Have your say: Should more Super League games be taken on the road?
History was made last weekend as the first Super League game was played outside of Europe and we want to know if you think there should be more games taken on the road…
Wigan Warriors spearheaded the project to take a Super League game to Australia, with Hull FC agreeing to play the game and they both made history.
The game was played at the WIN Stadium in Wollongong and attracted a crowd of 12,416, with around 5,000 fans making the trip from the UK, meaning that over 7,000 NRL fans attended the game.
Wigan also took a game against Catalans Dragons on the road in 2015 to Millwall. It was played at The Den and attracted over 8,100 spectators.
We also have the Magic Weekend every year as well. In 2018, it will once again be at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park.
Newcastle is a bit of an unknown area regarding Rugby League due to it being a massive footballing city, but Super League takes six top-flight games there and it gives ‘heartland’ fans an opportunity to spend a weekend in Newcastle as well as attracting some new fans.
And there is the Summer Bash, which is basically a Magic Weekend for the Championship. The Bash takes place at Blackpool FC’s Bloomfield Road.
Furthermore, Wigan star Tony Clubb has told League Express this week that he would be open to doing the New South Wales tour again but also admitted that he is open to the idea of keeping it in England and maybe taking a game up to Cumbria.
Cumbria is an absolutely massive Rugby League heartland. However, unfortunately, the attendances at the likes of Whitehaven, Workington Town and Barrow Raiders have dwindled over the years.
But the amateur game is thriving, with four Cumbrian teams in the hat for the third-round draw of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup. Perhaps a Rugby League fixture with a big meaning behind it could help reignite the game in Cumbria?
We could even take games to areas like Birmingham and Sheffield, places not too far from the heartlands.
What do you think? Would you like to take more Super League games on the road?
