Fear to travel? Sale at Edgeley Park

[Grimlish]

Well we all have taste, just not necessarily.....

Anyway. Vicarage Road was where I first went to watch roundyball and I bought my first house a stone's throw from Edgeley park. So whether he has taste or i do, either way that's one more of the Xmas card list....

[Bill W]

Well we all have taste, just not necessarily.....

Anyway. Vicarage Road was where I first went to watch roundyball and I bought my first house a stone's throw from Edgeley park. So whether he has taste or i do, either way that's one more of the Xmas card list....

Ah! Well there is taste, and there is taste!

Happy Xmas! (bit early but see Chit Chat forum not too early - must order Goose soon!)

[Kinoulton]

Is there any way that people on this forum can stop saying "wendyball", "roundyball" etc and still think they are being witty?

[Bill W]

Is there any way that people on this forum can stop saying "wendyball", "roundyball" etc and still think they are being witty?

Don't think I have ever said either. But then I have not been witty also!

[seaweed]

Could be a stupid question but why do some users refer to it as 'Wendyball' ?

[known as eric at work]

Brian Moore coined the term "wendy ball" in his Telegraph column some years ago, after suggesting that footballers were a little effematinate, he also uses roundyball a lot. I think t was used as a repost to "egg chasers". I don't think they are terms of endearment, just a polite way of being rude.

Anyway, back on topic. I would suggest that in comparison to most English clubs, Tigers travel quite a long way, on a whole, to home matches If you look at the train station before, and after kick off, it is full of Tigers supporters. Some I know come as far away as Bridlington for each home game, so I'm almost local going the 30ish miles with my tribe from Nottingham.That same train doesn't become almost empty a Loughborough, it is full of Tigers fans all the way back to Nottingham. The catchment area for Tigers is pretty much Leics and Rutland which you would expect, then Notts, Derbys, Cambs and a great swathes off Warks and Norfolk. That implies a large cost for going to a home game, so think of the cost for an away game.

[Kinoulton]

I did do a little survey of the posters on this forum (for most of them have their location stated) and worked out the percentage that live in Leicester, those that live in the East Midlands but outside of Leicester, and those that live in a galaxy far, far away. Like me.

It did show that there is a biggish representation of people like me, Bill W and Hull Fan that come an awful long way to games, and people like Israeli Tiger who will struggle to get to many games at all, but will go to any lengths if he can.

Unfortunately I think the current Mrs Kin binned the paper on which my results was writ.

Maybe someone else could have a bash at it?

[known as eric at work]

OK, as Kinoulton suggested, I've taken a sample from the list membership
Not all locations are acceptable, Mars, Hades, bottom of our Garden, and with next doors cat etc have been ignored, as have moderators (now expect a ticking off).
Using page one as a control, and using neighbouring counties, rather than East Mids as criterae, and yes I accept that Chesterfield is linked more to Sheffield than Derby, and that Kings Lynn is nearer to Welford Road than Lincoln, but here goes :-

Leicestershire/Rutland 41%
Nieghbouring county 31%
Further a field 28%

From further samples it does still work out at around 40 / 30 / 30 split.
One page was nearly all Leicestershire, another nearly all further a field, but from a sample of 12 pages (122 to pick from) that should be a reasonable SPC.
What I don't know, is how many attend on a regular basis, which is an annomaly I don't have time to sort out, sorry.

[seaweed]

I also think that our own success contributes to this.

At the business end of the season we are very fortunate to always be in the mix for a number of trophies so with European travel and Twickers trips you have to choose your away games carefully to be sensible.

A Friday night in Sale and a soggy Saturday to Newcastle does not compare to a night on Wind Street or a weekend in Toulouse.

I know where I would rather go.

Coupled with attending internationals (if tickets are available) there is only a certain amount of money to be spread around and these days it needs to be used sensibly.

[Jeremy Anderson]

The boss and I regularly travel to away games except Sarries and Irish. The latter down to a bad experience with a very lond mouthed inidividual. I know they have many good fans but judgement is clouded by own experience. Also don't like the constant drums or the ground.

We have been to Sale three out of the last 5 years and never had a problem but Friday nights are a turn off for away supporters even if Sale fans prefer them.

We make all the Irish and most French away weekends in HC but no longer do finals as decided a while ago they are mainly for the fan who buys before he knows who is playing and for corporate. Give me HC Qtr or Semi any day. Also don't do Internationals for the same reason.

All of course our choice as to where we prefer to spend our money

[Rizzo]

It's also perhaps worth observing that towards the end of the season, if we get into 2 or 3 semi-finals and or finals - there will be those who say Tigers fans don't travel - and those who say if you don't attend these games you are not supporting your team fully etc. If there are two or three of you in a family who all want to go together, and 3 times that plus travel expenses, food and drink etc, it all costs rather a lot.

As for the Sale game - in times when many people are having to cut back, maybe a Friday night game with potential travel delays after work just doesn't have the draw that a Saturday game elsewhere might do.

[Hull Fan]

I went to sale on friday night and had a really good experience of the club.
Well other than a cheese burger being £4.20, which i didn't pay.

Thanks to Mersey Tiger for details of a great pub, The Armoury, good beer and great people.

Had some good banter with the Sale fans, only downside was the result and the weather. We where in the very wet BMI stand, my good lady wife wasn't impressed as i promised her it wouldn't rain! (close but no cigar).

[Tigerbob]

We were also going to be in the BMI Stand until my wife and step-daughter spotted the big black cloud rolling in shortly before kick-off and rescued the situation by upgrading our tickets to be on the opposite stand under cover!!

She went to upgrade the tickets while I bought the food at a kebab shop on Castle Street.

I was mightily pleased it wasn't a sellout and were therefore not exposed to the elements for the whole game (£5 per ticket for the upgrade wasn't bad at all - even though the face value on the tickets were £31 and should have been an extra £14 pounds each).

[Hull Fan]

I won't mention we could of upgraded the tickets when i get in tonight Tigerbob, thanks though!