Semi final attendance

physiodan · Post by **physiodan** » Mon May 14, 2012 1:21 pm

It's a shame on saturday that the game wasn't a 24000 sell out. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but it makes me question how a team who can fill Wendybally cannot sell their share and more to a game that counts. Likewise, Quins were nearly 2000 short of capacity at the stoop on their biggest home game so far since the professional era.

Were the ticket prices too high to encourage attendance? Could Tigers knock the price down by £5 to encourage capacity crowds at the game? Surely the club do not count their chickens by accounting for a home semi final at the start of the year, so surely any profit here is extra. Better to see 24000 fans buying drinks... than +3000 not attending because the prices are too high?

I know this has been argued before but we want to fill our fortress week in week out so come on Tigers. Next season lets see you increase attendance by decreasing ticket prices.

Pam.B · Post by **Pam.B** » Mon May 14, 2012 1:24 pm

Think some of it is due to people refusing to go to play-off games. One of the stewards told us that he knows a family that refuse to come; there are 4 of them. Didn't think the prices were too bad really.

colviletiger · Post by **colviletiger** » Mon May 14, 2012 1:30 pm

I think it is the nature of play off's, people don't have these fixtures in the diary and quite frankly one weeks notice on whether there is a match or not or what time of day it is. IMHO it would have been closer to a sell out if it had been at 3.00pm and not the 5.30 slot.

SMS · Post by **SMS** » Mon May 14, 2012 2:17 pm

My partner and I did n't go because we disagree with the play offs. Ticket prices seemed reasonable.

APJones · Post by **APJones** » Mon May 14, 2012 2:21 pm

SMS wrote:My partner and I did n't go because we disagree with the play offs. Ticket prices seemed reasonable.

I would have agreed last year - in fact any year we come top of the premiership.
BUT seeing as we came 2nd this year and now stand a good chance of becoming champions again I agree with the play offs

divingrob · Post by **divingrob** » Mon May 14, 2012 3:17 pm

Had we not of had playoffs would the last few games just been a little dull?

rdracup · Post by **rdracup** » Mon May 14, 2012 3:32 pm

I had the same view (ie ignore the playoffs) but that was years ago... when they first came in.

It is a shame we cannot have a realistic league competition that produces a winner over a season but we can't .. RWC / AIs / 6N occupy far too many Saturdays for that.... particularly when you add in HC.

Unlike Wendyball you cannot have mid week fixtures as a norm (even with big squads)... it hurts enough if there are re-arranged fixtures at the season end.

Thus the play off is the only way to establish a champion... and IMHO we have to accept it .. embrace it and get involved in every game... including the playoffs

kingol22 · Post by **kingol22** » Mon May 14, 2012 4:16 pm

Tickets were priced reasonably but the turnaround from the final game to the semi final is very short.

Maybe they should give an option of paying for your seat for the semi with your season ticket and if we do not get there give a refund.

ChrisTiger · Post by **ChrisTiger** » Mon May 14, 2012 4:23 pm

I agree that there should be something more than a home tie for the team finishing top of the table as they have been the consistent best team in the league. IIRC the first year or 2 of the zurich playoff system there was a trophy for the top team and then a playoff. This combo rendered the playoff concept pointless as it was an irrelevant extra. Seasons after that saw the top team go straight to the final with 2nd and 3rd playing off. In the end the league wants a showpiece occasion to crown a champion not a table that could be decided early. Whatever they do someone will not be happy.

If I may mention roundyball. This seasons league was probably the best in recent memory as it went right down to the last minutes of the last game.

On the attendence point I am a season ticket holder as are 3 of my family. We did not attend due to other prebooked commintments. Without them I would of been there in my new shiny kit. For me it was a 'couldn't go' as opposed to 'wouldn't go'.

tig1 · Post by **tig1** » Mon May 14, 2012 5:31 pm

I think the two of the best atmospheres at WR in recent years came on saturday against Saracens, and the same last year in the semi-final against Northampton.

Both really good games and excellent atmospheres. Significantly better than the majority of the games in the regular season.

grobyman · Post by **grobyman** » Mon May 14, 2012 5:59 pm

I think the two of the best atmospheres at WR in recent years came on saturday against Saracens, and the same last year in the semi-final against Northampton.

Agree, butthe South Africa game to open the CAT stand wasn't too shabby

"Re: Semi final attendance
My partner and I did n't go because we disagree with the play offs. Ticket prices seemed reasonable."

The comments re not going because you don't agree with the pay offs, I understand but don't agree with. I paid £26 each for two tickets for first class entertainment, not too long ago I paid more than that to watch Billy Connolly at the De Mont, average performance amusing not raucous. Didn't get the juices going like Saturday. Play offs or not, it was excellent value. I support Tigers they don't make the rules.

tig1 · Post by **tig1** » Mon May 14, 2012 6:31 pm

grobyman wrote:
I think the two of the best atmospheres at WR in recent years came on saturday against Saracens, and the same last year in the semi-final against Northampton.

Agree, butthe South Africa game to open the CAT stand wasn't too shabby

quote]

Wasnt that also a non-season ticket game ?

DickyP · Post by **DickyP** » Mon May 14, 2012 9:17 pm

A good gate but not quite full was in line with most attendances this season. We've had other threads about chopping and changing of fixtures, both dates and kick-off times, and the problems this causes: the semi-final is probably more excusable than most but still required people to make arrangements only a week ahead which is a very short planning horizon for many of us.

It isn't easy to arrange things at the last minute and even for Tigers it is hubris to assume that we're going to be at home in the semis.

Bill W (2) · Post by **Bill W (2)** » Mon May 14, 2012 9:27 pm

DickyP wrote:A good gate but not quite full was in line with most attendances this season. We've had other threads about chopping and changing of fixtures, both dates and kick-off times, and the problems this causes: the semi-final is probably more excusable than most but still required people to make arrangements only a week ahead which is a very short planning horizon for many of us.

It isn't easy to arrange things at the last minute and even for Tigers it is hubris to assume that we're going to be at home in the semis.

The uncertainty of KO time also would not have helped. For me not a problem but for some would have been.

20000 was not a bad attendance - particularly bearing in mind how few visitors we had. Had we entertained Stains would likely have been a sell out!

yellow_balaclava_hunter · Mon May 14, 2012 10:04 pm

I think it is a mixture of people not agreeing with the playoffs and Saracens not selling their share of the tickets plus keeping some back to give out on the day to 'Saracens rent a crowd' rather than return them to Welford Road.

I think that those who disagree with the playoffs are justified in not turning up.

I turn up because I support the club but it took a lot of soul searching before I decided to attend playoff matches. I consider Harlequins to be the league champions this year and us last year. If we win this one then we will be the playoff winners. A lot of supporters at our club and other clubs that I have spoken to also see it this way.

It is only the London contingent and the RFU who like their day out at HQ who agree with the playoffs entirely.