The Evening Press investigation into the plight of York Rugby League Club received a tremendous response from past and present supporters. Wasps chief executive Phil Elliott today responds to fans' suggestions on how to go about pulling crowds back to the club:
Suggestion: Move back into the city centre.
Elliott: "Unfortunately, we are not in a position to do that. There is the 66-year lease with the council, which has to be dealt with on a year by year basis with Civic Leisure. In the past we have made representations for all the wrong reasons to York City AFC. That is not on the cards unless we were to go again to Douglas Craig (City's chairman) and his board. Among the amateur clubs, nowhere has the minimum requirement of the league."
Suggestion: Re-introduce a bus service to the stadium.
Elliott: "In the past it has been done and was very poorly supported. Was it because the team was not winning? If we were to receive sufficient interest for services once we get into the season, we will do whatever we can to get people there."
Suggestion: Bring success on the field, rather than threaten closure.
Elliott: "The only reason we have been fighting is so we can field a great side, that is all our focus has been on. That is why we said 'where are you all?'. We do not want, six to eight games into the season, people suddenly realising how good it is and for us to be on a cliff edge because we have been paying good winning money."
Suggestion: Revert from summer to winter rugby league.
Elliott: "I think it is too late to go back. We are caught up in a commercial whirlwind and we are dictated to. It will be summer rugby league as long as News Corporation want it. We really do have very little say in how matters are run. If you are bottom of the pile you get told what to do."
Suggestion: Negotiate a better deal to profit from stadium bar.
Elliott: "We do not have any say over the bar. The licence we have excludes those areas and the deal Civic Leisure makes no mention of those areas. We really are a very poorly regarded tenant in terms of benefits."
Suggestion: Create an atmosphere at the stadium.
Elliott: "We have moved things forward, we have music, fanfares and fireworks for younger supporters and people who want razzmatazz. Hopefully the atmosphere will be created by the team on the pitch."
Suggestion: Lower admission prices.
Elliott: "I have not seen York RL prices increase since I have been around. We did a deal with season tickets for £40. Last season we sold 30-odd and this season we have sold over 120."
Suggestion: Return to good old days, too much commercialism in modern game.
Elliott: "It is a very difficult line. We have two very distinct types of audience, long standing supporters who want traditional values back and we support that because you cannot lose them, and we have younger supporters. It is finding a happy medium."
Suggestion: More games, second division has too few matches.
Elliott: "The answer to all the questions is getting out of this division. If we do not get out of this second division there will not be a club. We have got to get out of this division."
Suggestion: Lift the gloom and despondency surrounding the club.
Elliott: "No one wants to purvey doom and gloom all the time but there is a realism and that is saying where we are. I will not be accused half way through the season of not saying what the situation is."
York RL are in action this Thursday night when Stuart Horton's Testimonial game is played at Huntington Stadium.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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