Moving To the Millennium
Moving To the Millennium
By Andrew Collins
October 17 2008
I noticed yesterday, while checking up on the message boards that most people share my opinion on the move next door, but I thought, to really understand the motive behind the move, I would have to do a little more research, weighing up pros and cons in the process.
Without doubt, the biggest drawback for the Blues moving the match to Wales' National Stadium is the fact that they will be taking on one of England's most competitive sides in a relatively unfamiliar stadium. When I tried to explain this on the forum, I found the best way to really appreciate home advantage is that the home side know which way the wind whistles through the ground, which end of the pitch slopes a particular way, and weather the width is slightly more or slightly less than the visitors are used to. With the board moving the match next door, we won't be getting any kind of helpful ‘home' advantage.
Plus of course, perhaps the most important aspect of home advantage, the fans, the 16th man. Admittedly, Blues fans aren't known for their chanting, singing or shouting, but every time the team really need us, they are always there. Those of you who went to Toulouse will remember that us 1,000 fans made more noise than 33,000 Toulouse fans for parts of that match, and barely a minute went by that our ‘ALLEZ LES BLUES' chant couldn't be heard. But Sunday is another kettle of fish entirely. Gloucester fans are up there with Munster when it comes to away support and making noise for their team. So with that in mind, the idea of (essentially) allowing them as many tickets as they possibly want in the Mil Stad begins to seem like a bad idea.
On top of that, the move has infuriated many fans, who feel that this would've been one final chance to get the Arms Park rocking in a massive European fixture, against the Auld Enemy, before next seasons move across town to the new Cardiff City Stadium. Instead, it will have to settle for 10,000 (and that only if we still have a chance of qualifying) against Biarritz in the latter stages of the Heineken Cup.
But then again, this is a business and Cardiff RFC Ltd needs to make money. Sentimentality went out the window many years ago in Welsh rugby, and so why play at a 13,000 capacity stadium, when we can get as many fans as possible into a 70,000 one. Already, it appears that we've sold over 20,000 tickets for the match, with hopefully many more still to be sold on the day. Whether they hit the 30,000 they were hoping for remains to be seen, but you can't argue that we've already got 7,000 more ticket sales than we would have if we had stayed at the Arms Park.
Assuming that we see 23,000 arrive in the capital on Sunday, that would be 10,000 more than we could have had otherwise. Now assuming that half of those were bottom tier (£10) and half are middle tier (£20). That's an extra £150,000 from one match, and that's before you factor in programme sales, merchandise sales, potentially winning over new fans to take to Leckwith, and you start to realise that it was indeed an attractive prospect.
A decision like that is always going to split fans, especially when there is so much on the line, and the board are really putting themselves up there to be shot down if we lose, but if we do win the match, it could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business.
From a fans point of view, I'm highly disappointed by the move. As a Welshman and a Cardiff rugby fan from the last two decades, I'm the eternal pessimist, and I worry like hell that this move will inevitably cost us our qualification. I can't help but feel nervous playing next door when we have no real proven record there and are making a massive match even bigger and more unnerving.
The simple fact for me is this, Cardiff would have beaten Gloucester at the Arms Park, we'll know by 5pm this Sunday whether they can do it at the Millennium Stadium. If they can't, Thomas and Norster best prepare themselves for quite a heavy backlash.
Your article wasn't a bad summary of the reasons behind the switch, but your last paragraph is just based on paranoia. If the Blues do lose, it won't be because of the MS. I was at Toulouse and I know that we can make a lot of noise if we have/want to.
Admittedly it sounds a bit rash, but i think that was more down to my poor choice of wording than judgement, and it does say it's my own opinion.
Amstal, why have they become farcical of late?
Admin of theArmsPark.co.uk,
Make Noise and You Will Be Heard!
I was of the thinking before the match that it would be touch and go re: the result at the MS, due to prev results, but the team played well and got a brilliant result.
A lot of doom-mongerers on these chat forums all the time....
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Cymru am Byth...
maybe you sit on your own but other people dont
come on the blues.
Quote:andy82
Im sorry but thats beside the point if you moved at half time, the fact is the Cardiff blues management treated their supporters like dirt again, What other team would give their own supporters such poor seats, its an absolute joke. Despite that well played blues, and a great victory, shame about the shocking organisation.
You are correct, I wasnt referring to your post with my 'doom-mongerers' comment, just more a general response to the original thread, but yes if you are a season tkt holder you should expect a decent spot in the ground
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Cymru am Byth...