Dragons chief targets 50,000 crowd for Millennium Stadium double header (From South Wales Argus)
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Dragons chief targets 50,000 crowd for Millennium Stadium double header
6:00am Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Latest Rugby
By Chris Kirwan
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons chief executive Chris Brown has targeted at least a 50,000 crowd for a Millennium Stadium double-header after the region signed up to playing a ‘home’ game in Cardiff for the next four seasons.
The Dragons will take on the Scarlets as part of the event on Saturday, March 30, with Cardiff Blues also hosting the Ospreys.
The derby day, which is being held in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union, will take place for the next four seasons with the Dragons giving up home advantage against a west Walian opponent, with the Ospreys likely to be their opposition in 2013/14.
Dragons season ticket holders will NOT have to pay extra for tickets and those who have corporate hospitality at Rodney Parade will benefit from the same at the Millennium Stadium.
The profits from the double-header, which is being underwritten by the Union, will be split between the Dragons and Blues.
The Ospreys and Scarlets, who are both reluctant to make their fans travel large distances for ‘home’ encounters, will not directly benefit financially.
Last season’s encounter between the Dragons and Scarlets at Rodney Parade attracted a crowd of 6,897 and Brown, while understanding that some supporters may feel put out, is hoping the event in the capital will boost the region’s coffers.
“It was a really big decision and one that we didn’t take lightly,” said Brown.
“We had to weight up how our fans will feel about heading to Cardiff to watch the game and we were very mindful of our regular season ticket holders and those in hospitality. We had to take that into account and they will be well provided for here.
“If they use a box at Rodney Parade they will be able to use a box here and a season ticket holder will be able to get in here.
“The down side is that they have got to get to Cardiff but the up side is that they will get to see two games.
“We hope to get a financial boost but I believe it will be good for Welsh rugby as well as the regions that are hosting it.
“In order to make it work we have got to work towards building a 50,000 crowd and I am confident that, working together, we can achieve that.”
Tickets for the event will be £10 for under-18s and £25 for adults with a family ticket package (two adults, two children) costing £50.
WRU chief executive Roger Lewis is hopeful of matching the success of the London double-header, which kicks off the Aviva Premiership campaign every season.
“It has taken us five years to put this fixture together but I am confident it will be worth the wait,” said Lewis.
l Meanwhile, the Dragons will be without captain Lewis Evans for their RaboDirect Pro12 opener against Zebre on Friday evening.
The openside is still struggling with a calf injury and with Darren Waters out for at least six months that means Jevon Groves is set to be handed the number seven jersey.
Lock Rob Sidoli, Argus Dragon of the Year for 2011/12, also misses out through injury but should be back for next weekend’s away game at Leinster.
Dragons squad: D Evans, T Prydie, W Harries, A Tuilagi, A Smith, J Dixon, P Leach, L Robling, Steffan Jones, W Evans, J Evans, P Price, N Williams, Steve Jones, H Gustafson, S Parry, N Buck, D Way, A Coombs, A Jones, I Nimmo, J Groves, D Lydiate, T Faletau, H Stoddart.
Comments(37)
rhinestine
says...
8:32am Wed 29 Aug 12
It would be interesting to know how much the Dragons make out of it..
Iain S
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9:54am Wed 29 Aug 12
LSB Bee
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10:46am Wed 29 Aug 12
high x boy
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11:36am Wed 29 Aug 12
high x boy
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11:36am Wed 29 Aug 12
Regionalist
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2:26pm Wed 29 Aug 12
blackandamber
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2:55pm Wed 29 Aug 12
Robert Shillabeer
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3:36pm Wed 29 Aug 12
corpardguy
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7:50pm Wed 29 Aug 12
I don't like loosing home crowd advantage against these guys.......It has always been worth 7 points at the parade.
But It should be a great occasion as long as the yobos are held in check.
Nptsportsfan
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8:03pm Wed 29 Aug 12
Robert Shillabeer
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9:00pm Wed 29 Aug 12
corpardguy
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9:44pm Wed 29 Aug 12
ITS in CARDIFF! bearing in mind the double header and possible evening finish I was refering to the yobos OUTSIDE the ground hanging around the bus/train stations and local watering holes.
I have only seen one nasty lot of Fan behaviour at a rugby ground in over 50 years of watching (Pontypool vs South Wales Police........no supprises there) and even that was nipped in the bud by the real fans in the immediate vacinity.
Dai the Milk
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10:55am Thu 30 Aug 12
corpardguy wrote:I take it you are referring to the police when you say there were 'no surprises there'?
Dear Robert..
ITS in CARDIFF! bearing in mind the double header and possible evening finish I was refering to the yobos OUTSIDE the ground hanging around the bus/train stations and local watering holes.
I have only seen one nasty lot of Fan behaviour at a rugby ground in over 50 years of watching (Pontypool vs South Wales Police........no supprises there) and even that was nipped in the bud by the real fans in the immediate vacinity.
Dai the Milk
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10:58am Thu 30 Aug 12
rhinestine
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11:15am Thu 30 Aug 12
Nptsportsfan wrote:By yobbos he meant not letting any football fans in, as many of them can't read, they might wonder in at RP expecting a football match, when in fact a real man's game is being played, they might get upset and begin their yobbish behavior.
Yobbos at rugby at last an acknowledgement from a rugby fan that they exist-don't tell Rhinestine.
SWBorderer
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4:16pm Thu 30 Aug 12
I hope the organisation is alive to the marketing potential that can be generated by this kind of venture and make it a full afternoon of entertainment. I certainly hope to be there.
Nptsportsfan
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5:40pm Thu 30 Aug 12
rhinestine
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8:11am Fri 31 Aug 12
Nptsportsfan wrote:And you're point is???.....Fact - football is notorious for violence, tattooed, bald headed idiots and causing as much trouble as they can in their large group. (safety in numbers)
Lol Rhinstine you make me laugh. Best part of 4500 wandered into RP on tuesday to watch NON-LEAGUE football. The Dragons and most sides they play have internationals in their sides and players who have played at world cups. County play in the fifth tier of football, Dragons play in the top tier and get a couple of thousand more, as for the sides palying tier 5 rugby I think they struggle to get 50-100.
Its the honeymoon period for county at the moment, give it a season and we will see how it goes....all incidents do not get reported, but I hear county are full of it on their "supporters bus"
Nptsportsfan
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8:29am Fri 31 Aug 12
Its ironic that you state all incidents do not get reported a bit like the FACT that the worse violence seen at the Millenium was at the last Wales V England rugby international, however as you rightly point out not everything gets reported-we couldn't have the rugby thugs embaarssed now could we, lets just turn a blind eye again.
While we're at it have you heard the new domestic abuse violence advert on the radio, its a woman asking her husband how the game went and he goes nuts-he's been drinking all day at a rugby international.
Cue Rhinstine not acknowledging the problems rugby has and the cover ups that take place.
County
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8:07pm Sat 1 Sep 12
Gooda
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2:33pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan
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3:55pm Sun 2 Sep 12
SizzlerTrainers
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4:44pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan wrote:Probably because any thick tit can understand how to play Chavball, it should be renamed "Specialneedsball".
It does make me laugh when they say rugby is the number one sport in Wales. The 2 league teams get more watching them than 4 regions and to be honest there's sometines not a lot between 1 of the atttendances at Cardiff or Swansea and the whole 4 regions put together. Go down any park in Newport and you'll see more football pitches than rugby pitches.
Nptsportsfan
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8:27pm Sun 2 Sep 12
SizzlerTrainers
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9:33pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan
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9:44pm Sun 2 Sep 12
SizzlerTrainers
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9:56pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan
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10:13pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Rugby is played on every continent, I already knew that, its just not played by many people.
Nptsportsfan
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9:05am Mon 3 Sep 12
As we all know this is elitist crap, 2 of the most successful local sides of the last 20 years were hartridge (welsh brewers finals and winners) and Pill Harriers-trust me these sides weren't packed full with doctors,solicitors etc but down to earth working class salt of the earth lads.
The great welsh side of the 70's again had many working class lads in the side-the Pontypool front row being a great example of lads who went to the university of life and what a class act they were.
So my conclusion is that rugby is a game enjoyed and played by a lot of normal working class lads but it also has this snob element attached to it, who think they are a cut above the rest when in fact they're not.
SizzlerTrainers
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7:53pm Mon 3 Sep 12
I'm fully aware that rugby in Wales is largely working class, what you seem to have spectacularly misinterpreted what I'm getting at, football is a lot easier to understand than rugby with regards to the rules, and definitely elements of the game play.
This is definitely a factor in why football is so popular, if it hadn't been for the Sky sports money that flooded it back in the 90's, I doubt it would command such a height from its pedestal, a pedestal built from money and media hyperbole.
As for the working class boys who play it, would they be the same sort of boys who were fighting each other at Wembley and selling Cocaine to each other when County were finalists recently?
cwmbrancarter
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4:35am Tue 4 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan
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10:43am Tue 4 Sep 12
With regards to backs and forwards I think the example I gave of the Pontypool frony row answers that, you're making out you've got to be a genius to be a forward in rugby-do me a favour!
Take a look back at your posts its full of derogatory comments which is par for the course when a rugby fan comparing rugby and football.
As for cocaine wasn't a England prop banned in the last couple of years for cocaine use.
If you're going to compare behaviour what about the FACT that there is 60% increase in domestic abuse when a rugby international takes place-big men hitting women.
As for the class thing again you'll find the higher class ground is usually taken by the rugby fans as it does carry a snob element following.
The sky money is recent what about through history football, has and always will be the bigger spectator sport.
The joke in school was always that the lads who weren't skilful enough to play football played rugby and in my school if the football boys played the team usually won, if they didn't they usually lost, we didn't have to be taught sidesteps we were naturals.
Rugby is not difficult to understand.
If you seen my previous exchanges with Rhinestine you'll realise that I watch both the Dragons and the County, but what i've found the same is that you're both quick to put the boot into football but slow to acknowledge that rugby has its problems too.
SizzlerTrainers
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12:52pm Tue 4 Sep 12
I played football in school and found it the easiest sport I've ever played, really, not much to get my head around, and with a bit of pace and handling, I found anyone could look the part, played in the front row for a couple of years and found it a lot more complex. So football wasn't in serious trouble before the Sky money came into it then? mired in debt, terraces taken over by hooligans, families driven away by the violence.
As for your comment "The joke in school was always that the lads who weren't skilful enough to play football played rugby" I've heard this sort of thing from footballers all the time, just because you say it, it doesn't make it true.
As for understanding the game, you are not the common ground here, showing an interest/knowledge in both codes, however, most football fans are completely baffled by the rules of rugby, and this is shown up usually by the "just some blokes rolling around in the mud" quote that I've heard many many times over the years.
Rugby does have it's problems, but nowhere near to the level that football has. To compare the two hoping to gain some parity of acceptance is really more hopeful than informed. The discretions of footballers and supporters alike would overshadow the dark deeds of rugby beyond all comprehension. After all, no one has been killed at a Welsh rugby International by a flare have they? and that's only scratching the surface.
Nptsportsfan
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2:39pm Tue 4 Sep 12
There are sterotypical comments about rugb,y but the same goes from rugby fans about football-its a poofs game etc which is rather ironic.
Football was in trouble before the sky money but my point was that even before that its always attracted a bigger audience than rugby and I don't see rugby turning its nose up at it now.
As for hoping to gain parity i'm not, because the advert on the radio was indepenedent and specific to rugby, i've raised this in several posts and not one rugby follower has replied saying bloody hell thats a problem and needs sorting.
You found football easy I found rugby easy, I also found it baffling why lads who you wouldn't turn to for help if you had a bit of bother suddenly became "hard" men on the pitch and took pride in kicking someone on the floor and then brag about it and be congratulated by their teamates.
I like rugby as a sport but I hate the narrow minded attitude some of its followers have towards football.
I can look at a game of rugby and for example think in the recent tour of Australia why did we kick it with 2 minutes to go when all we needed to do was retain possession to win the second test which would've acted as a springboard to win the third.
rhinestine
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2:58pm Tue 4 Sep 12
Nptsportsfan
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4:19pm Tue 4 Sep 12
ps its fair to say I disagree with your last post.
kalwales@hotmail.com says...
8:10am Wed 29 Aug 12