Positives & Negatives: Ulster V Cardif

[Big-al]

What ever club McComish is associated with will be delighted!!!

[againstthehead]

The crowd was 6555 the third highest league attendance overall this year so far which on a wet night is not too bad.
Frankly I blame TV. In these recessionary times people can sit at home on a wet night and watch for nothing and because of this I know ones who have cancelled their season tickets and stay at home.
What I would really like to know what is financial benefit are the clubs getting for the loss of revenue caused by free TV. Does anyone know?

6555 isn't good. The crowds for Glasgow and Cardiff are back to 2003 and 2004 levels of attendance therefore UR is going backwards. As you say, games on free TV is likely to be a key reason.

How much is pay at the gate these days? 15 quid? expensive enough really.

[gannonman]

I stand beside the Ulster bench and when this man with the beautiful blond hair came on i think everyone had to turn to there programmes and say 'who's this guy?''oh Mike McComish'

[browner]

Mikerob wrote...

How much is pay at the gate these days? 15 quid? expensive enough really.

£16 for adult terrace...will probably see an increase for HEC and inter-pro games.

[againstthehead]

cheers brown bum. Aye, expensive enough - especially if you add kids/wife etc. As a season ticket holder you kinda forget the cost by the time the season starts but if I were to fork out 16 quid every couple of weeks I'd probably be a lot more 'selective' in regards to the matches I attend - well, as a rugby nut, i'd go anyway... but for the casual fan I can understand why they seek value for money. People will want to see Pienaar, Ferris and Trimble. That said, friday night was excellent entertainment. However, judging the weather and players missing, folk could be forgiven for giving the game a miss.

Really it's the season ticket sales that drive revenue. I reckon there are still a lot of folk who hardly know about them.

[browner]

Mikerob wrote...

Doh!

[Dave]

size of the crowd again. Whats wrong with people, why aren't they coming to Ravenhill?

Just guessing:-

1. RWC with some away at it.
2. Recession.
3. 7.05 kick off
4. Televising of the matches.

I think its the earlier kick off times that may put off those, like me, who live 1hr30mins plus from Ravers. Say like me you finish work at 5.30, then its not easy to make it to every home game. I can wrangle leaving a bit early the occaisonal friday but its not always possible. I have resorted to buying a seated ticket to ensure that I can arrive just before KO and still get a decent viewing position yet this adds to the expense of the evening. I'd like to think that UR maybe knew this before the BBC coverage deal and decided that the loss in gate receipts due to early kick off would be compensated by money received from TV rights. Lets hope so.

[Rooster]

Dave, for those of us in the sticks 7.05 kick offs suck. It's a flat out rush especially if you've got kids.

I'm fortunate in that I can spring for a car park pass which means I can arrive at 6.50 and be in my seat for kick off. Apart from that it just wouldn't be possible to be there in time given work and family commitments.

Add in that it's on tv and I'm sure some folk just say why bother.

Same here, it's even a rush for the kids to get out of their school uniforms before we head off

[Tenyarder]

Gate was 6555, compared to 8383 last year (although last year it was near the business end of the season).

[BaggyTrousers]

Never mind the sticks guys, even in sunny Bangor-on -sea whilst I have no bother as I am driving up there is always a glut of cars heading out of Belfast & I always think of the rugby fans in them who have absolutely minimal chance of getting home changed and back to the smoke.

UR must have taken this into account with the TV deal and it must pay. A couple of thousand off the gate at say £20 a head is £40K per game so they need around £500,000 roughly to compensate. Jeez boys oh, not sure that the TV deal would pay that, no idea what the market is like as there doesn't seem to be a rush of TV companies to compete for the coverage. Anyone ever heard figures and is it a UR deal with BBC NI or is there a pool of broadcasters dealing with the entire league?

[Cracker]

This really is the big question that I would hope someone who knows would tell us all. How much do Ulster rugby actually earn from the free TV coverage available to all. If it is not substantial it is a very foolish move to agree to it.
I would have thought a highlights programme would have made more sense.

[BaggyTrousers]

This really is the big question that I would hope someone who knows would tell us all. How much do Ulster rugby actually earn from the free TV coverage available to all. If it is not substantial it is a very foolish move to agree to it.
I would have thought a highlights programme would have made more sense.

I know what you mean Cracker but against that it is also vital for the league to be televised (& probably live) to engender more interest, provide credibility in the league as a product to potential sponsors of the league itself & individual clubs and such considerations. Double edged sword perhaps methinks.

I have always thought that the Celtic League has been surviving on the cheap building itself as a product in the hope of reaping rewards in the fullness of time. Certainly in terms of standard it is becoming stronger with about half the clubs appearing seriously competitive - at least as good a proportion as in England for example.

[Loki]

a highlights package would be good, but ITV have that for the English Premiership and barely give it any respect. maybe a case of be careful what you wish for?

I agree with the points re attendance though; I try to get to as many matches as possible and probably should have got a season ticket. however with a bad month behind me the game on Friday was just too easy to cut; once buses, trains and a pint or two are all worked in it'd be more than £30 for the match. sometimes it feels like a luxury too far.

i'd love to know how much BBC paid for the rights. It's great that it's there but in Friday's case it's not an exaggeration to say that the telly coverage gave me the last push i needed not to go.

having just read Baggy's post above it's a double edged sword indeed. One of the brothers likes watching Ireland and watched the Ulster game with myself and the father but neither of them would bother heading to a live game again any time soon. Does Ulster profit from that?

[Jockster]

The TV coverage provides more exposure for the sponsors = improved negotiation by Fit Controller with current and future Ulster Rugby sponsors £££.

[Jackie Brown]

Even for us working in the big smoke the 7.05pm ko is a pain. I gotta change my plans from the moment I leave the house in morning to ensure I can attend.

£16 for a terrace ticket isn't ideal, why £16?? Why not a nice round number like £15, then it's just a case of handing over 2 notes! I don't mind paying it as the quality of rugby we now receive is worth a lot more, it's just convenience sake.

It was a combination of a wet evening, early ko and World Cup 'Stars' away that put people off. The sooner they get the stadium sorted and get some decent advertising the better. You hear ads for the Belfast Giants on the radio all the time, all i've seen from UB marketing department is an ad in the Beltel, in the sports section, under the rugby articles. Chances are the people reading those articles attend anyway!