Rugby fans harder than football fans?

[Bluejuice]

Howcome most of the games in the football league today have been called off whilst Wasps are still travelling up to Leicester's Welford Road for their Guiness Premiership game today?

It is a Premier League stipulation that ALL grounds in the division have undersoil heating and yet most of the games have been called off today and tomorrow anyway HOWEVER as far as I know Welford road DOESN'T have any undersoil heating but the rugby match goes ahead regardless.

I know the argument is over safety concerns usually but WHY would the potential 24,000 spectators for the big Leicester v Wasps clash be less concerned about safety than say the 25,000 who'd be due to turn up at Craven Cottage today for Fulham v Pompey?

Correct me if I'm wrong BUT ground to ground it is further from Adams Park to Welford Road than it is from Fratton Park to Craven Cottage AND there is a greater capacity at Welford Road so you'd think of the two games the rugby would be more likely to suffer from postponement.

 

[Safeway]

The reason so many football matches are off is because of the 'where's there's blame there's a claim' culture that's gripped the nation in the last couple of years, and clubs are scared of being sued by a fan that might slip over outside or inside the stadium.

Perhaps rubgy fans have a more 'keep calm and carry on' attitude.

 

[Bluejuice]

I suspect that's true BUT what's more interesting still is that you're not gonna be able to get a drink at any football ground today, if you're a common or garden regular fan, whereas I have no doubt that it'll be business as usual at the bars at Welford Road.

So the drunken rugby fans can be trusted to cope with snow and ice but the banned from drinking football fans are deemed too risky to allow them to turn up and watch their games?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Rugby's better, Football's shit or anything BUT it is interesting how there is such a difference between the two sports on a day like today

 

[KZNSeagull]

Seems very silly to me. The impression you get is that the premiership games have been called off because of local authority concerns about safety, not that the pitch is unplayable. But if a Rugby match can go ahead, perhaps the real reason that premiership games are off is lack of attendance (or is too cynical?).

Can i respectfully suggest that if undersoil heating is planned for Falmer, that they dont bother and spend the money on players instead!!

 

[Bluejuice]

Well that wouldn't really make sense either as with most premiership football clubs the tickets have been sold in advance and these ticket sales make up the official attendance figures irrespective of the number of fans who turn up whereas by comparison most rugby matches are pay on the gate so the potential for lost revenue is far greater.

And as for not getting undersoil heating at Falmer, I'm afraid that if we have any aspirations of playing the Premiership we're going to need it in order to be allowed int he competition so we might as well install it now before it gets more difficult and costly later down the line.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Well that wouldn't really make sense either as with most premiership football clubs the tickets have been sold in advance and these ticket sales make up the official attendance figures irrespective of the number of fans who turn up whereas by comparison most rugby matches are pay on the gate so the potential for lost revenue is far greater.

And as for not getting undersoil heating at Falmer, I'm afraid that if we have any aspirations of playing the Premiership we're going to need it in order to be allowed int he competition so we might as well install it now before it gets more difficult and costly later down the line.

OK then, fair enough. But the point about undersoil heating is that I believe it it is a waste of money if the fixtures are going to be called off by the local authority over safety concerns and not because of the state of the pitch.

 

[HarryNT]

Isn't it due to the large number of fans in the premiership and champinship compared to the rugby games? I may be incorrect there.
Also the lower league games, with less fans, are actually called off due to frozen pitches rather than safety concerns of getting to and from the stadium.

 

[Bluejuice]

Again, this is what I'd always thought BUT the capacity of Leicester's Welford Road is greater than that of Craven Cottage AND being two of the biggest teams in the Guinness Premiership you could expect a very big crowd for the clash between Leicester and Wasps.

On Boxing Day 'Quins and Wasps played in front of almost 80,000 fans for a regular league match so I wouldn't underestimate the popularity of Rugby as a spectator sport

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Rugby supporters all drive 4x4s, wear hiking boots and carry a flask. Simples.

 

[Bluejuice]

I'd agree with the boots and flasks BUT from my experience of driving to Adams Park, Loftus Road or Twickenham over the years the 4x4 thing is less true.

 

[Bluejuice]

Incidentally, my folks live in Lingfield and neither of them have been able to get to work since Tuesday because of the snow HOWEVER the race meeting at Lingfield Park is still going ahead.

Considering most of the roads are impassable and the railway line is barely working are the racecourse owners making a mistake not postponing today's meeting?

 

[mona]

I suspect that's true BUT what's more interesting still is that you're not gonna be able to get a drink at any football ground today, if you're a common or garden regular fan, whereas I have no doubt that it'll be business as usual at the bars at Welford Road.

So the drunken rugby fans can be trusted to cope with snow and ice but the banned from drinking football fans are deemed too risky to allow them to turn up and watch their games?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Rugby's better, Football's shit or anything BUT it is interesting how there is such a difference between the two sports on a day like today

Fair comments but isn't the comparatively nearby match at Derby still going ahead.

 

[Bluejuice]

In fairness yes it is, so perhaps the weather in that part of the country isn't so bad BUT there are still going to a be a fair few fans who have to get there and I can't believe that the entire journey from Hertfordshire/London to Leicester is completely disruption free

 

[Dr Q]

Welford Road doesn't have undersoil heating, despite being the most state of the art Rugby ground. However, because it is the SKY game this weekend, they have had access to one of the three RFU extreme weather kits. Basically a set of covers (inflatable dome) and heaters, hence the pitch has defrosted. The other two sets were due for Sale this week (as they've previously had a game called off due to frozen pitch) and down at Bath. Unfortunately, the kit only arrived in Bath on Wednesday and was too late, the pitch was already covered and frozen, hence the game was called off early in the week. Leicester have also brought their game forward a couple of hours early.

Given the facilities at Leicester, I assume there are less safety issues for the fans

As someone else said, a good pair of Hunter boots and a flask is essential rugby wear, along with a good Barbour jacket and plenty of room for a couple of Gundogs in the car (not always a 4x4 though)

 

[corkster]

rugby is for poofs

 

[alan partridge]

Probably cos very few people (in relation to football) go to rugby and as a sport, who needs a nice surface to knock passes about on when you're just going to pick a ball up and run into people on it?

No comparison

 

[Bluejuice]

Welford Road doesn't have undersoil heating, despite being the most state of the art Rugby ground. However, because it is the SKY game this weekend, they have had access to one of the three RFU extreme weather kits. Basically a set of covers (inflatable dome) and heaters, hence the pitch has defrosted. The other two sets were due for Sale this week (as they've previously had a game called off due to frozen pitch) and down at Bath. Unfortunately, the kit only arrived in Bath on Wednesday and was too late, the pitch was already covered and frozen, hence the game was called off early in the week. Leicester have also brought their game forward a couple of hours early.

Nice one, hadn't realised it was on the telly. And here it is: http://www.iraqgoals.net/ch1.html

What a to do... Arsenal v Everton or Leicester v Wasps?

 

[Bluejuice]

Probably cos very few people (in relation to football) go to rugby and as a sport, who needs a nice surface to knock passes about on when you're just going to pick a ball up and run into people on it?

No comparison

I assume you missed the Harlequins v Wasps match on 27th December? Official attendance: 76,716

Which was the last league football match that attracted such a crowd?

 

[alan partridge]

I assume you missed the Harlequins v Wasps match on 27th December? Official attendance: 76,716

Which was the last league football match that attracted such a crowd?

What about the rest of the league?

And the league below that?

 

[Bluejuice]

If you took an aggregate average attendance figure across all soccer and rugby divisions then admittedly the soccer figure would be higher but that is hardly the point. The top clubs in rugby regularly draw very healthy crowds for a sport that is nowhere near as well funded and high profile as football in this country