd like to think others are looking in either nodding their head in approval or shaking their head in disagreement.
You come up with some very valid and interesting points, and even though I disagree with some of them, I fully respect your opinions therefore I'm not "retorting" with a scowl on my face.
I did say I don't think the clubs "will" work together multilaterally, but I think they "should". As you have gathered (!) I feel VERY strongly about having to reduce the admission. I know it will be extremely difficult in getting ALL the clubs to do this, but it just has to be done. Maybe carry out some kind of survey asking ex fax fans and potential fax followers for a SENSIBLE price they would pay to resume watching again, then take it from there. A survey carried out through email shots, the Courier or some geezer stood at the entrance of the Piece Hall. We need to be proactive about this and not just sit on our hands expecting people to continue to turn up and/or there to be a sudden interest surging out of the blue.
As for your point regarding "banning" full time players being illegal. A low salary cap restriction (a salary cap is legal remember) will prevent clubs from being able to employ full time players to a certain extent. So the Championship will essentially be part time which MUST be the case, we cannot afford to be anything else. We have to accept our league won't be as entertaining as full time Super League (which incidentally isn't always the case anyway, I've seen some awful one sided matches in that league, even though it was funny seeing big prop Walmsley running 50 yards through Leeds' full time defence
). Part time rugby can still be entertaining, you know. RL as a whole coped very well in the "old days" before the advent of over hyped Super League.
PS - Just seen your post, Hxsparky. Personally I'm basing my own tenner suggestion as being inline with salaries inflation over the past 25 years. £19 now is a commitment rather than what used to be loose change. From my own personal view point, the cost of going to a match never used to be an issue 30 years ago (I went to all home and away matches) but now it is an issue - I won't attend away matches because of the admission price (and I'm not short of a few bob, I just think it's bad value for money).
We're all just exchanging views FD all with good intentions and trying to think of a way forward and there's bound to be different views.
Again £19 is a lot of money and I would love to see it at a tenner or £15, just saying the clubs are caught in the dilemma of pricing people out or reducing it and running at a loss.
We have mentioned "on the gate" a lot but it would also have to be implemented pro rata across the season ticket prices as well.
I'm sure the club have a better vantage point to see the overall picture over me for example and must have considered it.
I remember standing down at the Shay next to a former director during a game and saying to him "you look tense, we're winning and playing great what's up with yer."
He replied yes that bit is great but I spend more time these days worrying about how many empty seats and spaces there are and how to keep it going and him mentioning this very subject of how to get it right and get more people in, that was a good few years ago and still remains.
As I mentioned, at the moment they must base any current and future planning on what the state of the game is now.
Regarding this from what DG said in the last statement from the club they have a plan in place for the next 2 or 3 years, to survive, consolidate and then grow based on the current situation.
Across the game and certainly at our level I don't think there will be a better time to implement some of the reductions we've discussed if the clubs can come together and with the inevitable less central funding they will be forced to operate on lower income and get some parity and I'm just as sure the BoD will be revising their planning in any case, they have said they are continuing to scrutinize every last detail.
Players will be willing or forced to accept less if only less is available but as mentioned there are other overheads that will only go up and there's not much we can do about that without opening other areas that will stop fans going like mergers and moving out of the town etc.
